Protest Ride In Harrisburg For State Game Lands--Please Sign Up!

[Helga Loncosky <hblmh@ptd.net>]

Protest Ride on Harrisburg, PA!!

                         CONFIRMED DATE IS AUGUST 17TH

 YOU MUST REGISTER WITH DEBBIE ZANOT NO LATER THAN AUGUST 13TH,  TO   DO
 THIS PROTEST RALLY.  darkcat5@yahoo.com
 YOU MUST BE IN HARRISBURG NO LATER THAN 7:00 PM AUGUST 16TH.
 A LIST WITH THE NAMES OF THE RIDERS, HAS TO BE SUBMITTED BY DEBBIE, TO
 THE CAPITOL POLICE FOR THEIR SPECIAL EVENT FORMS. 
 COMMITTED RIDERS ONLY, AND IF YOU SHOULD CANCEL,  HAVE A SUB WIATING
 TO TAKE YOUR PLACE.

                         Please read all the information below

 A ride from the Farm Show Complex down Commonwealth Avenue to the
Governor's Office is planned
 for Autgust 17, 2001, to protest the Pennsylvania Game Commission's 
proposal to exculed horsemen
 and mountain bikers from public game lands.

 Although some of the Commission's funding comes from federal taxes on
hunting equipment and
 ammunition and a large portion from Pennsylvania hunting licenses,
there is also revenue from land
 leases, logging, quarrying and other activities prohibited by federal
statute on land bought with federal
 funds. Federal funds may only be used for land acquisition and habitat
enhancement and no income
 may be earned from federally funded lands.  

 Although the Pennsylvania Game Commission has changed its retoric
somewhat we need more time
 and public awareness of what is happening with  the Game Commission.
The Governor and legislatures
 of this State need to know that we are not going to go away nor be
lulled  into a state of apathy by a
 few ambigious changes of wording.  We need time to form a strong
coalition to work with and have
 actual dialog with the PGC rather than "public meetings" with a drop
your comments in a box forum
 such as they have planned for "sometime" starting in August.  We need
to confront the accusations of
 habitat destruction, disturbance of wildlife, and make them prove it by
scientific  studies. We need the
 PGC to consent to  letting local land  managers  work with local land
users rather that their "one  shoe
 fits all" approach. Basically a media coverage story would draw the
attention of  legislatures and the
 Governor and the PGC not to mention the  many Pennsylvanians who are
unaware of what is happening
 here.  It would buy us hopefully the time needed to try to work with 
these people and to show them that
 we are responsible stewards of  the land and most importantly that we
are NOT going to go away  or
 give up. 

 The recreational horseback riding and mountain bike community's wishes
to buy more time for the
 dissemiation of information regarding the PGC recommendations of land
use, which restrcit recreational
 riding on public lands.  Several different altercations have been
issued by the PEC on this topic.  These
 issues need to be studied and addressed by the targeted user groups and
those user groups must have
 time to respond to the PGC in a creataive effort to work with local
land managers on a local level taking
 each game land into consideration.  At this time the PGC has not
changed their language to include in
 plain English, that they will allow local land managers the opportunity
to do what is best for the lands
 they manage.  The PGC seems to be a freight train rolling down hill
full steam ahead, with one
 objective in mind: punish all citizens for usage problems in one or two
areas by shutting down the entire
 State.  Investigation into this issue has raised concern about the
recent direction of our nation's
 approach to recreationa and a number of policy initiatives that seem to
intend to deny public access to
 millions of acres of public land.  Some such initiatives include the US
Forest Service rule making on the
 expansion of "road less?" areas, which exclude the public when
decisions are made.  We are
 concerned the PGC recommedations are a stepping-stone in PA for this
larger national agenda.  We
 would like officials of the Commonwealth to tell us which acres in PA
have been set aside as "road less
 wilderness" areas brought about by Bill Clinton in his last hours of
office.  We wish to stall the forward
 movement of the PGC so that more of the public is made aware of the
important issues, which face ouor
 entire nation regarding the use of public lands.  PA boasts of number 3
ranking nationwide of state and
 federal owned lands.  The PGC would like the hunting community to
believe athat the p;urchase of
 hunting and fur taking licenses are the majority of revenue on which
theyoperate, when in reality
 Federal funding from the Pittman-Robertson Act from US Fish and
Wildlife Service and many other
 known and unnown sources contribute largely for the purpose of the
"land grabs" we see every day. 
 The rhetoric of the PGC seems to want to encourage animosity between
the hunting commuity and
 other users and existent.  As horseback riders, many of whom are
hunters, consider themselves
 responsible steward of the land and have built their family homes in
rural PA near public lands for their
 recreational use of those lands and are outraged by the false
accusation of being destoyrs of habitat,
 wreckers of the land.  If we were to point a finger back at the PGC it
would be to point out that they
 destroy habitat by bad logging praictices, building off roads for gas
well drilling, etc.  The PGC collects
 large sums of money from timber sales, gas, oil, and other minerals and
lowers the tax base of any
 community it surrounds by only paying 40 cents per acre back to
townships.
 We feel that it is time for the PGC to quit playing games and realize
that there is a large and growing
 larger daily, front of citizens that demand the opportunity to work
with and be a part of the policy
 making, in preserving our wild lands and wildlife that we all enjooy in
a fair and just manner  for the
 common good of all.

 We plan on having 100 horsemen, that is 33 horse trailers to park at
the Farm show complex on
 Cameron Street. Anyone with a 3 or 4 horse trailer and absolute
commitment to attend can email me
 and be put on the list.  If you are a hunter we ask that you dress in
your hunting apparrel. We need one
 walking person for 4 horses to go behind and scoop poop. You know how
these city people feel about 
 poop...eeeeuuuuu.. it stinks :-)  We ask that you select a horse that
is calm and that probably some anti
 skid on the shoes would be a good idea.  We have to be there around
6:00-7:00 pm Thursday to get
 parked  and will have a organized meeting in the evening for the next
day, so bring your sleeping bags.
   Horses will be tied to their trailers.

                    Persons desiring to participate in the ride should
contact:

                  Debbie Zanot at 814-328-2702 or e-mail
darkcat5@yahoo.com
                    Web Site:  www.usachoice.net/elkvalley        Click
News









-- 
 Helga Loncosky
THE ARCHIVAL MORGAN RECORD--Registry for Foundation and Half-Morgans
http://home.att.net/~a_m_r/index.html
Beacon Morgan Horses
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/5292/
hblmh@ptd.net
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The path of least resistance is what makes rivers and men crooked.

"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the
inside of a man"--Winston Churchill