[roc-chat] IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT - ROC Launch Cancellation
- From: Gregory Lyzenga <lyzenga@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: roc-chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, roc-announce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:50:31 -0700
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT - ROC Launch Cancellation
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It is with great regret that the ROC board must announce the cancellation of
the upcoming April launch at Lucerne Dry Lake. This cancellation does not have
to do with any weather problems, but is related to issues surrounding our BLM
permit to use the land.
Unfortunately, both ROC and the BLM have been caught up in some fallout from
the 2010 California 200 off-road racing accident that killed several people.
When we applied for our annual permit last fiscal year, the application rules
and requirements had been very recently changed and our application was
rejected. Unbeknownst to the ROC board, we didn't close the loop with BLM and
they didn't follow up with us as we continued to submit our monthly reports and
payments, assuming the permit existed. Due to budget cuts and staffing
shortages in the BLM office, nobody was aware of this situation until just very
recently. We met with BLM this week and have started the process to
re-establish our permit, but as a result of the fallout of the racing accident
the BLM is being very particular on the permitting process which slows down the
approvals, meaning that it may be three months before we can get our permission
to launch again.
This is obviously a very troubling situation for us on the ROC board and for
all of our members and regular flyers. We are working as hard as we can behind
the scenes to restore our ability to fly as soon as possible. With this in
mind, we would ask that members please refrain from contacting the BLM
individually to inquire about the situation, so as not to complicate an already
delicate situation. Clearly it will be a hardship for the flyers and for our
vendors during this stand-down period, but we hope that many members will be
able to continue to fly and support the hobby at launches held by our sister
organizations in San Diego and central California.
Please watch the ROC email lists or Facebook group for further information on
the situation as it develops. If you know of anyone planning to attend who
does not subscribe to ROC-chat or read Facebook updates, please pass this
information along to them.
- Greg
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Greg Lyzenga
ROC Board Member - NAR #13295 / Tripoli #12088
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