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Help Save The Great Outdoors!


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This summer, Americans Saving American Places (ASAP) is gathering the signatures of one million Americans to persuade President Bush to keep his promise to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Please join us in this critical campaign to protect America's Great Outdoors.

 

Whether you enjoy hiking, fishing, camping, geocaching, or just spending time outside, protecting our public lands is critical for continuing these activities. To show your support, go here. ;)

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I'm all for saving and restoring wild places, but the last time I gave my personal imformation to an online petition, my personal information was sold and it took several months to get my name removed from all of the people who are convinced that I need to lose 100 pounds and enlarge portions of my reproductive system.

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people who are convinced that I need to lose 100 pounds and enlarge portions of my reproductive system.

 

Hey who doesn't? ;) What if you could just transfer some of that weight to the appropriate part of your reproductive system? Hey, it's all about proportion.

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Wow, I'm surprised not to have received a single encouraging reply. :laughing:

 

The idea isn't necessarily to increase the percentage of wilderness areas in the US, but to protect what we have from continuing to shrink, and to ensure that they remain available for public use. Following is an excerpt from the ASAP website:

When enough people "Sign It This Summer," we'll persuade President Bush to keep his promise to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund, for its original purpose was created to provide close to home recreation for all Americans.

 

The bad news is that America's open spaces — parks, playgrounds and ball fields, fields and streams, bike paths and hiking trails — are shrinking at an alarming rate. The good news is that there's already a plan in place to help Americans Save American Places.

 

Convincing President Bush to live up to his promise would do wonders for the Great Outdoors. It would:

  • Make it possible to keep our national parks open and thriving. More information
     
     
  • Bring parks, playgrounds, ball fields and other open spaces within reach of young people living in urban and suburban communities. More information
     
     
  • Encourage more active lifestyles by providing America's families with access to convenient places to hike, fish, hunt, camp, and bird watch. More information
     
     
  • Reduce burgeoning health care costs stemming from physical inactivity by providing close-to-home recreational opportunities to more Americans. More information
     
     
  • Make it possible for more people to get off the couch to see, catch, track, photograph, and experience the wonder of America's wildlife. More information

 

My fear is that if we idly sit by and do nothing, before we know it all of our public lands will be yanked out from under us. By then it may very well be too late. :bad:

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My fear is that if we idly sit by and do nothing, before we know it all of our public lands will be yanked out from under us. By then it may very well be too late

 

Im curious, is there a list provided at asap (or elsewhere) that lists public land that has already been "yanked out from under us" ? In other words, lands we as a whole have already lost due to this ? Listed by state/county/etc?

 

I think people wouldnt really take notice until someone points them to local area that is relevant to them geographically.....

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Take it from me ... bills and treaties that the President signs are worthless. If I had a scalp for each promise that the President broke to the Indians, you all would have serious headaches. :bad:

I once heard a "man on the street" radio broadcastr where they asked "When do you think the government should have started to crack down on illegal aliens?" A gentelman with a native american accent said 1620. :laughing:

 

I just realized that this is completely off topic sorry I'm done now.

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The idea isn't necessarily to increase the percentage of wilderness areas in the US, but to protect what we have from continuing to shrink, and to ensure that they remain available for public use.

The reason you're surprised not to get more encouragement, I think, is that you know who geocachers (mostly) are. We're the good guys. So let me offer some explanation for my resistance to a "group hug" here.

 

-Been lied to before. We're a mess here right now(for example) in the school board, and when they make a statement, I want to see the facts. Won't accept broad statements. I know that many "environmental" groups are, in fact, wackos who spread broad and untrue "facts" to sway people, but who support ...Oh, let's see...violence sometimes, complete anti-logic sometimes...etc. When you find out where the money you give actually went, you might be really upset. So I don't want "this is for schools," or "This is for the environment." I want more information. I'm a hard sell.

-Some of those who get paid by my tax dollar might want to keep people out of the wilderness...I guess people aren't "natural."

-Mostly, our government doesn't get much for the money...on any level. I, quite frankly, just react to "building playgrounds" as part of this effort. If your State or City want a playground, build it with your own money. That has NOTHING to do with the environment. Oh, I won't go on any more...

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It reminds me of the "Wilderness Study Areas" we have around here. They were to be studied for 3-5 years to determine if they should be made into wilderness areas. 15 years later they are still study areas with full wilderness rules. De facto wildernesses.

 

Does the Nat'l Park Service follow their own guide lines about the land they control? For the benefit and enjoyment of ALL people, except cachers.

 

Just my thoughts on help from the government.

 

John

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Africa - 28 % wilderness area.

 

USA - 38 % Wilderness area.

 

How much more do you want?

 

Less that 5% of the US is wilderness. I'm not even sure that 38% of the US is public land. Where did you get your numbers?

 

Maybe you consider dog poop parks to be wilderness? :(

 

By the way, Zuckerruebensirup is right that maintaining (or increasing) the current level of public land area is THE most important think geocachers can do to perpetuate the hobby. No public land, no geocaches. Right now there are business interests, various recreational interests, politicians, and private citizens working to get little slices of our public land. Once they get it, it's nearly impossible to reverse the trend, so we should be DEMANDING prudence from our elected officials in this matter.

 

Personally, I don't think that a petition with a billion signatures on it would get noticed by W but I guess it doesn't hurt to try. Good luck.

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Well, this is going nowhere fast. It also does not relate to geocaching. Since the OP is not a premium member, moving this to Off Topic would be counterproductive and would not allow them to participate in their topic any further. The only option is to close this topic.

 

Keep it about geocaching. Thanks.

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