ABP dead?

[base570 1]

So what's the scoop on the ABP?? Just got word that Robin H. has had it out with the other members (suprise!) and decided to shut down the web site and start over with new BOD members.

Do the paying members not get a say in this?? Why does RH have the last say in this matter? Just because he owns the website address doesn't mean he can boot out all the other members does it?

If this is the case I want my $100 back

570

[JaapSuter 0]

I would strongly urge any discussion regarding this matter to be resolved away from the boards until proper statements can be made.

The last thing the ABP or the BASE community needs is speculation.

For the record, I know nothing about this matter. I suspect that should there be some truth to the above, the ABP board members will be responsible enough to come forward with a public statement and resolve it in the BASE community's best interest.

I hope...

[TomAiello 25]

Yesterday, Robin, with the backing of Gardner and Jason, informed the rest of the board (myself, Jason Bell, Martin Tilley, Adam Filipino, Todd Shoebotham and Jimmy Pouchert) that we were no longer part of the organization.

Since Gardner controls the bank account, t-shirts, membership cards, and other physical apparatus, and Jason Dawson controls the web site, mailing lists, and other electronic apparatus, they can pretty much do as they wish.

It is my assumption that they will continue to pursue BASE access goals. Apparently they feel that they will be better able to pursue those goals without the aid of the aforementioned former BOD members. Gardner has given me his word that should the ABP cease to pursue these goals, any remaining treasury monies will be donated to an appropriate charity.

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...Do the paying members not get a say in this?

No. Jason and Gardner were clear in stating that this is not a member driven organization, and there will be no voting to determine anything, by either the membership or the board.


I must admit that at this point I'm very taken aback, and a little confused by this whole thing. Suffice to say that I regret having encouraged others to donate money, and I find it particularly ironic that I was on national television wearing an ABP shirt on the same day the ABP told me that I was having a negative effect on their efforts for greater access.


Below, I've reproduced Robin's letter to the board. I have the original word document, with Robin's signature and the ABP letterhead, but the graphics files are too large for DZ.com attachment. Feel free to email me if you would like a copy.

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July 19, 2005


To: Tom Aiello, Jason Bell, Jason Dawson, Marta Empinotti, Adam Filippino, Jimmy Pouchert, Gardner Sapp, Todd Shoebotham, Martin Tilley

Lady and Gentlemen:

Last July I invited each of you to become part of the Alliance of Backcountry Parachutists, the organization I created as a result of my 25 years of experience in both fixed object jumping and politics. I took that action because the ABP needed to grow itself into the access machine I had designed it to be, and to help me begin that process I chose each of you because of your previous and/or continuing accomplishments in the sport, and your willingness to help out. Each of you accepted my invitation and I thank you for so doing.

I also chose to model the ABP after non-profit organizations with a board of directors, an executive director who ran the day-to-day operations, and a constitution and bylaws that included elections procedures and numerous committees. Unfortunately, this model clearly doesn’t work for the ABP in its present form, so as of today the non-profit model and its ad hoc board of directors is hereby terminated.

That said, please accept my sincere thanks for the many contributions each of you made to the development and growth of the Alliance of Backcountry Parachutists. Your presence helped give the organization momentum and your input helped to sharpen the ABP’s focus and more clearly define where it needs to go and how it should get there.

The ABP has now adopted a different organizational model that will more effectively continue its founding mission of “fair access, responsible use, worldwide,” first in Utah, then in U.S. national parks, then in parks and recreation areas in other countries. The organization will also continue to solicit advice from senior members of the parachuting community and will extend invitations to some of you to join the ABP’s new Advisory Council or be a member of its headquarters staff.

Thank you again for your contributions to the access process. In recognition of those efforts you will each receive an honorary lifetime membership in the ABP, and be listed at the top of the ABP website Hall of Fame for your work as its founding directors.

Sincerely,



Robin Heid
Founder, Alliance of Backcountry Parachutists

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[TomAiello 25]

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I would strongly urge any discussion regarding this matter to be resolved away from the boards until proper statements can be made.

See the bottom of my post for the official ABP statement.

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I suspect that should there be some truth to the above, the ABP board members will be responsible enough to come forward with a public statement and resolve it in the BASE community's best interest.

Jason Dawson told me yesterday that the reorganized ABP has no interest in representing the BASE community. The organization will move toward it's goals of BASE access as it sees fit, without consultation or discussion with other jumpers. I believe that it is felt that BASE jumpers, on the whole, are not mature or far sighted enough to be involved in a campaign for access, and that a few dedicated individuals will serve the ABP's goals better than a larger group.

