TheAlliance

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.

You've heard the rumors. Here are the facts! The Alliance of Backcountry Parachutists (www.backcountryparachutists.org) is a U.S.-based non-profit organization created to: Seek and maintain fair access for backcountry parachutists to local, state, regional, provincial and national parks worldwide for parachutists; Gain fair access equal to that of other recurring recreational activities that are non-powered, non-polluting, non-damaging, and minimally intrusive; Educate members about backcountry practices and responsibilities; Develop alliances with other access-focused organization; Assist and cooperate with all government agencies connected with backcountry recreation and resource protection; Promote and encourage the study and knowledge of backcountry parachuting among the membership and the public at large; and Compile information regarding the sport and science of backcountry parachuting and to edit, publish, and disseminate the same. As reported in the June issue of Skydiving Magazine, the ABP has started an international membership drive and a letter writing campaign to end a 26-year prohibition of the sport in the United States. The ABP offers bronze, silver and gold memberships to parachutists and other recreationists interested in access to national park systems worldwide. The ABP also administers a zip code-based letter generating system that automatically sends pre-written and/or custom-authored fax letters to the letter writer’s congressperson and both U.S. senators. The letters call on Congress to demand that NPS rescind or indefinitely suspend Section 8.2.2.7 of its 2001 Management Policies manual, which expressly prohibits backcountry parachuting, and which serves as a roadblock to any individual unit superintendent who might seek to allow backcountry parachuting. Copies of each letter are also faxed to Fran Mainella, director of the National Park Service, and P. Lynn Scarlett, assistant secretary of the Interior for NPS policy and budget. Says ABP executive director Gardner Sapp: “The idea is to inform Congress and thus pressure NPS and DOI to end its discrimination against people who enjoy a recurring recreational activity that’s non-powered, non-polluting, non-damaging, minimally intrusive and no more dangerous than other forms of adventure recreation.” ABP efforts last year resulted in an invitation to backcountry jumpers by assistant secretary Scarlett to participate in the planning processes of NPS units with jumpable cliffs – and assured the ABP that NPS decision-makers would give it serious consideration – but that hasn’t happened yet because of Section 8.2.2.7. “That’s why we’re seeking support from Congress in addition to the outstanding help we’ve received from Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo,” Sapp said. “We want NPS and DOI to know we expect them to do what they say they will and that we are fed up with their illegitimate discrimination.” Sapp stressed that the U.S. campaign is just the beginning of ABP’s efforts to seek, gain and maintain access worldwide for backcountry parachutists, and that the organization plans to create letter-writing systems and related access campaigns for backcountry jumpers in other countries facing similar discrimination. “We’re starting with the U.S. because it was easiest to get organized here,” Sapp said, “but now we’re ready to roll and we’re looking not just for as many members and allied organizations as we can get, but for people with some specific skillsets that can help us carry the fight everywhere on multiple levels.” Sapp says the ABP needs jumpers who are lawyers with criminal and/or civil litigation experience to explore judicial remedies to access discrimination in all countries with backcountry parachuting prohibitions. “We also need jumpers from countries other than the U.S. with knowledge of their country's political system and how best to lobby for change,” he added, “and we need folks from those same countries with the website knowledge to adapt the ABP automatic letter generating system to your country's political/lobbying environment.” fair access. responsible use. worldwide.