Off Roading Off Road Restrictions

[cyborg]

http://famulus.msnbc.com/famulusgen/ap05-19-011243.asp?t=APNEW

 

[Boomer II]

Don't get me started.

 

[cyborg]

Actually, that was the intent.



"This land is your land, this land is my land"



Rarely, during backcountry travel, do you come across "new roads". If ever.



The roads previousley established should remain. Thems just big game trails.

 

[f.boyle]

WTF I mean seriosly What is freedom? I think we need to get back to our roots. more people should go into the woods and think about what they'r saying! I realize that some people are careless and this and that but most off-roaders are nature lovers. thats why they do it to get away from alll the crap that people have messed up. And correct me if i'm wrong but dont a good share of off-roaders hunt? all my friends do. and last time I looked at a off-roadind mag. Most of the pics and stories were of sand and rock really unstable enviroment there!! the wind moves more of the sand in 10 minutes than 30 dunebuggies would desturb in a day!!! And as far as the horseback riders go when is the last time you saw one of them going through the brush????they use trails and guess who probly cut them? also as far as the forest service is concernedif the sent one of the dozers down the ORV trails then bam fire road, the trees are gone instant access they should thank us! not to mention in the event of a fire they bring in anydozer they can find and clear a 1/4 mile path so really what harm did we do by making a couple trails that are 8' wide? and the chances of finding another one within the next 1/4 mile to either side is slim to none?

sorry for the long post butoooorgggg!!!!! Didn't their parents ever tell them to think before they talk????

CHAINSAW

You all know what you do with a chainsaw right????

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Well, you got me started on federal government plans to close existing trails and increase land quantities set-aside as “wilderness. ” My two cents on this topic is that very few can use wilderness land. You need horses, an expensive pro0position that would be seldom used by most of us, or a very young, healthy body that loves mountain backpacking. The rest of us are out of luck and existing wilderness set-asides are useless to us. We have no way to use or enjoy them. Closing existing “two-track” mountain trails would further prevent access by 99+% of us to OUR federal lands.



The “horse” of today is the ATV or dirt bike, depending on your preference. They should be allowed, perhaps with appropriate restrictions to their type. These restrictions would be intended solely to minimize “damage” to the land. Of course, horses also “damage” the land with their hooves, and deposit “hazardous wastes. ” So, ATV’s are not unreasonable, especially if they had proper tread patterns, gearing, and governed maximum speeds. We can afford an ATV and could use it for hunting and other recreational purposes, whereas keeping horses is not reasonable for most of us. A century or two ago, horses were the usual mode of transportation. The government should keep up with the times, and could easily do so while providing sufficient restrictions of vehicle type that the trails would not be torn up and hikers endangered by those irresponsible few who like to cut doughnuts in the dirt and race around. The vast majority of us would act responsibly and should not be closed out of our own country.

 

[AMink]

Yes, there does have to be some changes. Like enforce existing laws, educating the public, etc. It rubs me raw the "holier than thou" posture that these environmental groups take. Started with the snowmobilers. The snowshoers and skiers complain that snowmobiles aren't compatible with what the nature folks are doing. No one ever seems to consider that maybe snowshoeing and skiing aren't compatible with snowmobiles! Personally, I don't do either, but it seems that the skiers could hump there butts up to the wilderness areas and do their thing. If the snowmobiles go into the wilderness areas, nail 'em, fine 'em, and impound the machine. Same as poaching. Living in Nevada is an eye opening experience. There are people who would love to shut the whole state off to preserve the beauty. Doesn't matter that the only time most could see it is from an airplane! I agree that in many places, some roads could be closed. Usually, there is no reason to have three roads going to the same place side by side. Fall line roads should be closed to prevent erosion. New, "environmentally friendly" roads could replace them. And yes, there could even be "sacrificial" areas where dirt bikers and other motorized vehicles could tear it up. But to close off more areas to the average Joe isn't the way to go. Yes, it's romatic to ride a horse into the mountains and be part of nature. If you like horses, can afford horses, have time for horses, live where you can own horses, etc. I don't, but I still like to get up in the hills. I drive where I can (on roads, more responsibly than many), then walk. But I'm not (nor can I) going to walk the whole way because some environut thinks that it's better that way!



Rant off!