I recently recieved information, from a shortfield.com member, that the Chukar Flats airstrip (and any aircraft activity on the John Day River - in Oregon) may be in danger.

Apparently the BLM is finalizing their new Resource Management Plan (RMP) and we want to make sure that Chukar Flats (and other airstrips on the John Day) are not officially closed to aircraft. Please take a moment to send and email message to: <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>.

Here is more information at shortfield.com

I don't have much information on this, but I think we should be pro-active and let them know what we think. Even if you're not in Oregon, please send them an email and let them know that you support back-country airstrps and continued use of Chukar Flats.

Chris,

Thanks for the heads up regarding the RMP for the John Day River area...I just emailed the BLM with my comment and hope many others do the same...I'm going to contact the Oregon Pilots Assoc. to see if they are aware of this and will be taking a stance....Thanks again, and a great New Year to Ya...

Thanks.....my email has been sent.

If anyone is up for some light reading the BLM has more info on their website. I didn't have the patience to read the whole plan, but it sounds like they would like create "wilderness study areas" along some portions of the lower John Day. The management plan for these WSAs seem to exclude motorized recreation, which I assume includes aircraft.

I think it is real important we all get informed and speak up letting the BLM know we support back country aviation in the John Day Basin.

Link to BLM press release:
http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/prineville/files/pdo_JDBasin_DraftRMP_PressRelease.pdf

Link to John Day Basin Resource Management Plan Page:
http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/prineville/plans/johndayrmp/

BLM's examples of how to make comments they will pay attention to:

Q: What is a substantive comment?

A: Substantive comments do one or more of the following:

Question, with reasonable basis, the accuracy of information in the Draft RMP/EIS.
Question, with reasonable basis, the adequacy of, methodology for, or assumptions used for the environmental analysis.
Present new information relevant to the analysis.
Present reasonable alternatives other than those analyzed in the DEIS.
Cause changes or revisions in one or more of the alternatives.

Comments that are not considered substantive include the following:

Comments in favor of or against the proposed action or alternatives without reasoning that meet the criteria listed above (such as “we disagree with Alternative Two and believe the BLM should select Alternative Three”).
Comments that only agree or disagree with BLM policy or resource decisions without justification or supporting data that meet the criteria listed above (such as “more grazing should be permitted”).
Comments that don’t pertain to the planning area or the objectives (such as “the government should eliminate all dams,” when this issue is outside the scope of the planning effort).
Comments that take the form of vague, open-ended questions.

There's a thread on the supercub site about this, including a copy of the very well written letter one of the guys there sent in. When I read that, I sent an email in myself to the john day basin RMP address. Not nearly as well-written as the other guy, but I got my point across in short & sweet style. So even if you;re not a great letter-writer, don't let that stop ya from doing your part to help preserve this strip.

Eric

My email has been sent.

Good luck. Once those jerks make up their mind it is over. No mater what they say about comment periods and public input.

That is why Tuweep in the Arizona Strip is closed.

I love my country but I hate the A Holes running it.

Tim

Just a reminder to email your comments regarding Chukar Flats.

You dont have to live in Oregon to let them know what you think...the more the merrier.

I sent an email on 12-29-08.

The Senate and House are about to pass the largest land-grab legislation of our times. Feinstein, Larry Reid, and Mike Crapo (Idaho) are leading the charge to rush Omnibus Bill S-22 through into law. This bill contains well over 100 individual bills.

This bill is one of the largest land grabs in history. Just one bill, the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) covers 26 million acres and will lock you out of BLM multiple-use and energy lands. It will add dozens of new National Heritage Areas that will eventually be a land use control noose around the necks of local people and rural America. Senator Diane Feinstein plans to add 6,000,000 more acres to it on the floor of the Senate.

Majority Leader Harry Reid is buying votes by putting every bill he can find in the package to buy off opposing Senators. Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho is helping Harry Reid, Democrat Majority Leader in the Senate.

Read more about this pending disaster at:

http://www.savethetrails.us/Default.aspx?PetitionID=31

There is an active move by the Seaplane Pilots Assn. both Oregon and Washington http://www.wa-spa.org/ on the BLM rulings and I think the John Day area is addressed in this effort.

