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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Vacaville, CA
Posts: 253
This could happen down south, problems for Berryessa
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This was a letter I received a few weeks ago about some of the problems between the Bureu of Reclimation, and Lake Berryessa Concessionares(sp). If there is anything we can do to stop this, let's all try and band together, and fight the good fight. A group us us had a wonderful weekend up there last month, and it would be a shame if this continues. The problem up there is that all of the resorts have their 50 year leases comming up in the next few years, and the BOR is seeming to pursue changing the lake into more of a wild life preserve, than a family boating, and camping destination. Any help would be appreciated by the folks w/ homes, and boats at Pleasure Cove. If they get away w/ this here, they'll be after every water way the BOR runs in the future. We need to set the presedence now so this doesn't happen all over the country...
BRA
Dear Friends of Lake Berryessa,
We have gained national attention! Below is an email from one of the most influential property rights groups in the country. The American Land Rights Association has protected citizens' rights in the National Parks and on other major public recreation access fronts. This message went out to tens of thousands of their members who have a strong influence on Congress. Please join them in taking the requested action.
CPLB
Landrights Network
American Land Rights Association
PO Box 400
Battle Ground, WA 98604
(360) 687-3087
Fax: (360) 6872973
www.landrights.org
Bush Administration Seizes Private Property
Urgent Action Required
Steve Petty, a small business owner of a little resort on Lake Berryessa, has been locked out of his facility that includes hundreds of other private rental users. The Bureau of Reclamation has taken his private property, including major improvements to the resort, and plans to give them all to another operator.
The Bureau of Reclamation sent armed guards to take possession without the clear authority to do so. BOR is being a very bad neighbor. Trailer owners are restricted to their residence. If they choose to leave the resort with any items, those items may not be brought back. Seasonal residents are trapped. Nearly 200 other users are locked out with 2,000 more in jeopardy. The 200 have received notice to vacate by this fall. This BOR police action cannot be allowed to stand.
***See Action Items Below***
Plan to make your calls, send your faxes and send those e-mails. Gale Norton and the Interior Department must hear from you.
o Are you a private property owner?
o Do you use motorized watercraft?
o Are you a water recreationist?
o Are you a Federal land user?
o Do you have a permit to use Federal land?
o Are you a small business owner-operator?
Answer any of these questions yes and you need to pay close attention to this land grab and abuse by the Bureau of Reclamation at Lake Berryessa in Northern California. It threatens all private and public use of Federal areas.
There is a plague spreading across the Federal lands. It is a battle for future of recreation access in Federal areas. What happens at Lake Berryessa will play a role in deciding whether access is allowed and encouraged by the Bureau of Reclamation and other agencies. Or instead, will it be blockaded and severely limited as it appears to be today? Gabe Friedman, Napa Register (California) writer said, the future of the lakeshore has engendered a spirited feud between trailer owners and Berryessa area businesses on one hand, and the Bureau and environmental activists on the other.
The Bureau of Reclamation is planning to eliminate 1,300 permit home sites (trailer and mobile home sites) and hundreds of docks at Lake Berryessa, California. Many hundreds of people could be forced to remove their seasonal homes. BOR wants to reduce motorized watercraft from over 3,000 to 700. All seven resorts at the lake are in jeopardy. An entire economic ecosystem around the lake is threatened including lots of small businesses.
This man made lake is 26 miles long and 3 miles wide. Special interest groups want to lock it up selfishly for themselves. The holders of the 1,300 sites have been given notice they will likely have to get out. Some by the end of the year. They all rent space from the seven resort owners. The resorts are not economically viable without the rental spaces. No resorts, no real public use, no services, no supplies. All this is to carry out a BOR plan to reduce access, close trailer and home sites, severely reducing motorized boating to a fraction, remove docks, lock out boats and generally bow to pressure from special interest groups to take the lake back toward a more Wilderness experience. This process is happening all across the country. That is because the greens are a very loud and vocal minority. But Lake Berryessa is a poster child for BOR bad behavior.
