Dear NGMC Members:
I copied this off LA Rocks and wanted to pass on to you.
Sally, NGMC Secretary
OK rockhounder, this week may be our last crack at the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009. According to Leave It Wild, http://www.leaveitwild.org/news/daily_clips/1486, a vote is expected this week, perhaps as early as Wednesday. The Senate has already passed this bill and the forces are lined up to ram this bill through the House of ReThis info is confirmed on the website of the House Resource Committee http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/images/newsletter/resources_newsletter.pdf. Many consider this bill to be a slam dunk. The enviro folks are doing their last minute politicking and phoning/faxing their Representative. We rock folks should be doing the same.One very important thing this bill does will be to codify the National Conservation Lands System which began under the Clinton administration. This covers the BLM administration of wilderness areas. It also places many SW Idaho and SE Oregon river canyons and adjacent lands into Wilderness areas. This is the home of many well known picture jaspers such as Owyhee and Bruneau.There is a useful tool for generating a letter at: http://www.westernroundtable.com/oppose+federal+land+grab.aspxAt this date, a phone call or a FAX to your Representative (not Senator as the Senate has already passed this bill) is the only voice we still have in this matter. It is too late to mail a letter. Or, you might hand deliver it to your Representative's local office.To find your representatives contact information go to: http://www.congress.org and enter your zip code. If it pulls up several, use the ZIP+4 to find the right one.Happy Hounding.
