OFHA Annual Meeting this Saturday

Location:

The Courtyard by Marriott
600 Airport Road
Medford, OR 97504
1 541-772-5656

Time: 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM


Please join us for an information packed gathering of fellow OFHA members. We will have a panel discussion of the Cabin Fee Act of 2012.This panel will include members from our state organization as well as:

• Geoff Anderson, President of National Forest Homeowners Association.

• Pete Bailey, C2 Legislative Contact chair

We will also have our annual State of The Region presentation by James Saucer, USFS Region 6 Special Use Coordinator.

Congressman Greg Walden will be represented by Southern Oregon Chief of Staff, Rob Patridge. Rob will present the O&C Trust, Conservation and Jobs Act

Our historically fantabulous door prizes will be handed out throughout the meeting.

We look forward to seeing you and your children at our Annual Meeting.

Cell Tower Proposal Atop Cinder Pits

US Cellular has applied for a permit with the Forest Service to place a cell tower atop the uppermost cinder pit off road 1420. Last nite a meeting was held at the Camp Sherman Community Hall to open a dialog for voicing comment and concerns. Three representatives from US Cellular and the Forest Service gave presentations and answered questions.

In the proposal US Cellular will "rent" the area from the Forest Service, enclosing an 80' by 80' area to construct a tower that will reach 100' in height. US Cellular will also offer the opportunity for other service providers to utilize the tower for reception, including safety services. A road on the north side of the uppermost pit would be built for access purposes.

Be certain to let your voice be heard:

US Forest Service, Sister - 541-549-7706 OR

Sommer Moore - slmoore@fs.fed.us

IMPORTANT Cabin Owner CALL TO ACTION!

Your Grassroots Efforts are Needed Now

Breaking News: A Senate hearing on S. 1906, the Cabin Fee Act of 2011, has been scheduled for March 22, 2012 before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests, chaired by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR). Coalition 2 is in full preparation mode!

Now is your time to help! Extensive grassroots efforts to contact key Senators are essential to support a successful hearing and passage of the legislation. Important Senators highlighted below are from cabin states and are members of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee. If they also sit on the Public Lands and Forests Subcommittee, that is also noted below. Their support is required for the review of S. 1906, the Cabin Fee Act of 2011, and the successful passage out of committee. These Senators must hear from you and know you care about the Cabin Fee Act! The message you convey to your Senators should be consistent and to the point:

· We have a revenue neutral bill that has been reviewed by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

· The bill has genuine bi-partisan support, with the following co-sponsors: Jon Tester [D- MT] (Sponsor), John Barrasso [R-WY], Max Baucus [D-MT], Michael Enzi [R-WY], Dianne Feinstein [D-CA], Charles Grassley [R-IA], and James Risch [R-ID].

· We ask that committee members favorably support the passage of the bill out of committee.

This task is simple! Call the Capitol Hill Switchboard at 202.224.3121 and ask for your Senator’s office. When connected, tell them that your call is about S. 1906, the Cabin Fee Act. You should then be transferred to the staff person who handles natural resources or national forest issues. Convey your personalized message to that person. Every call helps gain support, please do your part. The entire ENR committee should hear from cabin owners! Call or email your Senator today!

Democrats

Jeff Bingaman (NM), Chairman of full ENR Committee

Ron Wyden (OR) (PLF) PLF, Chairman

Tim Johnson (SD) (PLF)

Mary L. Landrieu (LA) (PLF)

Maria Cantwell (WA) (PLF)

Bernard Sanders (I-VT)

Debbie Stabenow (MI)

Mark Udall (CO) (PLF)

Jeanne Shaheen (NH) (PLF)

Al Franken (MN) (PLF)

Joe Manchin (WV)

Christopher A. Coons (DE) (PLF)

Republicans

Lisa Murkowski (AK), Ranking (Senior Republican) on full ENR Committee

John Barrasso (WY) (PLF) Co-sponsor

James E. Risch (ID) (PLF) Co-sponsor

Mike Lee (UT) (PLF)

Rand Paul (KY) (PLF)

Daniel Coats (IN)

Rob Portman (OH) (PLF)

John Hoeven (ND) (PLF)

Dean Heller (NV) (PLF)

Bob Corker (TN)

Camp Sherman Community Meeting on Cell Tower Proposal for the Cinder Pits off RD1420

The Forest Service has received a proposal from US Cellular to construct a cellular tower facility on Schilling Cinder Pit in the Metolius Basin. The proposal would include construction of a cellular tower, equipment shelter, an 80' X 80' fenced enclosure, construction of an access road and installation of utilities to the site. There is likely to be some visual impact associated with the tower and temporary environmental impacts during construction.