Steve Petty, a small business owner of a little resort on Lake Berryessa has been locked out of his facility which includes hundreds of other users. The BOR sent in armed guards to take possession without the clear authority to do so.
Seventy-three long term recreation site permittees and renters and over 100 dock owners have also been locked out. The Bureau of Reclamation came in and locked down the entire Pleasure Cove Resort ignoring the law and contractual agreements. The only barrier to continuation was a disagreement over a bond which was under active negotiation. The original owner got sick and sold most of his assets to Steve Petty. He died before he could convey his concession contact.
The BOR got impatient. BOR is using this as a chance to remove Steve Petty and undermine the other resort owners through their aggressive action. Incredibly, Petty was applauded by BOR just three years ago for spending his own money to clean up a site the BOR said would cost over one million dollars for cleanup.
BOR wanted to teach the resort owner permittee a lesson and send a message to the other six resort owners as well as resort owners nationwide that they better follow the BOR line quickly and without resistance or they will pay the ultimate price. They better not speak up or complain.
Steve Petty has operated for several years with official BOR temporary concession contracts until all the details of the new contract could be worked out. This appears to us to be a deliberate attempt to drive this resort operator off Federal land and take his personal property.
To add insult to injury, the father of Steve Petty and the few other seasonal residents are to some degree trapped. They can leave the resort, but if they do they cannot bring back anything they take with them. They are restricted to their home site and are not allowed to go outside or set foot on Federal land beyond the scope of their home site without an armed guard to go with them. Petty's father has a golf cart which he needs to get around and he has been prevented from using even that. No guests are allowed to visit these lake residents.
Believe it or not, all those with private property, or motorized watercraft at the Pleasure Cove Resort are trapped too. They've been told they can leave with materials or supplies, but those materials cannot come back. If they take a boat on the lake, the boat cannot return. There are six other resorts on Lake Berryessa, all of whom now have to fear that if the BOR is successful getting rid of Steve Petty, owner of the Pleasure Cove Resort, BOR will come after them. Under the proposed plan for Lake Berryessa, that looks likely. The fundamental issue is the attempt by the Bureau of Reclamation to cut the number of boats and mobile home sites on Lake Berryessa down to a few hundred from the present thousands that are allowed. They plan to do that by cutting off access to services and supplies which all come from seven resort owners.
o Public access is going to be reduced.
o 1,300 trailer and mobile home sites will ultimately be eliminated.
o Recreation access is being reduced or eliminated.
o Motorized watercraft will be drastically reduced.
o People are going to be locked out.
This is an attempt by the BOR to outdo what the National Park Service is doing in Yosemite-drive the people out. In Yosemite, thousands of campgrounds have been closed, parking spaces lost, and soon, visitors will have to see the park in busses. The Park Service says it is crowded. You bet. They made the crowding much worse.
Now other agencies are following the special interest dogma by trying to reduce access of people to their natural resources. These are the same people who want to remove Forest Service permit cabins, close all the Forest Service roads, cut off access to your forests, drive rural people into the cities and are trying to gain control over the nations recreation lakes and other Federal lands. If the Bureau of Reclamation gets away with this atrocity, then everyone who uses a recreation lake or has a permit on other Federal lands will be far less safe.
What all this means is by standing up for Steve Petty and the hundreds of other affected families and small businesses at Lake Berryessa, you stand up for private property, recreation, access, boating, docks and public use where you live.
Here's your message:
1. Insist that the following officials get involved and take action to save Steve Petty and other users at Lake Berryessa. This land grab and police action must be stopped.No private property should be taken without compensation.
2. The BOR must follow Public Law 96-375. (see below)
3. BOR must return management of the Resort to Steve Petty / Pleasure Cove Resort Asset Management Group.
4. BOR must stop the removal of long-term tenants.
5. BOR must stop the discrimination against long-term users and motorized watercraft.
6. BOR must throw out the present plan to cut down or eliminate public use and access by long-term site permittees, boaters, dock owners and the general public.
