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Access Fund
climber
Boulder, CO
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Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 3, 2009 - 05:44pm PT
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Press release from the Access Fund
After passing in the House, the $800 billion economic stimulus bill is heading for the Senate. This massive stimulus package hopes to put three million people to work on short-term projects that will have lasting benefits.
If passed, this bill will allocate a large amount of funding to federal land management agencies - the same agencies that manage many of our country's most treasured climbing areas. These agencies, including US Park Service, US Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management, will spend up to $3 billion of stimulus money on construction-related projects such as road maintenance. And while we don't have influence on whether this bill passes, we do have the opportunity to make suggestions on where this funding will be spent, and help these agencies prioritize projects in and around our climbing areas.
We need your input on potential projects
The Access Fund has joined forces with other members of the Outdoor Alliance to compile a list of infrastructure projects that are important to the active outdoor recreation community. We will put this list in front of the federal land management agencies during upcoming meetings in Washington, D.C. to provide guidance on how to spend this stimulus money.
We need to hear from you! This is your chance to propose a project or highlight a problem with a road, trail, river, or landscape in your back yard that needs increased financial support. Suggestions might include design of new roads, bridges, trails, remediation of abandoned mine sites, and even restoration projects. Please take the following brief survey by Friday February 6 and provide as much information about your suggested project as possible. Take the survey
Thank you!
Since 1991, the Access Fund has been the only national advocacy organization that keeps climbing areas open and conserves the climbing environment. The Access Fund supports and represents over 1.6 million climbers nationwide in ALL forms of climbing: rock climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering, and bouldering. Five core programs support the mission on national and local levels: climbing management policy, stewardship & conservation, local support & mobilization, education, and land acquisition & protection.
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apogee
climber
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Sounds like a great opportunity to get that habitat study completed that is holding up the Williamson Rock closure...
Don't just complain about it on ST, here's your chance to have some kind of impact!
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WoodySt
Trad climber
Riverside
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No way. I understand the value of the funds being spent for long term projects, but the present stimulus bill should be all devoted to assistance to small business and local infrastructure projects that can be started immediately. Too much of this stimulus package is being spent long term and as nothing but pork. Get this money into the hands of people and business that can put it to work in the next few months.
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apogee
climber
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"Too much of this stimulus package is being spent long term and as nothing but pork."
A lovely catch phrase that has some truth in it, though how much, is a very subjective opinion. After all, one man's pork is another man's main dish, eh?
Keeping this thread on topic, though, if this bill (or something similar to it) does pass the Senate, the NPS, USFS and BLM are gonna get a bunch of funding that could easily have an influence on most person who frequents ST. I wouldn't go so far as to say it will be used as wisely as I'd like, but it's gonna happen.
As an example, want more campsites in JTNP? I'm not particularly in favor of it, but many are- here's your chance to maybe see that happen...
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Chaz
Trad climber
Boss Angeles
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This *stimulus* hustle will come and go, and you won't see one more campsite added to Joshua Tree.
Or Yosemite either.
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the Fet
Knackered climber
A bivy sack in the secret campground
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Hey Access Fund,
We could all put what interests us, but how about providing a list of important projects already identified we could lend support to? Projects that may keep climbing areas open, or opening new areas?
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BooYah
Social climber
Ruby Range
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Shouldn't you HAVE money, BEFORE you plan projects?????????
Bird in the hand......
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Well, it is a chance for you to get your two cents worth in, and do your democratic duty. I didn't look at the survey, but for those opposed to a project (toilet, trail, RV park, gondola...), presumably it would also be a chance to say something.
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dogtown
climber
Cheyenne,Wyoming
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Bump Woody!!!!!
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apogee
climber
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Woody, Chaz, dogtown-
Probably safe to assume you won't be providing any input to the Access Fund, then, hmm? Is it also safe to assume that you won't be bitching and complaining about various issues with the public lands where you climb, hike, bike, ski, paddle, etc.? It sure would be hypocritical...
