WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS

Republican John T. Doolittle, my congressman, has released a bill to release Wilderness Study Areas (WSA's). We need to support him and his bill. John has been active for years to help keep public lands open for the public, in stead of from the public. The BlueRibbon Coalition encourages you to help get this bill passed and support similar efforts like these of John Doolittle.

John's bill is HR 4589. The summary of the bill is here, but you can read the whole thing either thru the BlueRibbon home pages and CapWhiz access pages, or thru web sites like THOMAS who give you congress in an nutshell.

"H.R.4589 : To provide for expedited decisions on wilderness study areas, to provide that lands designated as wilderness study areas for more than 15 years shall be used in accordance with the Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Rep Doolittle, John T.- Latest Major Action: 4/25/2002 Referred to House committee. Latest Status: Referred to the Committee on Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned."

You can contact Congressman John Doolittle through BRC's CapWhiz site.

Wilderness Study Areas nearly ALWAYS result in more Wilderness. We don't need more Wilderness for the most part. We need better management of our public lands WITHOUT the use of Wilderness or Wilderness Study Areas.

We should return to the 1964 Wilderness Act if we want to know what Wilderness is -- it's not what is being proposed by folks like Senator Boxer in her 2002 New Wilderness Area Bill. What we do need is to develop the BlueRibbon Coalition concept of Back Country areas, wherein resources can be protected without closing off the land.

John Doolittle is making a difference for our fight for public land access.  He has my full support. I encourage you to support this bill and let your congressman know to also support it.

Thank you, Del