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[Zennie 0]

I take it the Robin Heid who would best represent the "mature" BASE community is the same Robin Heid that pounded in at RG last year after jumping a small-ish Triathalon with a sail slider?

Just checking....

- Z
"Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

[TomAiello 25]

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I take it the Robin Heid who would best represent the "responsible" BASE community is the same Robin Heid that pounded in at RG last year after jumping a small-ish Triathalon with a sail slider?

Although this is correct, I don't really think it has any bearing on his ability as an advocate or organizer.

For example, I've got no idea if Chris Needels is any good as a skydiver, or even if he's a skydiver at all.

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[leroydb 0]

So what is the purpose of the APB then, if not to support Back country parachutists (aka base jumpers)? Maybe they are distancing themselves publically on purpose. Maybe to prove or show somthing to someone higher in the food chain politcally speaking?

Leroy


..I knew I was an unwanted baby when I saw my bath toys were a toaster and a radio...

[vandev 0]

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That said, please accept my sincere thanks for the many contributions each of you made to the development and growth of the Alliance of Backcountry Parachutists. Your presence helped give the organization momentum and your input helped to sharpen the ABP’s focus and more clearly define where it needs to go and how it should get there.

That says, Thanks for funding my idea and now you can all go .....

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The ABP has now adopted a different organizational model that will more effectively continue its founding mission of “fair access, responsible use, worldwide,” first in Utah, then in U.S. national parks, then in parks and recreation areas in other countries. The organization will also continue to solicit advice from senior members of the parachuting community and will extend invitations to some of you to join the ABP’s new Advisory Council or be a member of its headquarters staff.

Whats the first in Utah and then everywhere else. I thought the main goal was to get The yellowstone bad boy opened....And what's with other countries crap...They have the best and highest base sites open.... There we go again ...try to go over to some other country and show them how to do the things we cant even do ourselves right.. Thanks god i didn't send any money to these clowns..

lets see.. hire very talented people to raise money...then fire talented people...Nick D. is going to have a field day with this one.....

In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

[JaapSuter 0]

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"I take it the Robin Heid who would best represent the "responsible" BASE community is the same Robin Heid that pounded in at RG last year after jumping a small-ish Triathalon with a sail slider?"

Although this is correct, I don't really think it has any bearing on his ability as an advocate or organizer.

Furthermore, most of us were aware of this before we decided to support the ABP. There is no need to bring this up in hindsight.

[TomAiello 25]

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So what is the purpose of the APB then, if not to support Back country parachutists (aka base jumpers)?

The mission of the APB, as stated on their web page is:

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The Alliance of Backcountry Parachutists (ABP) is an international group of individuals and associated organizations dedicated to fair access and responsible use for recreational parachutists who jump in the backcountry.

The Alliance of Backcountry Parachutists has a simple goal: Access to national park systems in Australia, Canada, the United States, and other countries equal to that of other recurring recreational activities that are non-powered, non-polluting, non-damaging, and minimally intrusive.

ABP members and member organizations do not want special privileges; we want only to be treated fairly, with the same rights and responsibilities enjoyed by similar recreational users of national park systems worldwide.

We support and will cheerfully accept reasonable regulation, and we are more than happy to advise and work with national park services worldwide to devise the best ways for us to integrate into the system in its different areas.

We recognize that some areas will, by nature, be more restricted and regulated than others, just as the use of motor vehicles, boats, waterways, certain climbing equipment, and certain climbing areas is regulated and restricted depending on the national park area, the seasons, and the level of human use. We will work with national park services to create a use plan that addresses all of those factors.

Note that representing jumpers, or communicating with jumpers, or even being jumpers, is not part of the organizations mission.

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[Zennie 0]

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Although this is correct, I don't really think it has any bearing on his ability as an advocate or organizer.

I personally think it does because his actions have a large bearing on his credibility. If he's trying to paint himself as a mature jumper, and then goes off and pulls stunts like that, the words pretty much ring hollow. Worse, any negative publicity he draws from such stunts, while being a professed "representative" of the community only makes everyone else look bad.

- Z
"Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

[JaapSuter 0]

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Note that representing jumpers, or communicating with jumpers, or even being jumpers, is not part of the organizations mission.

But certainly I would hope that communicating with members is part of the organizations mission. I find it disappointing that I have to find out about this state of affairs through an unofficial post on these forums.

Robin reads these forums, so I urge him to come forward with a statement. It would be the very least he could do to those members that have financially helped him. My reason for supporting the ABP was because it was backed up by people whom I respect a lot (Jason, Tom, Jimmy, Martin, Adam, Todd, etcetera). With them gone, my support is dwindling.

