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| Press Release – American Sand Association FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE American Sand Association PMB 108 1911 Foothill Blvd La Verne, CA 91750 CONTACT: Grant George, ASA President (909) 938 3226 Greg Gorman, ASA Chairman of the Board (602) 770 7878 DATE: 8 April 2004, La Verne CA HEADLINE: Is the BLM picking your pocket? BODY: The Bureau of Land Management’s new Peirson’s Milkvetch monitoring program is being funded by user fees collected at the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area. “While we welcome additional scientific data that will support our delisting petition, we have a huge problem with the way it’s being funded,” says Grant George, ASA President. Because the Federal government is requiring this monitoring program, the ASA feels that the program should be paid for out of Congressionally appropriated funds. Instead, the users of the area, in complete disregard of their wishes, are being charged for the $825,000 program. This monitoring does not directly benefit the users, and is a duplication of the monitoring that the ASA contracted at a fraction of the cost. “Because the monitoring is required, whether there are users at the ISDRA or not, the agencies that are requiring the monitoring must foot the cost of it from their own allocated budget, not our camping fees,” says Greg Gorman, ASA’s Chairman of the Board, “it’s as if they are picking our pockets! The fees are supposed to go for operations, maintenance, medical rescue and public safety at the ISDRA, not to supplement poor Federal budgeting.” The user fees for the 2003-04 season were increased from $30 to $90 per season, partly to support this monitoring. This is an unprecedented use of user fees and contrary to the spirit of the law under which the fees are collected. The ASA is discussing this discrepancy with lawmakers. Hopefully the user fee fund can be reimbursed for the costs for the monitoring. We also are working to prevent ‘fund hijacking’ attempts such as this from happening again. About the American Sand Association The American Sand Association is a grass-roots, 501c(4) non-profit organization of sand sports enthusiasts. The ASA works hand-in-hand with other groups who also fight for multiple-use access to sand areas. The ASA seeks to improve OHV safety and promote responsible land use. The ASA is an all-volunteer organization with no paid staff. We rely on the financial support of sand-sport enthusiasts and small businesses. Most of our members are family-oriented, have a rich family history going back for generations enjoying the sand sport; and most have a significant financial investment in their equipment and gear. Additional information can be found on our web site at http://www.americansandassociation.org. --30-- |