AAPL About Us

BACKGROUND

The US Forest Service is in the process of inventorying all roads & trails on every National Forest. Much effort by the public & the Forest Service, as well as millions of dollars have been spent to designate the motorized road & trail system nationwide.
Advocates for Access to Public Lands is actively involved in the process in California on the Inyo National Forest.

The public lands being inventoried for road & trail access on the Inyo National Forest are, for the most part, presently managed as semi-primitive motorized and non-motorized recreation areas.

AAPL is very concerned that this new road inventory, which will provide our future recreation access in every Natoinal Forest, has no permanent protection by federal legislation, and will continue to be threatened by more restrictive legislated designations.

As an example in the Inyo Forest several thousand acres of identified road inventoried areas are proposed for new Wilderness in the most recent Wilderness bill from Senator Barbara Boxer S-493. Over 6300 miles of roads are proposed to be removed in another Wilderness proposal. These closures of existing roads & trails will have a negative impact on the public's access, as well a negative impact on local economies through reduced tourism.

Advocates for Access to Public Lands is seeking support for new federal legislation tied directly to the forest road inventory that will provide a secure future for semi-primitive motorized and non motorized back country recreation.

HISTORY

Advocates for Access to Public Lands AAPL was started in 2002 by local residents in Bishop CA who believe that all forms of recreation & land management go hand in hand with conserving our natural resources & even enhancing them. They are opposed to reducing public access, as this is not in the best interest of the public or the land. They are concerned over inappropriate Wilderness proposals to reduce public access to the best remaining multiple use lands.

In April of 2006 they started a word of mouth campaign to federally legislate a land designation to preserve multiple use lands. The concept of the Semi Primitive BackCountry Recreation Designation took off like wildfire & within ten months signed resolutions were received from almost every Chamber of Commerce, Board of Supervisors, Indian tribe, & recreation group within Mono & Inyo Counties.

Click here to join this growing list organizations & individuals preserving their multiple use lands

OUR MISSION
To preserve access to multiple use lands for future generations

More Background Information