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Unfortunately, this model [of a non-profit organization] clearly doesn’t work for the ABP in its present form

This may be clear to the board members, but it is not clear to any of the other other members. I suspect it has something to do with the recent ideas about a Yosemite protest jump, but I would like to hear Robin's version.

[rendezvous 0]

I'm a bit confused here with the 'Old ABP' and 'New ABP' now. Does my membership to the 'Old ABP' and the money that I paid for it translate to anything or am I to consider it null and void and forget it ever happened.

Is this, 'New ABP' going to be more like a private, exclusive and by invitation only club with it's own agenda for fair access or is there more to it.

[JaapSuter 0]

There is no old or new ABP, there is a single ABP. Only the structure in charge of it has changed. You are still a member.

[leroydb 0]

I would tend to agree on this. I think the APB is distancing themselves on purpose, as I posted previously.

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This may be clear to the board members, but it is not clear to any of the other other members. I suspect it has something to do with the recent ideas about a Yosemite protest jump,but I would like to hear Robin's version.

Leroy


..I knew I was an unwanted baby when I saw my bath toys were a toaster and a radio...

[JaapSuter 0]

Here's the official ABP statement for members:

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NOTICE OF REORGANIZATION

The ABP has recently streamlined its organization to take advantage of administrative lessons learned during the past year, when it operated like a non-profit association with a board of directors, and executive director who ran the day-to-day operations, and a constitution and bylaws that included elections procedures and numerous committees.

This model proved to be cumbersome and unnecessary for an organization focused solely on ccess, and not involved with training, licenses and ratings. So as of today the non-profit model and its ad hoc board of directors has been retired, though many of its members will continue in an advisory capacity. All of them have also been given lifetime honorary memberships in the ABP for their work as founding directors to the ABP.

In the meantime, Go Fast Sports [their emphasis] is donating lawyer time so the ABP can come up with the corporate model that can best serve the needs of its mission and its members - and with its more streamlined operating structure, the ABP is moving quickly ahead now developing the followup letter element for its Congressional letter-writing system, and creating a backcountry parachuting management proposal for the Utah state parks board.

More soon.

[RhondaLea 3]

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I take it the Robin Heid who would best represent the "responsible" BASE community is the same Robin Heid that pounded in at RG last year after jumping a small-ish Triathalon with a sail slider?

Although this is correct, I don't really think it has any bearing on his ability as an advocate or organizer.

For example, I've got no idea if Chris Needels is any good as a skydiver, or even if he's a skydiver at all.

Re Chris: he is and he is. And while it is always possible that he could have a skydiving accident, such an accident will not come about because he failed to exercise good judgment. His sense of responsibility to the organization he represents is greater than that.

What would you think if the American Cancer Society were run by a smoker? How about if AA and NA were led by active drinkers and junkies?

Those who represent an organization have the responsibility of presenting their group in the best possible light to obtain the outcome for which that group was founded. In this case, ABP may not represent the base community as a whole, but it does certainly represent those persons who purchased memberships, however few they may be.

rl

If you don't know where you're going, you should know where you came from. Gullah Proverb

[lifewithoutanet 0]

It's interesting that this happens today. Last night I began writing a challenge to other jumpers to ask why more of them hadn't stepped forward to join or support the ABP. Much of my speculation hinged around the dynamic personalities involved, but cited the various and diverse board members as an example of a broader form of leadership. So you don't like Robin? Maybe you don't like Tom or Jason Bell, either. Hell, I'm a member, maybe you don't like me. Maybe your dislike is well-founded, maybe it's frivilous and personal. That's up to you and certainly your right, but look past the people you dislike and it's hard not to find someone in the organization you trust. Jimmy, Marty, Todd...
I'm glad I didn't finish it... It's time I won't get back, but the reflection and thought I put into it stays with me.

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I believe that it is felt that BASE jumpers, on the whole, are not mature or far sighted enough to be involved in a campaign for access, and that a few dedicated individuals will serve the ABP's goals better than a larger group.

Not sure if this is your quote or Jason Dawson's, Tom, but I agree. We are leaderless. In a community that lacks organization on a greater scale, perhaps an organization has to strike out on its own. It's effectiveness will just have to be observed over time. If it continues to gather momentum and gain victories--however small or large--and it acts in accordance with what you believe in, go ahead and support it. If it doesn't, don't. Personally, I'm not sure what to think just yet, so I'm going to let time and the ABP's success or lackthereof help me make an informed decision.
-C.

[JaapSuter 0]

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We are leaderless.

That sounds familiar.

[Zennie 0]

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We are leaderless.

While I understand where you're coming from, I think part of the problem is sort of inverted. We have too many "leader" types.

Hence the oft-quoted "herding cats" analogy.