7. Bush Administration officials must require the Bureau of Reclamation be good neighbors at Lake Berryessa.
*** Action Items*** (bury these officials in calls, faxes and e-mails.)
***Please carry out at least one action item each day beginning Tuesday, May 17th. Continue through the entire week. Your calls, faxes and e-mails really make a difference. We'll follow up with more e-mails giving you updates. Remember, by standing up for the victims at Lake Berryessa today, they will be there to fight for you tomorrow.
o Call, Fax and E-mail-Secretary of Interior Gale Norton (202) 208-7351, FAX: (202) 219-2100 - gale_norton@ios.doi.gov
o Call, Fax and E-mail - Deputy Lynn Scarlett, (202) 208-4203, FAX: (202) 208-1873 - lynn_scarlet@ios.doi.gov
o Call, Fax and E-mail Commissioner of Bureau of Reclamation - John Keyes, (202) 513-0501 - FAX: (202) 513-0309 - jkeys@usbr.gov
o Call, Fax and E-mail Mark Limbaugh - Deputy Commissioner of Reclamation, (202) 513-0540 - FAX: (202) 513-0309 - mlimbaugh@usbr.gov
o Call, Fax and E-mail your local congressman. Call any Congressman or Senator at (202) 225-3121. Ask for their fax and e-mail.
o Call and fax the Resources Committee -Water and Power Subcommittee - Kiel Weaver -- (202) 225-8331 - FAX: (202) 226-6953
o Call and fax Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee - Water and Power Subcommittee - Kelly Donnelly - (202) 224-4971 - FAX: (202) 228-0541
It's possible the Bush Administration does not know the BOR is out of control at Lake Berryessa. You need to make them hear you. This kind of abuse of private property and private citizens cannot be allowed to continue. This is not what the Red States and Red Counties voted for.
Please forward this message as widely as possible.
Public Law 96-375 October 3, 1980 - 96th Congress - An Act Portion appropriate to Lake Berryessa
Sec. 5 (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to enter into new negotiated concession agreements with the present concessionaires at Lake Berryessa, California. Such agreements shall be for a term ending not later than May 26, 1989, and may be renewed at the request of the concessionaires with the consent of the Secretary of the Interior for no more than two consecutive terms of 10 years each. Concession agreements may be renegotiated preceding renewal. Such agreements must comply with the 1959 National Park Service Public Use Plan for Lake Berryessa, as amended, and with the Water and Power Resources Service Reservoir Area Management Plan: Provided, That the authority to enter into contracts or agreements to incur obligations or to make payments under this section shall be effective only to the extent and in such amounts as are provided in advance in appropriation Acts. (b) Notwithstanding any other laws to the contrary, all permanent facilities placed by the concessionaires in the seven resorts at Lake Berryessa shall be considered the property of the respective current concessionaires. Further, any permanent additions or modifications to these facilities shall remain the property of said concessionaires: Provided, That at the option of the Secretary of the Interior, the United States may require that the permanent facilities mentioned herein not be removed from the concession areas, and instead, pay fair value for the permanent facilities or, if a new concessionaire assumes operation of the concession, require that new concessionaire pay fair value for the permanent facilities to the existing concessionaire.
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Vacaville, CA
Posts: 254
Here is the latest e mail I received...
Land Rights Network
American Land Rights Association
PO Box 400 - Battle Ground, WA 98604
Phone: 360-687-3087 - Fax: 360-687-2973
E-mail: alra@landrights.org or alra@governance.net
Web Address: http://www.landrights.org
Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE - Washington, DC 20003
Has The Bush Administration Lost Control Of The Bureau of Reclamation??
Your calls, letters and faxes are having their affect.
Your continued pressure on Congress and the Administration is helping win.
Remember, you fight for the people of Lake Berryessa today, and they'll be
there to help fight for you on your issue tomorrow. Don't let your opponents isolate you into small little groups. When one of our communities is attacked, everyone must rise up to fight back. Otherwise you will have no chance when they come for you.
