DX Organization Leadership:
I am writing to ask for your assistance in an important matter
affecting the
pastime of DXing. It has been over ten years since Navassa Island
(KP1) and
Desecheo Island (KP5) have been on the air. This is because the
islands are
national wildlife refuges under the control of the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife
Service (FWS), which banned Amateur Radio from the islands in the
early
1990s.
Despite many requests for permits to visit the islands for Amateur
Radio
operations, the FWS has stated unequivocally that Amateur Radio is
permanently banned from the islands. The FWS asserts that Desecheo is
closed
for safety reasons because of unexploded bombs, illegal aliens and
drug
smugglers on the island; Navassa is closed to protect sensitive
habitat. Yet
the review of over a thousand pages of internal FWS records and
reports
conducted by Brad Farrell, K4RT reveals that these claims are
baseless. FWS
records reveal that it considers Navassa a healthy and highly
pristine
habitat. Yet the agency turns a blind eye to the many Haitian
fishermen who
live there and start fires -- while refusing to issue permits to
American
Amateur Radio operators and other U.S. citizens for lawful use of the
islands. In fact, the FWS recently considered encouraging more
illegal
alien fishermen to go to Navassa under a federal permit program!
Since 1994 the FWS has relied on this charade to deny applications
for
special use permits for Amateur Radio on Desecheo or Navassa no fewer
than
sixteen times. To top it off, the FWS has wholly misrepresented the
facts
to several Congressmen who have inquired on behalf of Amateur Radio
operators whose requests for permits for Desecheo and Navassa were
turned
down, and certainly did not disclose to these Congressmen the
information
they have kept hidden in their internal reports and records.
This is alarming and just plain wrong, and it is why I am asking for
your
help. The KP1-5 Project, www.kp1-5.com, was launched to right these
wrongs
and we need your help. As a result of the efforts of hams across the
nation,
H.R. 1183 has been introduced in Congress. H.R. 1183 would require
the FWS
to open Desecheo and Navassa to limited public use. It is not Ham-
Radio
specific. It is critical that legislators hear from their
constituents
telling them to support and cosponsor H.R. 1183.
The KP1-5 Team met in Washington, DC on April 8th to present
information to
Congressional staff and other interested parties. The presentation
was
successful. We learned while we were there that this must be a 'grass-
roots'
effort. So, if the bill is going to pass, it is up to the DX
community to
make this happen.
Here is how your organization can help:
1. At your next meeting, or as appropriate for your group, please
share
the content of this letter.
2. Encourage your membership to individually contact their
Congressman
asking them to support and cosponsor H.R. 1183. The details on how to
do
this can be found at www.kp1-5.com. Urge them to follow up with phone
calls!
3. Utilize your e-mail reflectors to get the word out to your members
and other DXers.
4. As the leadership of your organization, write each Congressman
whose
constituents are members of your club urging them to support H.R.
1183.
5. Please consider a donation of any amount to the KP1-5 Project. The
Lone Star DX Association has agreed to oversee this fund. Details on
donations can be found on the website <http://www.kp1-5.com/> . Any
donation
will offset direct costs associated with moving this effort forward.
None of
the considerable personal expenses of the KP1-5 Team will be
reimburse by
these donations. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any
questions.
73 es DX,
Michael L. Thomas, NA5U
KP1-5 Project Director
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