- Z
"Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

[cornishe 0]

Why doens't the BOD vote to use a new domain name. Why is the entire organization hinged on an internet domain name?

I wish I knew Robin, so I would unterstand better what the hell is going on.


.

Abbie Mashaal
Skydive Idaho
Snake River Skydiving
TandemBASE

[TomAiello 25]

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Why doens't the BOD vote to use a new domain name. Why is the entire organization hinged on an internet domain name?

The domain name isn't the deciding factor.

The actual apparatus which is the ABP rests almost exclusively in the hands of two people. Jason Dawson, the organization's webmaster, controls the web page, including the letter writing system and email lists. Gardner Sapp, the executive director, controls the physical property of the organization, including the membership cards, t-shirts, flyers, and, perhaps most importantly, the bank account. In practice, these two people between them could decide to ignore, or eject, any other person or group of people from the organization.

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[TheAlliance 0]

Dear ABP Members and the backcountry parachuting community at large,

Mark Twain said “a lie can get halfway around the world before truth has time to put its shoes on” and so it is with all things parachuting-related; the grapevine is small so news, rumors, and misinformation travel quickly.

By now we’re sure you’ve heard strange things surrounding the organizational structure of the ABP, the retirement of its ad hoc board of directors, and – most likely – stories of in-fighting and power struggles within the organization and among the various parties that have until recently been involved with the ABP and its access efforts.

Historically and, unfortunately, at the heart of failed organizational attempts of the past, BASE jumpers seldom seem to be able to get along with one another – especially when they become drunk with power, and in the name of vanity seize an opportunity to latch onto something that’s moving forward – followed by attempts to ‘toss out’ members they do not like or with whom they do not see eye-to-eye on certain issues. This has been the case with every attempt to organize in the past – and recently occurred inside the ABP as well. It is most unfortunate that certain individuals are unable to put aside their petty differences, seem unable to come together for the greater good of the whole, and in the process stifle progress and success.

For the past four weeks the ABP has had to endure this in-fighting and power struggling. One member even went so far as to issue an ultimatum demanding that he would resign if another member did not. This served only to jam a stick into the spokes of an otherwise efficiently-running machine. The past four weeks could have been better spent developing planning documents and briefings for the Utah Board of Parks and Recreation issue and other, more important issues. Because of this, the membership has suffered the loss of precious time while the ABP dealt with this internal organizational problem.

All is not lost, however. This in-fighting brought to light, again, the impossibility of BASE jumpers ever being able to organize and work together on equal footing with one another to launch a successful attempt at access.
So, in response, the ABP founder decided to retire the ad hoc board of directors (who were originally invited by the founder to work together on this process) and instead create an Advisory Council, to which many of the former ad hoc directors will be invited for their knowledge, experience and demonstrated ability to work together for the betterment of the organization, should they so desire. The Advisory Council will be just that - advisory in nature – and thus we will be able to minimize non-productive internal frictions.

The ABP feels that a structure that establishes a clear chain of command will ultimately be the only way to maintain the integrity of the organization and result in fruitful access efforts. In simple terms, having everyone on equal footing within any BASE-related organization will never succeed, and if the ABP had persisted in following that model, it would become yet one more failed attempt in a long line of failed attempts to organize. This action was taken to secure the organization for its members.

That said, should any current members not agree that this is the direction the ABP should go, we would invite comments and ideas on how to better handle this situation now and in the future. Further, should any of you disagree with the above changes please keep your official ABP t-shirts as a token of our appreciation for your initial trust in the organization, and surrender your ABP membership card by mailing it to the official ABP address printed on its reverse side. The membership numbers of the cards returned will be recycled. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope where you would like to have your pro-rated membership fee returned.

Thank you for your patience and this will be our final public comment on this matter: We are now going back to get back to the business at hand:
fighting on behalf of our members and backcountry parachutists at large for fair access and responsible use, worldwide.

Robin Heid, founder
Gardner Sapp, executive director
Jason Dawson, legislative director

fair access.
responsible use.
worldwide.

[gweeks 1]

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So, in response, the ABP founder decided to retire the ad hoc board of directors (who were originally invited by the founder to work together on this process) and instead create an Advisory Council...

LOL! This reminds me too much of Frasier and Niles' wine club. Have fun boys. Now play nice.

[littlestranger 0]

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One member even went so far as to issue an ultimatum demanding that he would resign if another member did not.

So ABP cans the lot of them? Wouldn't it have been more effective to request the offending parties resignations? Leaving the organization with a semblence of credibility instead of this apparent train wreck?

I appreciate the offer for a pro-rated refund of my membership dues, but I want you to keep the money. Spend it wisely.

Sincerely,

Teresa Colaluca
ABPG12