And they will come for you.
The Bush Administration is still authorizing a coup of all recreation at Lake Berryessa by the extreme green organizations. It is the massive green agenda the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) is following.
You can help stop this attack of family and motorized recreation by going
to www.landrights.org to print out two Testimony Questionnaires. (They
should be posted late 6-13-05. If they're not up when you receive this,
they will be shortly.)
Print them out, fill them in and mail or fax them back to the American
Land Rights Association, PO Box 400, Battle Ground, WA 98604. Fax:
(360) 687-2973.
We will hand deliver them to your congressmen, congressional staff and
Administration officials. You can send them directly to your congressman
and/or the resources committee too. But we would appreciate a copy.
Whether you agree with us or not.
You can also fax them to the officials listed below.
Remember, WE AGREE with all the statements on the Testimony Questionnaire
but you don't have to.
The Bureau of Reclamation is making irrational decisions in a rush to head
off the cloud of criticism. They are out of control.
The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) manages Lake Berryessa, the best water
skiing lake in Northern California. They just announced signing a new company to take over the resort that Steve Petty purchased from the previous owners. They are ignoring the law that requires them to pay Petty for his improvements. (copy of the law
below)
The BOR and the greens are saying this is not a private property issue.
Forcing out families and taking homes away from people who own them is not
a private property issue according to the greens and BOR. Our opinion is
that this is big government under the Bush Administration. Somebody has
their eyes and ears shut.
But the issues are much bigger than Steve Petty.
The Bush Administration seems to be endorsing the plan by the
environmental activists to remove most uses at Lake Berryessa. This will
happen all over the country if it is not stopped here. For example, BOR
plans to:
-----Force all present resort owners at Lake Berryessa out by 2009.
-----Cut watercraft down from over 3,000 to only 700 in three years.
-----Get rid of most Motorized Watercraft.
-----Reduce tent campsites from 504 to 250.
-----Cut dock slips from 1438 to 600.
-----Cut dry boat storage sites from 1068 to 100.
-----Remove gasoline storage tanks.
-----Eliminate Long term trailer sites from 1347 to 0.
-----Drastically reduce access to the handicapped and elderly.
-----Dramatically cut places for families to stay.
-----Closing large sections of the lake to motorized use. This is a man
made lake and they're trying to make it a Wilderness.
-----They are violating Public Law 96-375 that requires BOR to pay resort
owners for their investment.
The only way there will be significant public use at Lake Berryessa is to
keep the resorts going. They provide the restaurants, snack bars, stores,
bathrooms, supplies, gas, water and more. The only way for them to survive is to have long term rental sites. That income underwrites and subsidizes the costs of many of the services including bathrooms, campgrounds and more. The resorts want to put in more campgrounds and facilities but the BOR has
consistently denied them permission.
Those who champion the Sierra Club say the long term rental sites are
blocking public use and access. Of the 170 miles of lakeshore, only 12 miles has resorts and only a little over 3 miles of that has long term trailer space rental. So about 2% of
the lake is long term rental. The BOR is really blocking public use.
They are doing the bidding of the greens.
The real goal of the environmental groups is to undermine the economic stability of the resorts so BOR can clean them out. There is a real inability of the Bush Administration to be able to see that they are buying into the green agenda and destroying public use for
thousands of recreationists.
***BOR says they are getting rid of exclusive use. Yes, they already
forced the Boy Scouts out. Others are being pressured. Pretty soon they
won't eliminate just exclusive use, but most uses will be eliminated.
Under the guise of gaining public use they are forcing out public use.
Isn't that the green agenda.
The BOR has become like an armed tyrant at Lake Berryessa. They are
taking property rights by force with armed guards. They are not obeying
the law.
BOR is now trying to claim that the property at the resort is just
personal. They ignore the huge business investment. They ignore the
investments made by many people who have mobile homes and docks. They
fail to see how cutting off access is a threat to private property. The
agency seems clueless.