The Forest Service, in conjunction with US Cellular, is planning a community meeting at the Camp Sherman Community Hall on March 7, 2012 at 5:30 pm. We would like to invite all interested individuals to participate and share comments about the proposal. This will be an opportunity to share the project proposal with the Camp Sherman community and answer questions, get feedback, etc.


Sommer L. Moore
Special Use Administrator
Deschutes National Forest
Sisters Ranger District
(541)549-7706

Cabin Fee Act Advances on Several Fronts - Courtesy of Sharon Karr

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.

CFA Update and Call to Action!

Recent events in Washington are very encouraging. House bill H.R.3397 was favorably reported out of the House Natural Resources Committee. Also, our companion Senate bill S.1906 was introduced by Sen. Tester (D-WY) and is being considered for an early hearing. Links to both bills are available on the NFH website.http://www.nationalforesthomeowners.org/ With good fortune, the prospects for Cabin Fee Act (CFA) passage in 2011 or by early spring 2012 are bright.

That said, the Cabin Program still faces a big challenge in 2012 if our bill does not pass in 2011 or another form of fee relief for 2012 fails. Fully 15% of our cabin neighbors (yes, people just like you and me) across the country face 2012 CUFFA permit fees that exceed their ability to stay in the Program. Attempts at selling are anticipated. Some family cabins will sell, but most will not, given the obstacles of untenable fees and the bleak real estate market. Determined efforts to address this problem are ongoing. In a recent face to face meeting, Forest Service Chief Tidwell acknowledged the urgent need to resolve the cabin fee issue and the potential challenging impact of 2012 fees. Similar discussions have occurred with many Congressional members, as well. However, at this point, the outcome is not clear.

To support these cabin owners and defend the long term viability of the Program,

grassroots action is needed NOW! Please contact your Senators listed below

urging them to cosponsor and support S.1906, the Cabin Fee Act of 2011.

Send the message by email or through each Senator's website. Phone calls are even better. Personalize your message. Direct contact information is available at: http://www.senate.gov/. Another great contact information website is http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml.

All Senators, in all states should be asked to support S.1906. However, key Senators sit on the Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) committee and the Public Lands and Forests (PLF) subcommittee and are listed below by seniority. All these people should be contacted, but the Senators denoted with a "*" are a must! It should be noted that Senators Barrasso and Risch are original cosponsors of S. 1906 and should be thanked by their cabin owner constituents. Let's stand firmly united behind all cabin owners and get the CFA passed NOW! Please act today.

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Members

Democrats	Republicans
*Jeff Bingaman (NM) - Chairman	*Lisa Murkowski (AK) - Ranking
*Ron Wyden (OR) (PLF, Chairman)	*John Barrasso (WY) (PLF- Ranking)
*Tim Johnson (SD) (PLF)	*James E. Risch (ID) (PLF)
Mary L. Landrieu (LA) (PLF)	*Mike Lee (UT) (PLF)
*Maria Cantwell (WA) (PLF)	Rand Paul (KY) (PLF)
Bernard Sanders (I-VT)	Daniel Coats (IN)
*Debbie Stabenow (MI)	Rob Portman (OH) (PLF)
*Mark Udall (CO) (PLF)	John Hoeven (ND) (PLF)
Jeanne Shaheen (NH) (PLF)	*Dean Heller (NV) (PLF)
*Al Franken (MN) (PLF)	*Bob Corker (TN)
Joe Manchin (WV)
Christopher A. Coons (DE) (PLF)

Finally, a plea for additional fund raising:

Below is a summary of C2 revenue and expenses over the past 4 years. As we enter a fifth year lobbying, travel and communication expenses continue and additional funding is needed. We are projecting $100,000 will be needed in 2012. Please consider making a personal donation to the C2 effort ($50, $100 or more would be appreciated). Also, urge your tract association to contribute, as well. Once we get the bill passed, we will still need to monitor the development of the Rules and Regulations that will implement the law. That too will require funding.

Cabin Coalition 2 Financial Summary

(Jan. 1, 2008 through Oct. 31, 2011)

REVENUE		EXPENSES
Individual Donations	$148,922	Advocate Contracts	$281,670
Tract Donations	$124,451	Travel & Lodging	$55,544
NFH Contribution	$100,000	Printing & Postage	$29,833
Partner Donations	$43,350	Conference Calls	$22,114
		Legal/Professional Fees	$7,882
TOTAL	$416,723	TOTAL	$397,043

Please write C2 donation on the memo line and send your donation to:

Ms. Barbara Warnock, NFH Database Mgr., 541 West Santa Clara Ave, Santa Ana, CA 92706

(Work) 714-836-7442, (Fax) 714-547-1774, (Email) bjfmjaj@ix.netcom.com

Thank you for being engaged in this challenge. Working together we will achieve success!

