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I'm out wheeling on a mountain trail, the same trail I've been cruising for 25 years. The sky is a brilliant blue and I'm surrounded by enormous pines. Ferns and wildflowers dapple the undergrowth. The beauty is breathtaking as I wind around an outcropping of broken granite slabs and boulders. I hit the brakes coming to a stop in front of a monstrosity of mankind. The thing is blocking the trail with its imposing presence. I get out to take a closer look.

I can see the trail meandering ahead, but the dark oppressing obstacle can't be budged. For the life of me I can't figure out why anyone would want to put such a hideous creation on this glorious trail. A sign mounted on it's closed jaws reads "No Trespassing - Trail closed for Wilderness Study". I am awestruck, confused, bewildered.

What need is there to close the trail in order to study the wilderness? How does one study the wilderness when they can't get to it? What good does closing the trail do? Who is doing the studying and why? This trail has been here for over 100 years, starting with the wagon trains. In all the years I've been traveling it's length, nothing has changed. I doubt the pioneers would see much difference, either. The same flowers bloom, the trees still hover over my head, the pine needles still carpet the floor. Birds still soar above me and deer still wander by. I am getting angry as I ponder the meaning of this closure.

This is my mountain. This is my child's mountain. Now somebody is stopping me from taking my child into the wilderness. They are taking the freedom from my child to do her own wilderness study. What is she supposed to do? Read about it in a book? Have someone tell her how beautiful the wilderness is, but not let her experience it? For Hell's sake, this is ludicrous.

Who gave the "Gate People" the freedom to explore this mountain and deny others their rightful claim? Is that what so many of our US servicemen and women have fought for? To give a group of fascists the ability to close off the land so many have died for? No way. These "Gate People" are stealing my mountain. They are stealing your mountain. Your deserts. Your right to study the wilderness.

The Gate People are self-appointed St. Peters. They decide your worthiness. They dictate your salvation or your hell. They also decide these things for your children, the elderly and the handicapped. It's not just a matter of repentance to enter. Your judgment has already been passed. And you failed.

The aged won't be doing any more fishing in the mountain streams. The handicapped will never get to experience the thrill of a desert camp out. Your children won't know the feeling of nature's serenity. So much for "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."

Banding together to fight these extremists will further our ability to keep the lands open for all people to enjoy. We need to educate the mass public on the corruption of the "Gate People", and educate ourselves. We can only defend what we believe in our hearts to be true.

Billboards are a great way to educate large amounts of people, and get them to react.

Imagine this:

You are driving down an LA freeway and see a billboard with a handicapped child in his/her wheelchair. The caption reads: "Trail closed to all wheeled vehicles. Thank the Sierra Club."

Think that might catch a few people's attention? You know, and I know that trail closures include the attorney on his mountain bike, the student on his moped, the housewife that wants to collect autumn leaves in her SUV. These people don't know. They think they are protecting the planet from the awful ravages of wheelers by supporting the Sierra Club. We need to indoctrinate these folks. They need to know before it is too late.

The courtrooms of America are being manipulated by those that want to keep us from our land. They have blind sheep financially backing them. To ensure our rights and be able to fight back we need to build a legal defense fund. A fund that will protect our rights in a court of law. Fund billboards and other educational materials. Funds that need to come from those that want their right to freedom.

Without your support there will be no "next generation" wilderness enjoyment. The camping trips and hunting privileges will end. The wilderness and our trails will be closed to us forever. We will be forced to live our lives remembering what fun and educational experiences we gained, yet feeling remorse over having not preserved our freedom of land use.

The Blue Ribbon Coalition is made up of members defending our rights to utilize public lands. They operate from the donations of members and concerned citizens. These donations help to fight road closures the "Gate People" so desperately want to erect. Their motto is:

Preserving our natural resources for the public, instead of from the public.

Let's help them in their endeavors.