All users at Lake Berryessa are living in fear. They fear they will be
forced to remove their homes (mobile homes and trailers), docks and other
infrastructure.
The BOR is creating uncertainty among the resort owners. It is hard to
keep people motivated and moving ahead when their investments are
threatened by an agency that appears out of control.
This BOR police action cannot be allowed to stand.
*** Action Items*** (bury these officials in calls, faxes and e-mails.)
***Please carry out at least one action item each day beginning today and
continuing all week. You are already getting the attention of the Bush
Administration. Hopefully they will try to get BOR under control. Your
calls could make the difference. Please keep going.
You helped save farmers on the Klamath because you join in nationally to
help. It is time to do that again. You have won many times on issues
such as CARA, Roadless, and more. It is the teamwork that counts.
It is time to bring the Bureau of Reclamation under control.
-----1. Send a message to Congressman Mike Thompson. Lake Berryessa is
in his district. You need to ask him to request Chairman Richard Pombo of
the Resources Committee to hold hearings on Lake Berryessa and the BOR.
Phone: (202) 225-3311. FAX: (202) 225-4335. You can send him an e-mail
message by going to his website at http://www.mikethompson.house.gov
----2. Contact Chairman Richard Pombo of the Resources Committee. This
is the kind of issue he has concerns about. Let him know you support
taking direct action. Call (202) 225-2761 -- FAX: (202) 225-5929 -
http://resourcescommittee.house.gov
-----3. These Congressmen's districts are close to Lake Berryessa. They
must be called faxed and e-mailed by constituents to urge them to ask
Chairman Pombo to hold hearings and reign in the Bureau of Reclamation.
Wally Herger, (202) 225-3076 - FAX (202) 226-0852 - www.house.gov/herger.
Dan Lundgren (202) 225-5716 - FAX (202) 226-1298 -- www.house.gov/lundren.
John Doolittle (202) 225-2511 - FAX (202) 225-5444 -www.house.gov/lundgren
-----4. Call, Fax and E-mail-Secretary of Interior Gale Norton
(202) 208-7351 - FAX: (202) 219-2100 - gale_norton@ios.doi.gov
-----5. Call, Fax and E-mail - Deputy Lynn Scarlett
(202) 208-4203 -- FAX: (202) 208-1873 - lynn_scarlett@ios.doi.gov
-----6. Commissioner of Bureau of Reclamation - John Keyes
(202) 513-0501 - FAX: (202) 513-0309 - jkeys@usbr.gov
-----7. Mark Limbaugh - Deputy Commissioner of Reclamation
(202) 513-0540 - FAX: (202) 513-0309 - mlimbaugh@usbr.gov
-----8. Call, fax and e-mail your local congressman. Call any Senator or
Congressman at (202) 225-3121. Ask for their fax and e-mail. Ask them to
request an investigation by the Resources Committee in the House and the
Energy and Natural Resources Committee in the Senate. Ask them to request
that funds for Lake Berryessa management by BOR be cut until the Administration reins in this out of control agency.
-----9. Call and fax the Resources Committee -Water and Power
Subcommittee - Kiel Weaver -- (202) 225-8331 - FAX: (202) 226-6953
----10. Call and fax Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee -
Water and Power Subcommittee-Kelly Donnelly -- (202) 224-4971 - FAX:
(202) 228-0541
----11. Send a short letter to the editor of any newspapers in your area.
The BOR will be putting out propaganda. You want to build support in your
local community and those near to Lake Berryessa. Please keep the letter
to less than three paragraphs and don't make them long because people won't
read them.
***Here is what you should say:
-----BOR must throw out the present plan to cut down or eliminate public
use and access by the general public, long-term site permittees, boaters,
and dock owners.
----- BOR must stop the removal of long-term tenants.
----- BOR must stop the discrimination against long-term users and
motorized watercraft.
----- No private property should be taken without compensation.
----- Insist that the Bush Administration officials listed above get involved and take action to save Steve Petty and other users at Lake Berryessa. This land grab and police action must be stopped.