Best to All,

Pete Bailey
C2 Legislative Contact chair

Cabin Fee Act of 2011 Introduced to the House of Representatives

Yesterday, November 10, 2011, House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-WA) introduced H.R. 3397, The Cabin Fee Act of 2011 (CFA). This historic legislation received a positive hearing by the Natural Resources Committee on September 9th, where cabin owner Pete Bailey of Tacoma, WA, testified on behalf of National Forest Homeowners (NFH) and the Cabin Coalition (C2).

H.R. 3397 is very similar to the 2010 Cabin Fee Act, which was also introduced and championed by Chairman Hastings. Like last year's bill, H.R. 3397 is expected to receive strong bipartisan support. The new bill will replace the flawed appraisal-based fee system mandated by the Cabin User Fee Fairness Act of 2000 (CUFFA). Nine value tiers would be established, ranging from $500 to a maximum of $4500. The NFH believes this will mean a much more equitable and balanced fee structure that will more truly reflect the true value of the cabin use than the gross fee disparities under CUFFA. Assignment to value tiers, that will establish individual cabin fees, will be determined by a rank order of all appraisals following the completion of the final CUFFA appraisals - the last use of any appraisals. During the transition period from CUFFA to the CFA, fees will be the lesser of $4500 or the current CUFFA fee, provided that the CUFFA fee cannot result in more than a 25 percent annual increase over the previous year's fee.

H.R. 3397 will also provide a "cabin transfer fee" based on the selling price when a cabin changes ownership and a new permit is issued. This transfer fee will be a flat $1,000, plus 5% of the sales amount in excess of $250,000 up to $500,000 and an additional 10% of the sales amount in excess of $500,000.

NFH President Geoff Anderson, of Lincoln, CA, hailed the new legislation. According to Anderson, "Passage of this legislation will mark a new day for cabin owners. It will do away with the inconsistencies and excessively wide range of fees resulting from the current appraisal system. It will result in fairer and more reasonable fees that more accurately reflect the actual
value of the cabin use. It will enable families who have built and maintained their cabins for generations to continue to use and enjoy them. The NFH and the C2 Coalition is deeply grateful to Chairman Hastings for his leadership and we look forward to working with him to get this needed legislation enacted into law."

A copy of H.R. 3397 will be posted on this NFH website as soon as it is available.

Aubrey King, NFH Washington Representative

Survey Deadline this Sunday

Please ask you fellow cabin owners to complete the 2012 Cabin Fee Survey this weekend, if they have not already done so. The deadline is this Sunday. Please follow this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/T7YYH25

Many Thanks,
Pete

Cabin Fee and Sales Survey -11/13/11 Deadline for Completion

Efforts to move the Cabin Fee Act forward in 2011 have been stalled. Several matters have impeded progress. First, a Senatorial request for an annual cap on potential increases necessitated significant language changes. Second, the declining real estate market impacted our revenue projections, necessitating a restructuring of CFA fee tiers which required a second review by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Third, we have been frustrated by the slow response of the CBO due to the relative low importance of our issue compared to larger issues facing Congress.

That said we are optimistic about both House and Senate bills being introduced this fall. Passage of the CFA this fall is possible, but the odds are against us, given such limited time. Passage in the spring is more likely. Furthermore, the prospect for a 2012 Fee Moratorium is also dim because a $5M offset (CBO determined) would be required and the source of such funds is problematic. Without the CFA passing or a Fee Moratorium many cabin owners face daunting fees in January, since the Forest Service could bill full fees according to CUFFA legislation. What options exist for those of us that cannot manage these fees?

NFH and C2 leadership will be preparing our thoughts on how cabin owners may choose to respond to high fee billings in the next few weeks. These will be shared broadly by email and posted on the NFH website, so please stay engaged. In the meantime, we want to understand the extent of the problem and how you, the affected cabin owner, may decide to respond. A brief 10 minute survey, with easy instructions will help us better define the current state of affairs and the best options for response, while helping us better inform our Congressional sponsors of the likely outcomes of inaction. We need your help.

Follow this link to the 2012 Cabin Fee and Sales Survey (11/13/11 deadline for completion). https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/T7YYH25

PLEASE DO YOUR PART NOW and COMPLETE THIS SURVEY TODAY! THEN FORWARD THIS NOTE AND LINK TO ALL CABIN OWNERS YOU KNOW.

Our Sincere Regards,
Cabin Coalition 2 and NFH leadership

Please contact
SurveySupport@NationalForestHomeowners.org with questions or concerns.