This fight has been on going for a couple of years with some softening by BLM, but more people contacting the Feds the better.

TD

TomD wrote:This fight has been on going for a couple of years with some softening by BLM, but more people contacting the Feds the better.

TD

You are certainly correct. If you go to the link in my first response to this thread you can follow it to a site that will automatically identify your elected federal representatives, and it will further assist you in sending emails, letters and messages to them. If you are really worked up about an issue, there is a service that will hand-deliver a letter to the congressional office of your representatives for a nominal fee (about $6).

I emailed my representatives, send snail mail, and will probably have letters hand-delivered later today. As my Senate representatives are Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, my actions are probably wasted, but sitting back and doing nothing just isn't an option for me.

Mark

I emailed 1-1-09.

It's a sad world we live in when we can only experience this world through the Discovery Channel. Guess they'll do a program on the History Channel on how we used to be able to go up into the backcountry and camp. I'll have to by that episode on DVD.

Before getting your shorts in too much of a knot on new wilderness and recreational areas, see if you and like minded users can work with your representatives.

The new Wild Sky Wilderness in the Washington Cascades is a good example of this. Gary Larson and Patty Murray primarily, engaged the users of the resource and as a result off road and floatplanes were accommodated within the wilderness.

Not being a snowmobiler or atv rider I cannot speak to those folks too much, but I know the floatplane community maintained access to Lake Isabel which is in the middle of the Wilderness.

The result is the preservation of a beautiful area of the world without locking out the current users.

The legislators were smart enough to, if not ignore, at least soften the "lock it all up" crowd.

TD

Guess I came across a little pessimistic. My shorts aren't knotted, but I do grow tired of hearing about threats of closures and actual closures with little to no public input.

You probably were not aware, but I do communicate nicely with my representatives. I also join like minded users and we communicate our desires for continued access to various areas of recreation and beauty. Tuweep, AZ is an example. I wrote the AZ dept of Aeronautics and expressed my disappointment on the closure. They have now reversed that decision (not because of me - there were a lot of people involved). The interesting thing is the UBCP and AZ pilots assoc. have to take on liability insurance to regain access... All while OHV users drive right by the airstrip on miles and miles of open road and don't pay a dime. I guess that statement seems like a complaint or my shorts are knotting up again. I am not losing sleep over this, my underwear is clean and good to go. I am just expressing the frustration that many feel when another area is closed off or restricted.

A lot of things our guvment does knots my knickers pretty badly, but as stated contacting your representatives and the controlling authority with well reasoned objections often gets results, especially if there are a good number of people raising the same objections.

While I still believe monied interests have far too much influence, it still remains an representative form of govenment and a vocal group can get heard.

TD

I had many places on the John Day R. I use to fly and camp/fish, a few years ago they started putting signs up that it is a wilderness study area (pure B.S., more public lands being taken from the public). These were places that Byron Root and his buddies started using 20+ years ago. I heard it was a fishing guide that started complaining that it was unfair we could get to these places with an airplane. I would like to catch that guy out in the woods!

It really sucks to live in such a great part of the country and have all the restrictions that are constantly getting more fortified.

If you ever get caught landing in National Forest I have the regulations that support it being legal. I have not found anything for BLM.

Greg

BLM or should it be BLLM....Bullshit Low Life'd Meanies..I'm not impressed!

Mauleguy wrote:I heard it was a fishing guide that started complaining that it was unfair we could get to these places with an airplane.

That person needs to be reminded that light airplanes can be a great asset to his guide business by flying in/out supplies or additional guests, emergency use, etc. In my email to the BLM, I included some language to raise these points (for what its worth):
"The use of light aircraft has a low environmental impact and can be very beneficial for the access, protection, and research of our wild areas. One has to look no further than Idaho for a fine example of how aircraft have been (and are being) used in designated Wilderness Areas and State lands to support recreational travel, emergency response, fire prevention, white water rafting, backcountry camping, fish and game management, and scientific research. "

Rember, the deadline is January 29th, so send your email today!