----- The BOR must follow Public Law 96-375. (see below)
----- BOR must return management of the Resort to Steve Petty / Pleasure
Cove Resort Asset Management Group. At the very least, BOR must pay Steve
Petty for the property taken.
-----Bush Administration officials must require the Bureau of Reclamation
be good neighbors at Lake Berryessa.
Do you use motorized watercraft?
Are you a water recreationist?
Are you a private property owner?
Are you a Federal land user?
Do you have a permit to use Federal land?
Are you a small business owner-operator?
Answer yes to any question and you need to take action on the Lake
Berryessa takeover by the greens.
Send your testimony too.
Here is a copy of the public law that requires BOR to pay for the improvements by the resort owners.
Public Law 96-375 October 3, 1980 - 96th Congress - An Act Portion
appropriate to Lake Berryessa
Sec. 5 (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of
the Interior is authorized to enter into new negotiated concession
agreements with the present concessionaires at Lake Berryessa, California.
Such agreements shall be for a term ending not later than May 26, 1989,
and may be renewed at the request of the concessionaires with the consent
of the Secretary of the Interior for no more than two consecutive terms of
10 years each. Concession agreements may be renegotiated preceding
renewal. Such agreements must comply with the 1959 National Park Service
Public Use Plan for Lake Berryessa, as amended, and with the Water and
Power Resources Service Reservoir Area Management Plan: Provided, That the
authority to enter into contracts or agreements to incur obligations or to
make payments under this section shall be effective only to the extent and
in such amounts as are provided in advance in appropriation Acts.
(b) Notwithstanding any other laws to the contrary, all permanent
facilities placed by the concessionaires in the seven resorts at Lake
Berryessa shall be considered the property of the respective current
concessionaires. Further, any permanent additions or modifications to
these facilities shall remain the property of said concessionaires:
Provided, That at the option of the Secretary of the Interior, the United
States may require that the permanent facilities mentioned herein not be
removed from the concession areas, and instead, pay fair value for the
permanent facilities or, if a new concessionaire assumes operation of the
concession, require that new concessionaire pay fair value for the permanent facilities to the existing concessionaire.
Don't let BOR and the Greens force out family recreation.
Don't allow them to largely eliminate motorized watercraft.
Help save the people of Lake Berryessa so they will be there to help save
you in the future.
Please forward this message as widely as possible.
I figured this was a great place to showe what's going on. We all have the same interest, and can't allow the BOR to get away w/ this. If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere...
BRA
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posting so I can keep track of this
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This is also a sticky in Hot Spot's West
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Dear Friends of Lake Berryessa,
You've been getting a lot of emails lately about Lake Berryessa. That's because we are at a critical point in our battle to save our lake. Sometimes it takes a couple of requests before some of us finally decide to do something. Please take that time now! It took me more than an hour to write, email, and fax my comments to everyone listed below. But that is not too much time to invest in protecting your future!!!
We have heard from several people in Washington, D.C. (and actually through a Task Force 7 member with connections to Senate sources in Nevada of all places) that Lake Berryessa is one of the hottest topics of conversation in Congress and the Department of the Interior. We need to keep up the pressure.
I have to share with you a letter from one of our most passionate supporters who has done an incredible job during the last couple of years in rallying people to our cause. Don Lombardi has been doing this work for almost 5 years and can still get fired up! I want you to read it in his own words and FEEL IT!
We need you to write, fax, email now! Can you believe I still meet local residents, lake users, and mobile home owners who don't think it will happen. We've heard from several sources that there may actually be trailer owners who support the BOR and tell them what we are doing - supposedly because some BOR employee promised them he'd let them keep their trailer if they spied on us. This may just be one of those conspiracy theory rumors (we've heard some strange opinions from people about what they think is happening) since I can't believe anyone would be stupid enough to believe anything the BOR (especially a certain local employee) says about this issue!
