The American population faces a daily deluge of "environmental
bias" from groups like the Sierra Club, Southern Utah
Wilderness Alliance, and violent radicals groups such as Earth First.
In the popular media, and via internet venues like usenet and the World Wide
Web, these "environmentalists" put forth an image of OHV (off-highway
vehicle) users, Sportsmen and Outdoor Recreationalists as "environmentally
insensitive, "anti environmental", even "nature
haters", and "abusers" etc., because we choose to
interact with nature, rather than follow their philosophy of placing it
off-limits to all but some mythical "future generations".
Such names are designed to evoke an emotional
response in their intended audience, conjuring up images of everything from Nazi
autocracies, to mindless and wanton destruction of the planet. The tactic plays
on humanity's basic desire to "do good things" for the environment. It
simultaneously provides an easy target that people can point their finger at,
absolving them personally of any guilt they may feel over their own actions. In
other words, a scapegoat. The sad truth is that it usually works. Few
people ever dig beyond the surface, and discover what is really going on with
the state of the environment, and take the "gloom and doom"
predictions and statements made by certain factions of the environmental
movement as the gospel truth.
The intent of this article is to expose you to a
side of environmentalism you have, in all likelihood, never seen before, and
prove false the propaganda of today's mainstream "environmental
movement". In the paragraphs below you will learn several things, not the
least of which is the fact that Outdoor Recreationalists play a
significant role in addressing environmental concerns, and actively doing
something about them. With that in mind, consider this.
"Anti-environmentalist" would by it's definition mean someone who
worked directly and exclusively to bring about harm to the environment. It would
be utterly impossible for such a person to actually "benefit" the
planet, and it's resources. "Nature hater" would imply the same. This
being the case, it would stand to reason that either the groups of OHV users and
other Outdoorsmen actually are "anti environmental", or the
American population has been, and is being Lied to by the Environmental groups
like the Sierra Club, SUWA, Earth First and others.
The facts of the matter lie in actions, not
words. Below is a very brief listing of what we so called "anti
environmentalists" actually do to help our environment. Please review the
following....
The Lost Coast 4x4's Club of Humboldt County has conducted
a beach cleanup on a local beach (2 miles) for the last 4 years. To
date we have removed about 12,000 lbs. of garbage, 300 tires, and 50
abandoned cars. The cleanup is every year in September during the
annual Save our Beaches cleanup drive by the California Coastal Commission (which
ironically has stated they believe there is no place for vehicles on a
beach!) The amount of garbage we collect each year usually amounts
to about half that removed from all of the beaches in Humboldt County (about
25 miles?!) during this event. In their defense this beach stretch is the
worst in Humboldt County because there are some 100 transients illegally
squatting along the beach and needless to say they have no garbage service!
We hope to resolve this problem soon. On April 13, 1997 we spent a Sunday
pulling non-native plants from the dunes of a set aside area in our local
OHV park (Samoa Dunes Recreation Area). About 12 members of our club along
with about 8 members of the Eureka High School Interact Club worked
with a Biologist from BLM who told us what to pull and what not to
step on.
Long Island Off-Road Club Inc. did a beach cleanup May
18th. at Lake Ronkakonma Beach out on Long Island, NY. Jim Guld NYC LIOR
Club Inc.U4WDA Hudson Valley 4WDA
The High Desert Multiple use Coalition has done many
projects here in the desert such as building guzzlers in the El Paso
Mountains of California. I work closely with Quail Unlimited in
supporting their projects. I have been involved with 3 guzzler projects for
the critters. Also have done clean up projects in our local hills
surrounding the Ridgecrest area.
For the past 26 years the
Pacific Northwest 4-Wheel Drive Association has sponsored "Operation
Shore Patrol." This is a cleanup of the entire coastline of the
State of Washington. We also sponsor Southern Oregon Sand
Sweep--cleanup of the Oregon Beaches. We have a maintenance agreement with
the Enatchee National Forest and each year our four wheelers open the
historic Naches Trail for the season. They have built and repaired bridges,
cleared trails and done log outs.
Our club, Airline ATV Riders of Eddington,
ME. held a Poker Run on June 7th in conjunction with National Trails Day.
Our president set it up so that for so many pieces of trash picked up the
person got an extra card. In 29 miles, one way, there was approximately 6
full size garbage bags of cans, bottles, mudflaps, shotgun shells,
cigarette packs, etc., and one can of tree marking paint (used by foresters
). The local newspaper gave us a pretty good write up, ( Bangor Daily News,
June 9th edition.) We also cleaned up a short cut in the trail we used,
(recently put in by a snowmobile club). We cleared the trail of logging
slash and trimmed down many stumps left in the trail.
From Kenneth Pierce, Arizona State Parks-OHV
Program....."OHV clubs help out by maintaining and cleaning
roads on a regular basis., often take Disadvantaged youth, and the disabled,
and participate in the "adopt a road" program with the Forest
Service and the BLM. We are currently building a database of these Adopt a
road programs".
