Sorry for the cross post from the Land Access forum...but I know a lot of folks don't visit there. There are a fair number of TX guys on here (and all y'all wish you were Texan at heart, right? ;) ) so pass this link along to your friends and local clubs. Camo, if you think this is out of line go ahead and delete it.

Texas basically has NO public lands. The only public place we have to wheel is in navigable river bottoms. Quite a few of these rivers have large granite rock formations that make great rockcrawling in the summer when the rivers dry out to a trickle. If you want to see some pics go to www.frankentaco.com.

A lot of landowners along the rivers would like to see this use stopped so they can enjoy and enhance the value of their "estates" by stopping the publics use of public land. They have gone to the Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPW) to get OHV use banned while they do a 5 year study to see if such use is impacting stream life...although to date there has been no indication of any negative impact. :flipoff: The TPW biologists are pretty receptive to this. As one told me "even though there is no evidence of any impact, it just isn't 'right' for a truck to drive up a river bottom".

There is a meeting of the State Joint Legislative Committee on Natural Resources on Feb 27 and we have started a petition to present to them. The only information that will be given to Committee is name and county and the rest will be confidential. Here is a link to the petition...anybody who can sign will be appriciated.

http://128.83.80.200/hcor/tmp/index.html

i did my part.

This is the first I have heard of this I signedthe petition.

did my part. BTW Barnswell is state owned, someone is on our side;)

Done :usa:

I keep getting a error page when I try to send it:confused:

I'm in. One word for some of the people who have already signed and future signers. It is County , Not Country, so don't put USA. Pretty easy mistake I guess as a good percentage of those listed as supporters are quoted as being from USA County.

Signed and forwarded to everyone in my club and everyone I know, make sure everyone knows that their spouses can sign these things too,,,,to often stuff like that isn't thought of and you can get twice as many signatures.

kerryp

Did my part. Gotta drive 6 hours to night just to wheel in Gilmer. We need more legal wheeling places in TX.

im in toooooooooo

Originally posted by dpenney
I keep getting a error page when I try to send it:confused:

I believe it's set up where it needs every blank filled in, even the comments section. I wrestled with it a bit myself.

Re Barnwell Mtn. I may be wrong but as I understand it that is privately owned but was bought with the help of a federal grant I believe. Supposedly plans are in the works to buy a 2nd piece of land in central Texas.

Yeah, I think every field has to be filled in or it wont take it.

My understanding of Barnwell: It is owned by the private organization Texas Motorized Trails Coalition, a Texas non profit corporation. They applied for grant funds, not sure if fed or state, that was a portion of liscensing fees or taxes that was earmarked for OHV use. They used these funds to purchase Barnwell and hope to purchase other areas in the state using the same formula. Visit http://www.texasmotorizedtrails.com for more info.

I mis spoke when I said the Feb 27 meeting was with TPW... it is actually a JOINT LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE PUBLIC HEARING. Here is my response to a email I received about it.

Rusty, you're not missing anything. As you have noted
we are facing a multi pronged attack. One front is
legislative, which is what the meeting next week is
about with the Joint Legislative Committee. As you
probably know, we narrowly averted losing access in
the last legislative session from an amendment tacked
onto another bill. This is continuing this year with
other groups trying to legislate out our right to
access the rivers.

The other front is with TPW who is charged by the
legislature with maintaining river quality. They have
received complaints about OHV use degrading water
quality and impacting river wildlife and fauna. They
do have the authority to shut down access if they
determine OHV access is actually causing that...even
if the legislature takes no action.

> Why does everyone keep acting like they having a TPW
> meeting everything I read says it's a JOINT
> LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE PUBLIC HEARING this is the
> TNRCC not the TPW . This meeting is with Senators
> and House Representatives or am I missing something.
> Links to the meeting on River ,
>
http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/senate/commit/c895/c895.htm
>
> http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlo/cmte.htm
>
>
http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlo/schedule/2002/C895/05810001.HTM
>
> http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/Senate/Events.htm
>
> I have sent a letter to all the Senators and
> Representatives on my feelings about wheeling in
> Texas a copy is posted to
> http://www.topica.com/lists/4X4TEXAS/read?
>

That was the problem, it's taken care of now;)

Signed the petition! :usa: :)

Signed it.
How 'bout a STICKY.

i signed it. i know how it feels to have to drive real far to go wheelin. i live in montana and have to drive to wyoming for some real wheelin trails! everything else is pretty much shut down!:( :mad:

up simba

done:D

Thank you for posting that! I think you would find there are more than enough Texans on this BB to get the word out! And I know Amarillo seems awfully far away.. but if they close public access to the rivers... you can kiss any wheeling within a 300 mile radius goodbye!

TOP!!

Signed for Wife, Child and myself!

yeah...i signed for practically my whole family...
1st its Amarillo, next its Twin Buttes, then......they'll never stop

Joseph A.

btt


how do we make this a sticky? Moderators???

Signed the petition and forwarded it to others

Thanks for the heads up. Signed the petition and forwarded it to others!!!!

BUMP

ttt

OK, just got emailed the agenda...the summary is they are out to get us. If you can't attend letters to the senators and reps listed at the top would be good. there addresses are on the links listed above.:


Texas Joint Committee on Water Resources


Senator J.E. "Buster" Brown Representative David Counts

Co-Chair Co-Chair

Senator David Bernsen Representative Robby Cook

Senator Teel Bivins Representative Robert Puente

AGENDA

10:00 am, Wednesday, February 27, 2002

Capitol Extension, Room E1.012

Austin, Texas

************************************************

I. Call to Order and Roll Call



II. Committee Business

* Co-Chairman Brown

* Co-Chairman Counts

Adoption of Minutes from December 13, 2001



III. INVITED TESTIMONY

Environmental & Wildlife Water Permitting and Development

* Statutory - Regulatory Panel

* Margaret Hoffman, Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission

* Larry McKinney, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

* Gary Powell, Texas Water Development Board

* Martin Hubert, Texas Department of Agriculture


* Environmental Flow Strategies Panel

* Dean Robbins, Texas Water Conservation Association

* Bill West, Guadalupe Blanco River Authority

* Joe Beal, Lower Colorado River Authority


* Stakeholder Panel

* Myron Hess, National Wildlife Federation

* Ben Vaughan, III, Coastal Conservation Association

* George Ward, University of Texas, Austin

Protection of State-Owned Riverbeds

* 4x4 Task Force Update, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

* Stakeholder Panel

* Con Mims, Nueces River Authority

* Brian Sybert, Sierra Club

* Carol Smith, American Motorcyclists Association Community Council

IV. PUBLIC TESTIMONY

OPEN PUBLIC TESTIMONY

Environmental & Wildlife Water Permitting and Development

Protection of State-Owned Riverbeds

Other Charges of the Joint Committee on Water Resources

V. Future Hearings and Other Business

VI. Recess

To the top one last time. Meeting is tomorrow, anybody who hasn't sign please do it now!