Read Don's letter, get as fired up as he is, and take action now. We need you to write especially to a few new names in Congress. I've included them again at the end of Don's letter and right here:
These Congressmen's districts are close to Lake Berryessa. They must be called, faxed and e-mailed by constituents and other supporters to urge them to ask Chairman Pombo to hold hearings and reign in the Bureau of Reclamation.
Wally Herger, (202) 225-3076 - FAX (202) 226-0852 - fax your letter - no email.
Dan Lungren (202) 225-5716 - FAX (202) 226-1298 -- fax your letter - no email.
John Doolittle (202) 225-2511 - FAX (202) 225-5444 - fax or email to doolittle@mail.house.gov
************************************************** *****
From Don Lombardi:
LABOR DAY 2005 COUNTDOWN
This is a Labor Day 2005 countdown to everyone who either owns a trailer, mobile home or wants to save Lake Berryessa. At the June 11, 2005 Task Force 7 meeting of the future of Lake Berryessa at Putah Creek Resort it was stated loud and clear that if we do not change the minds of some of the most important politicians by Labor Day 2005 we may lose the battle to the BOR. Let me be clear, this came from our political analyst whom we have paid to inform us of the effects of our strategy on Washington policy makers and politicians. It is pretty clear and plain to see that Labor Day 2005 is right around the corner. We cannot say that we did not have time to do our part to save Lake Berryessa for our children and grandchildren.
My wife and I, my daughter's and my son's families have mailed 100 of the letters to Richard Pombo Chairman of the Resources Committee (per the email dated 6/16/05 to you from Pete Kilkus) of concerned people to save Lake Berryessa. If only three families can send 100 letters, just think if everyone would just send three letters per trailer owner, the total would be 1300 times 3 or 3900 letters to our congressmen. Everyone needs to do their part and find the time before it is too late - men, women, children, and friends all send letters, E-mail, and faxes to the congressman. Remember, Labor Day 2005 is D- Day for everyone, and for those who own mobile homes, trailers, it will be a loss of investment plus an expense to clean out the trailer sites, approximately between $6,000 to $10,000 and bring it back to a nature state.
Remember, you did not buy in a nature state, but the radical environmentalists and the BOR wants you, at your expense, to be responsible for all the expenditure. This is a wake-up call for those who expect someone else to do the work to save their places. Time is vital and is closing in on who will win the war. We have fought many battles, but the victory of war is at stake. We and we alone can lose the war if we don't have enough time to mail letters, e-mail, and faxes to our congressman to make them stop this BOR onslaught.
Please do not stop now until we are sure of winning the war. Do not put yourself in the position to explain to your children, grandchildren, friends, that we lost Lake Berryessa because of excuses of not having enough time to stand together to fight the Sierra Club and Berryessa Trails & Conservation, both non-profit organizations, which means they do not pay taxes, and the BOR, for whom we write paychecks with our taxes. Remember we are taxpayers and do not need to hide from these people. Stand up and fight for your legal rights or lie down and let them take those rights away from you. You will only have yourself to blame because you did not care enough to stand up and fight for your rights not only with your donations, but also standing together as one.
Some people think they have until 2008 - 2009 at the end of the Resort leases. Let us not be naive to think that our only saving grace is our resort owner, because if he sees it is total loss by Labor Day 2005, he might decide to make a deal with the BOR to relieve him of a large clean up expense at the end of his lease. He might make an early termination of the resort lease and at that time we are no longer protected and will have 30 to 60 days to remove our mobile homes and trailers. This could happen as early as 2005 or 2006 so the 2008- 2009 ending leases means nothing without the concessionaires. You already saw this happen at Pleasure Cove!