Your skepticism about whether anything will actually change, or the content of the Stimulus Bill is understandable, and I share much of it. One could say the same thing about the entire democratic process and voting- do you sit that out, too?
Access Fund:
As mentioned, a listing of projects that you see as important would be helpful...
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Chaz
Trad climber
Boss Angeles
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Outstanding!
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apogee
climber
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Excerpted from the WaPo article jpt cited, pertinent to this thread:
Senate Democratic leaders conceded yesterday that they do not have the votes to pass the stimulus bill as currently written and said that to gain bipartisan support, they will seek to cut provisions that would not provide an immediate boost to the economy.
Moderate Republicans are trying to trim the bill by as much as $200 billion...
What Senate leaders cannot predict is which provisions will stay in and which will fall out...
The most ambitious effort to cut the bill is being led by Sens. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), moderates in their parties who share a dislike of the current version...
Nelson and Collins have agreed to "tens of billions" in cuts, although he said he is skeptical that the effort will reach Collins's target of $200 billion in reductions....
Among the items that the Collins-Nelson initiative is targeting: $1.1 billion for comparative medical research, $350 million for Agriculture Department computers, $75 million to discourage smoking, $20 million in Interior Department funding, $400 million for HIV screening and $650 million for wildlife management.
This stimulus bill is expected to hold ~$1.7 B for the NPS (Dept. of Interior), ~$700 M for the USFS (Dept of Ag), and ~$325 M for BLM (Dept of Ag).
It appears that, at this time, perhaps ~$20 M might be cut from the Dept of Interior funding (no telling how much actually might affect the NPS).
Bottom line- this bill, or something very similar to it, will probably pass, like it or not. You can provide input to where the $ will go, or do us all a favor and STFU.
Edit: By the way, let's try to keep this thread on topic, and oriented towards the OP, hmm? There are plenty of other threads discussing the overall merits of the Stimulus Bill- please use them.
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dirtbag
climber
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The Dems have no nuts.
Why not put it up for a vote? If the Republicans fillibuster, then let them and start over. The stimulus bill is popular, if polling is any indication. At least this will show the public what the Republicans stand for.
Hopefully, Obama and Co. will soon stop this bending over backwards (Or maybe it's more like bending over forwards and squeeling like a pig?) in the sake of bipartisanship. In the words of Barack Obama, "I won."
So act like it!
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wbw
climber
'cross the great divide
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Everyone that is a taxpayer should be concerned about the speed at which the Democrats are trying to rush through a stimulus bill in which the cost has mushroomed to triple the inital estimates. I'm planning a trip with my family this summer and we just spent $2500 on plane tix. If that somehow increased to $7500 for any reason, we would have to cancel the trip. I am very pro-Obama, and hope that his administration will be able to solve big problems by doing things differently. But this feels too much like Paulson and the other Bush criminals ramming the TARP thru Congress, executives of banks getting bailout funds continuing to receive sinfully huge bonuses, while not freeing up credit to the taxpayers that need it.
This stimulus bill should contain the bare minimum necessary to get the economy going again. With all due respect to the Access Fund, this particular bill should be about what is necessary to keep the country from sliding into an outright depression; not opening climbing areas. How in the hell are we going to pay for all of this??
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apogee
climber
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The Access Fund has NO more influence on whether this bill will pass than you or I. The OP is in regards to where to spend the funds, if/when they become available.
For discussions about the validity of the Stimulus Package, try this:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=773511
Remember this thread, just passing thru? YOU created it. Use it.
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wbw
climber
'cross the great divide
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"The Access Fund has NO more influence on whether this bill will pass than you or I. The OP is in regards to where to spend the funds, if/when they become available."
True. But personal feelings about the Access Fund aside, I find this thread to feel a little like a pork feeding frenzy.
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the museum
Trad climber
Rapid City, SD
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You can't take tax money and use it for economic revitilization. Sorry.
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