BILL REQ. #:  S-1126.1 

Read first time 01/29/2007.   Referred to Committee on Natural Resources, Ocean & Recreation.

     TO THE HONORABLE GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:
     We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:
     WHEREAS, Recreational pack and saddle stock have historically used and ridden on trails both on public lands and the backcountry of these public lands; and
     WHEREAS, In the past ten years, federal land managers have, for reasons not substantiated by scientific evidence or research, restricted or prohibited access to and the use of trails by recreational pack and saddle stock on those public lands; and
     WHEREAS, A substantial number of these restrictions and prohibitions violate the National Environmental Policy Act because public hearings were not, and are not, held prior to enacting these restrictions and prohibitions; and
     WHEREAS, Federal policies regarding management of public lands have a profound impact on the well-being of the citizens of Washington, and changes to those policies should be conducted in an open public forum; and
     WHEREAS, Backcountry Horsemen of Washington members contributed over 62,000 volunteer hours in 2005, maintaining many miles of trails for all users worth over $1,000,000 in savings to taxpayers;
     NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully request that the Congress of the United States enact a law that: Preserves the use and access of pack and saddle stock animals on public lands, including wilderness areas, national monuments, and other specifically designated areas, administered by the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, or the Forest Service where there is a historical tradition of such use, and for other purposes; directs, as a general rule, that all trails, routes, and areas used by such animals remain open and accessible for such use; and allows agencies to implement a proposed reduction in the use and access of pack and saddle stock animals on such lands only after complying with the full review process.
     BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.