June 21,2006
Re: Record of topic responses by CET&LC To Date.
The following list of issues were referred to the California Equestrian Trails & Lands Coalition (CET&LC) for response and comment by local member groups of our 10 coalition member organizations. (Each of these had a letter written to the respective agency, legislators or city and is in rough sequence order. CET&LC formed in May 2002.

All,
As you know, for over two years Mother Lode Unit has been involved with the Eldorado National Forest's OHV Route Designation Project/Travel Management Plan. We attended public meetings, we participated in the Forest Service's telephone conference calls for forest stakeholders, we met with the Forest Service, we studied Route Alternatives and Environmental Impact Reports, we again met with the Forest Service in the field at Fitz Rantz Bridge on the Silverfork and at Schneider's Cow Camp, we researched the role of horses and pack stock in the area that became ENF, we provided written comment, we studied the Forest Service's Record of Decision and Final Environmental Impact Statement, we appealed their decision, we attended an Informal Disposition meeting for all appellants the Forest Service held, we attended a private meeting with the Forest Service and 5 Mother Lode members and finally, we were informed our appeal, along with those of all the other 27 appellants, was dismissed and there was no further administrative appeal.
This is the background information leading to Dan Clifford, our BCHC Vice-President, Public Lands, requesting our members to email and write their national legislators, asking their help in delaying the implementation of the Eldorado National Forest Public Wheeled Motor Vehicle Travel Management Plan until the Forest Service explores all reasonable alternatives to the motorized camping restrictions implied in their Record of Decision and Final Environmental Impact Statement. We wish to thank Dan Clifford for his outstanding Memorandum that lays out the issue in a concise, easy to understand style, clearly presenting the "points" of our issue and stressing the importance of each member's needed contribution. Dan, you have provided Mother Lode Unit with superb leadership at this critical time. We appreciate your efforts working at different levels and we thank you.
We also wish to thank all the following Mother Lode members. I know many of you have taken the time and effort to write and send your letters, with copies to Dan Clifford. Others are still in the process due to summer plans and being out of town. However, once contacted, the overwhelming response has been affirmative, with members promising to commit to our request to get those letters out. I really want to thank you for that committment.
Gerry Bourn Bob Calder Peggy Christensen
Lee Cole John Deangelis Dorothy Foster
Gary Fraley Kathleen Gaudreau Patricia Gibbs
Urban Gomes Carolyn Gilmore Rick Gourley
Jerry Griffin Randy Hackbarth Julie Hahn
Cheryl Hart Lavonne Hughes Carrie Johnen
Mary Johnson Al and Cheryl Kaiser Mike Keim
Corky Layne Jerry Ledbetter Carol Lundberg
James and Karen Mansel Dan Marus Marvin McCauley
Diane Medlock Donald Hess Charlene Paoluccio
Jack Peebles Bob Pfaff Terri Riley
Rick Schwyn Dolores Scott Shirley Sherwood
Pat Shockey Valerie Siebenhaar Sandy Stovall
Judy Suter Cordell Van Rees Chris Walker
Billy White Stephanie Williams Becky Wolk
Neva Yarborough Claudia Ball


Eleven of the above members will receive thank you letters as they do not have email.
Additionally, there are still those members we are trying to reach. We believe we will have a good outcome once we are able to contact them.


We want to especially thank Mother Lode member Jerry Griffin. Jerry is also the President of Cosumnes River Horsemen in Placerville. Jerry had a wonderful idea and acted upon it with his offer to hold a letter writing workshop during their August 7th meeting. We hope to get a number of letters from this. It's like the icing on the cake!


There are not enough thank you's to be said to John Lewis, our Public Lands Chairperson. John led this effort from the start and his dedication to public access and knowledge of the Eldorado is incredible. It has been a priviledge to work with John.


We personnally wish to thank all of the following: Patricia Gibbs for all of her help; she has been invaluable, providing analysis, insight and editorial direction; Mother Lode members John Lewis, Jerry Ledbetter, Randy Hackbarth, Becky Wolk and Patricia Gibbs for attending lengthy FS meetings, engaging with them on the issues and presenting our perspectives. A very big thank you goes to Mother Lode's Corky Layne. Singlehandedly, Corky produced the mailing that went to every Mother Lode member, giving them Dan Clifford's Memorandum. Likewise, Mother Lode members Carolyn Gilmore, Becky Wolk and Pat Shockey are to be commended for helping to contact members about their letters and we thank them. Janet Peterson, President of Action Coalition of Equestrians (ACE) and it members are to be thanked for giving us wonderful support and encouragement during this project as well as has John Keyes, President of California Equestrian Trails and Lands Coalition (CET & LC) of which BCHC is a member. Knowing ACE and CET & LC were in our corner meant a lot.


All of this effort and dedication, and what we have learned during this process will only make us stronger and more effective as we face these issues with Tahoe National Forest which is also in Mother Lode's area. In fact, someone told me we have a meeting on Tahoe NF coming up on Tuesday, July 29th in Auburn; hope to see you there. I know that after reading this email some of you may be feeling like you missed out on the fun and excitment we had dealing with the Forest Service on the Eldorado and you are probably thinking a select few hogged it. Well, give Bill or I a call at 530-626-8589 and we will let you in on the fun still to be with the Eldorado. Seriously, there will also be work to be done in our involvement with Tahoe and other upcoming issues. We will do it because it needs to be done; the right of Americans to access their public lands is that important. And, we can count on you. Thanks.
Bill and Claudia Ball, members, Public Lands Committee
Mother Lode Unit, BCHC