Terry Heslin, Arizona State Parks Coordinator, and the
members of CAT (Central Arizona Trails Inc. - an "Observed Trials"
Motorcycle group), took on a graffiti clean up project outside Florence AZ, which
resulted in a vandalized area being returned to it's former natural beauty. Cat is determined to work together with both authorities and local concerns
to keep the land open and clean. According to CAT's Wayne Meyers, "We
have a continuing effort underway within CAT to actively persue new land use
initiatives.We see this as a perfect mesh of everyone's interests. The
ranchers won't have to worry about trash, because CAT will organize work
parties to clean it up. The State folks won't have to fuss about graffiti,
because CAT will work to keep it off. It will tale a continuing effort to
keep the area tidy, but our group has a record of long term success.
Threre's no doubt that we can do it".
Kim Boeldt and Dan Lheman of Dick Cepek Inc. Organized a
cleanup in Sycamore Creek (AZ) that resulted in an outpouring of support
from local off road clubs, private business, and the US Forrest Service.
In total , between 200 and 300 volunteers, their 4x4's, Tow
Trucks, Garbage Trucks, and various other equipment, removed several
tons of trash that had been illegally dumped in that area,. Stolen
and destroyed cars, construction debris, household trash, and old rusting
appliances were all removed from the area and properly disposed of..
According to Barry Burkhart, an Arizona Republic writer who covered the
event "The project was productive, and even fun. These 4x4
clubs aren't the bad guys.They want to protect and enhance their
playgrounds. It only makes sense".
The Clearwater 4-Wheelers Eau Claire, WI adopted a
2 mile stretch of state highway. We are required to clean it 4
times during the year. I estimate we spend 200 man hours a year on this
project......Steve Jax - Clearwater 4-Wheelers
Likewise The Golden Shores Off-Roaders in Golden Shores AZ
have adopted a 2 mile section of historic Route 66, keeping
the well traveled and scenic highway clear of trash and rubbish.
The San Diego Off-Road Coalition has for years participated in the California and National Trail Days by holding
clean-up days at two local OHV parks in San Diego County. It mostly
involves picking up trash and trimming brush alongside trails. This past
April we also created a new stretch of trail (about 50' long) to bypass a
section which had become rutted beyond use, and took steps to
restore the rutted portion. In addition, just last week we submitted an application to Cal Trans to "adopt a highway",
to clean up a two-mile stretch of Interstate 8 in the mountains east of San
Diego.
It appears that the reality of the situation is a
stark contrast to what certain, highly vocal factions of the "environmental
movement" would have us believe. In the past, it has been easy for
them to paint OHV users and Sportsman as destructive, because simply put, we
have let them. The stereotype of the "drunken redneck with a shotgun
and a 4x4" has been a powerful symbol, and used to great effect in
contribution drives, and recruitment literature, but like so many other
generalizations, it is untrue. The facts bear this out.
For a more in-depth look at what goes on at these clean ups,
please review the following....
The Bullhead 4 Wheelers, Inc., Bullhead
City, AZ
CLEANUPS:
Participating in a citywide cleanup the
Bullhead 4 Wheelers collected an incredible mass of junk (paper,
cups, straws, bottles, cans, clothing, food, etc.) around the
outside perimeter of the local high-school and adjoining vacant properties.
Two years in a row, through the National Park
Service, our club adopted a large cove on Lake Mojave where we
cleaned up tons of trash .
We cleaned up a popular hiking area around
Christmas Tree Pass near Laughlin, NV which is across the Colorado River
from Bullhead City.
We adopted a rugged four-wheel drive
trail through the Kingman Bureau of Land Management in 1992, called
the Sleeping Princess - a deceptive name - where our club holds biannual
cleanups. In addition to our trash and trail maintenance, we hauled
out miles of old black plastic pipe.
At the beginning of this year we had our
first Adopt-A-Ranch Cleanup through the Arizona Game and Fish
Department. The cleanup was successful in that eight B4Wers, one
rancher, two Game & Fish personnel and one two year old
managed to collect 5000 pounds of trash the first day ranging
from old cars and various car parts, refrigerators, bottles, glass, cans, an
animal carcass, wire, string, diapers, clothing, bedding, swamp coolers and
pads, and more junk. The second day, with only seven survivors, we managed
to pick up about 2500 pounds of trash. Originally 24
members had volunteered their services but lots of emergencies and out of
town visitors put a hex on most of our anticipated help. We still considered
it successful. The nice part was that the rancher provided us with a
beautiful campsite where we enjoyed seeing seven deer and ten
antelope right in front of our temporary headquarters. Our generous
rancher provided us with a super and very welcome barbecue.
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB:
We have provided two outings with picnics and
all the trimmings for some of the children from the Boys and Girls
Club. It was amazing to see their excitement, pleasure and
enjoyment. Most of them had never visited the "big outdoors". They
explored old mining sites, found hills and boulders to climb, saw their
first rattlesnake, found that "Teddy Bear Cholla" is not sweet and
cuddly, and were amazed and a bit frightened (the fright lasted about two
minutes after they discovered that being in a 4x4 was like being on a roller
coaster) to be in vehicles that could actually do things a stock vehicle
could not. Their "ohhhhhs" and "watch outs!" when
driving over the most basic 4x4 roads (crawling over a small boulder, being
slightly off camber, or going up, especially down, a steep hill) generated
quite a bit of humor for us all.
