Oregon Forest Homeowners' Association
Generations of family and friends in Oregon’s forests.
Stewards and conservationists of Oregon’s forests.
Preserving and protecting Oregon’s Forest Service cabins.
Leaving a legacy in Oregon’s forests
for the next generation of cabin users.
Greetings!
By the time you read this web update, something has changed in our effort to enact the Cabin Fee Act of 2012. Please refer to the website for National Forest Homeowners as their site is the first to be updated on our effort.
C2 Update: February 19, 2012
Prepared by Aubrey King, NFH Washington RepresentativeCABIN FEE ACT ADVANCES ON SEVERAL FRONTS
In both houses of Congress, there have been several recent positive developments regarding the Cabin Fee Act.
House of Representatives
In the House, the full Committee on Natural Resources, under Chairman Doc Hastings (R-WA), has added H.R. 3397, The Cabin Fee Act of 2012, onto H.R. 4019, The Federal Forests County Revenue, Schools, and Jobs Act of 2012. H.R. 4019 was then favorably reported by the NR Committee on February 16th. Although the Cabin Fee Act is unrelated to the other provisions in H.R. 4019, since the bigger bill is expected to pass the full House, this will enhance CFA prospects for eventual passage into law.In another encouraging development, the Congressional Budget Office has lowered by nearly 50 percent its previous estimate of revenue shortfall to the Federal budget of H.R. 3397. While the CBO still projects there will be a net negative impact on the budget from the CFA over the next ten years, its reduced cost estimate means it may be easier either to find substitute revenue or cost savings that will "offset" CFA costs or to modify the bill to meet the necessary budget target.
Senate
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has become a cosponsor of the Senate CFA, S. 1906, The Cabin Fee Act of 2012. Senator Feinstein is one of the most respected and influential members of the Senate and as senior senator from the state with the greatest number of cabins, her endorsement is significant. She joins Senators Baucus (D-MT), Barrasso (R-WY), Enzi (R-WY), Risch (R-ID) and Grassley (R-IA) as cosponsors of the bill introduced by Senator Tester (D-MT), making it clearly a bipartisan effort.When the Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests begins to schedule hearings on new legislation, expected to happen in March, supporters of S. 1906 have been assured that the bill will be one of the first to receive an early hearing. (NOTE: Although similar conceptually, H.R. 3397 and S. 1906 are not identical and will have to be reconciled and passed as the same legislation by both Houses of Congress before becoming law.)
Forest Service
A meeting has been scheduled on February 29th at Forest Service National Headquarters in Washington, D.C., between Doug Gann, a cabin owner at Lake Wenatchee, WA, who has been a leader in efforts to enact the Cabin Fee Act, Aubrey King, NFH Washington Representative, and top FS leadership to discuss this cabin fee legislation. This will be the latest in a series of meetings between the FS and cabin owners since the problem of escalating cabin fees became apparent several years ago. The goal of this meeting is to reach as much understanding as possible on key elements of the Cabin Fee Act to expedite and facilitate its eventual final enactment by Congress.Updating our website takes some thought and a little bit of planning by a small group of dedicated cabin owners that reside on the OFHA Board. Our website looks great and the desire is to update it on a frequent basis.
The challenge is getting new information and photos together in a meaningful presentation and putting it on our site. There is plenty of good information to share including current political directions in Congress, in Salem and in our specific forests. People want to know about the success with the Wild land-Urban Interface treatments that create a healthy forest and reduce catastrophic fires. We also try to keep everyone updated as to the newest information on the Cabin Fee Act and C2 effort which has been on-going these past couple of years. There are changes in these topics, sometimes on a weekly basis.
We also want more variety for our website. So now, I encourage you to get engaged. Here is my advocacy to you. Please think about interesting stories you can write to share with other cabin owners. How did your tract association's Pancake Breakfast or Roadside Cleanup event go last weekend? What does it mean to see one of your loved ones wander off and take that last walk in the woods? How about that great recipe that someone brought to the Homeowner's Association potluck? Have you read a recent book on the history of the forest in your area that others might enjoy?
So, please give us a helping hand.
Provide us with cabin stories.
Provide us with your perspective on a topic.
Provide us with book recommendations, especially related to cabins,
forests or nature.
Provide us with photos or cabin-winning recipes.Provide us with a little bit so we can share it with everyone!
Our best wishes to you and your families.
Bill Kennedy
Oregon Forest Homeowners' Association
OFHA Meetings
OFHA Annual Meeting
Date: Saturday, March 10, 2012
Time: 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Location:
The Courtyard by Marriott
600 Airport Road
Medford, OR 97504
1 541-772-5656
OFHA September Board Meeting
Date: Saturday, September 10, 2012
Location: TBD
NFHA Meetings
National Convention
Date: April 13, 2012
Location:
The Heathman Lodge
Vancouver, WA
NFHA Forum
Date:September 15, 2012
Location:
Hilton Garden Inn
Billings, MT
Contacts
President
Past President: Bill Kennedy
541-891-1794
lostriverranch@earthlink.net
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