We have less than 60 days to try to convince our congressmen to put a stop to the BOR's actions. I believe our political analyst's words that we have only until Labor Day 2005 to win the war. I have been at Lake Berryessa over 30 years and I believe the BOR is out to get rid of the recreation as it is at Lake Berryessa at everyone else's expense. If everyone does his or her jobs, our congressmen will hear us loud and clear. Remember, they count numbers, the more they see, the more they will feel the need to respond to us. Now is the time to act before the countdown to Labor Day 2005. One good example is Pleasure Cove Resort whose contract was terminated by the BOR. The new Resort owner of the new Pleasure Cove Marina is Forever Resorts Corp. of Arizona. They make their money renting houseboats so they have no need for mobile homes, trailers, or pleasure boats. The BOR has brought an Arizona company with a promise they will have the lone concession of Lake Berryessa, and are throwing out California taxpaying citizens. One down; six to go, no time to lose to make sure the BOR destruction plan does not include us. Contact your State Representatives and Governor and tell them you don't want our tax dollars leaving our State. WE MUST WIN THE WAR.
DON LOMBARDI
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It is time to bring the Bureau of Reclamation under control.
-----1. Send a message to Congressman Mike Thompson. Lake Berryessa is in
his district. You need to ask him to request Chairman Richard Pombo of the
Resources Committee to hold hearings on Lake Berryessa and the BOR.
Phone: (202) 225-3311. FAX: (202) 225-4335. You can send him an e-mail
message by going to his website at http://www.mikethompson.house.gov
----2. Contact Chairman Richard Pombo of the Resources Committee. This is
the kind of issue he has concerns about. Let him know you support taking
direct action. Call (202) 225-2761 -- FAX: (202) 225-5929 -
http://resourcescommittee.house.gov
-----3. These Congressmen's districts are close to Lake Berryessa. They
must be called faxed and e-mailed by constituents and other supporters to urge them to ask
Chairman Pombo to hold hearings and reign in the Bureau of Reclamation.
Wally Herger, (202) 225-3076 - FAX (202) 226-0852 - www.house.gov/herger.
Dan Lungren (202) 225-5716 - FAX (202) 226-1298 -- www.house.gov/lungren.
John Doolittle (202) 225-2511 - FAX (202) 225-5444 -doolittle@mail.house.gov
-----4. Call, Fax and E-mail -- Secretary of Interior Gale Norton
(202) 208-7351 - FAX: (202) 219-2100 - gale_norton@ios.doi.gov
-----5. Call, Fax and E-mail - Deputy Lynn Scarlett
(202) 208-4203 -- FAX: (202) 208-1873 - lynn_scarlett@ios.doi.gov
-----6. Commissioner of Bureau of Reclamation - John Keyes
(202) 513-0501 - FAX: (202) 513-0309 - jkeys@usbr.gov
-----7. Mark Limbaugh - Deputy Commissioner of Reclamation
(202) 513-0540 - FAX: (202) 513-0309 - mlimbaugh@usbr.gov
-----8. Call, fax and e-mail your local congressman. Call any Senator or
Congressman at (202) 225-3121. Ask for their fax and e-mail. Ask them to
request an investigation by the Resources Committee in the House and the
Energy and Natural Resources Committee in the Senate. Ask them to request
that funds for Lake Berryessa management by BOR be cut until the
Administration reins in this out of control agency.
-----9. Call and fax the Resources Committee -Water and Power
Subcommittee - Kiel Weaver -- (202) 225-8331 - FAX: (202) 226-6953
----10. Call and fax Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee - Water
and Power Subcommittee -- Kelly Donnelly -- (202) 224-4971 - FAX: (202)
228-0541
----11. Send a short letter to the editor of any newspapers in your area.
The BOR will be putting out propaganda. You want to build support in your
local community and those near to Lake Berryessa. Please keep the letter to
less than three paragraphs and don't make them long because people won't
read them.
***Here is what you should say:
BOR must throw out their present plan to cut down or eliminate public use and access by the general public, long-term site permittees, boaters, and dock owners.
There is an excellent alternative plan, The Resort Operators Plan (ROP), which accomplishes everything in the BOR plan and actually provides much more public access at no cost to the taxpayer.
BOR must stop the removal of long-term tenants.
BOR must stop the discrimination against long-term users and motorized watercraft.
No private property should be taken without compensation.
Bush Administration officials must require the Bureau of Reclamation be good neighbors at Lake Berryessa.
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