TRAIL BUILDING, CLEARING -
B4Wers WITH BLM & MOJAVE COUNTY TRAILS ASSOC.
Over the past six years, several of our
members have participated in joint projects with the BLM
& MOJAVE COUNTY TRAILS ASSOC.. We helped
to build and clear a 2 1/2 mile hiking, equestrian trail in
the Cerbat Mountains called the Cherum Peak Trail.
We've cleared, brushed, and picked up trash
which filled a huge garbage dumpster, and in places rebuilt
portions of the Mojave Milltown RR Trail System (which consists of over
fourteen miles of an abandoned historic RR grade) for hikers, mountain
bikers, and equestrians. An old road is included in the system which
requires no maintenance.
Another project for the BLM was
the use of our four-wheel drive vehicles and ATV's to haul out miles
and miles of abandoned white plastic water lines and to help pick
up all garbage from a beautiful canyon - roaded - but now only accessible
for non-motorized recreationists. We participated with hikers and
equestrians.
One other joint project was clearing a
popular beach and surrounding area along the Colorado River. We
filled two enormous garbage dumpsters with everything you can
imagine and more.
Note: Lefthand Canyon is north of Boulder, Colorado and west
of Longmont, Colorado in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
This years Lefthand Canyon Cleanup project was a great
success, though the previous four annual cleanups were just as productive. We
all started arriving at 8:30am on Sunday April 20th, 1997. The Northern Colorado
Trail Riders (NCTR) had already begun arriving, some with their motorcycles in
tow for the trip after lunch. The Trailridge Runners 4WD Club (TRR) members
signed in with the rest and grouped up to head up to ?Five Points'. This year
we would finally haul out the Jeep Wagoneer and the little red car, both
of which had started to bury themselves into the creek bottom below ?Five
Points'. Also in attendance were a few of the Rocky Mountain Enduro Circuit (RMEC)
members.
Richard Boddy, Roy Hood, Gail Straty, Hurshell Malone, Greg
Berry, Edith Burch, and Doug Douthit took the lead up to the old hulks to begin
their extrication from creek bed. Richard and Ryan Body had went up to get the
VIN numbers off the vehicles the weekend before, so that we could get permission
form Paul Krisanits, the Law Enforcement Officer for the Boulder Ranger District
of the US Forest Service, to remove them. Shortly Dan LeMaster, Larry LeMaster,
Roger Young, and Ann Madden, followed. Bill Boitano and his nephew, John Miller,
stayed below at the shooting areas with me to help haul the filled trash
bags to the dumpster with his truck. Irby and Ron, the Boulder District
seasonal employees, were also here to help this year.
By
9:00am we were hard at it, cleaning up the trash that had been shot up and left
by some of the less conscientious target shooters. The Executive Order
prohibiting shooting at the first area was completely gone from the sign post at
the entrance to the 4WD road, so I posted the last laminated copy that Paul
Krisanits of the Boulder Ranger District had given me. The carsonite ?No
Shooting' signs we put in last year at the lower section were no where to be
found. Only a short section of the splintered post stuck out of the ground. I
placed two new ones that are the last of the ?No Shooting' signs which were
purchased with the extra funds from our Middle St. Vrain project a few years
ago. One of the large dual plate, 1/4" thick signs, welded to a 4"
square pipe that Paul had put in the ground with concrete last year was still
standing, though the second one that was installed was gone. Only one bolt held
the two plates of the remaining sign together, it appeared as if the other three
bolts had been shot out. No lettering remained due to the many shotgun blasts
that had been directed at the ?No Shooting' on the sign.
Though some shooting had been done in the area where it was illegal to shoot, the
amount has reduced since the last few years. We were done with the
lower area in short order and moved the group up to the other two legal shooting
areas just past the hairpin turn in the 4WD road. These upper areas don't
represent the same risk to the public as the lower section does, due to the fact
that the 4WD road does not cross above them.
By now the construction sized dumpster, donated by Western Disposal, was
getting pretty full. Even though the dumpster was dropped off along the
County road near the entrance to the Lefthand Canyon 4WD road at 4:30 pm on
Saturday, it had 30 tires in it by 8:00 am Sunday morning. I
guess some of the mountain residence don't like paying the extra cost for trash
removal. While some raked up shoot gun shell casings with a leaf rack and used a
snow shovel to scoop them into the trash bags, others were raking out the trash
and shot up targets from the small creek that runs through the area.
This
year we found washing machines and dryers, a CD player, phone books, milk jugs,
glass bottles, televisions, radios, clay pigeons, a few still whole, and even
stuffed animals. By noon the dumpster was full up to the top
and lunch was on the grill. Roger made it back down from the upper meadow, which
was as far as he got. He and Ann filled the bed of his truck with trash from
that area which is used quite a bit for camping.
As we ate lunch, a mini van parked down at the hairpin turn. The occupant
proceeded to walk over to the hillside we had just cleaned up and set up a milk
jug, and began shooting. Of course the area he was in was legal to target
practice. It was still hard to watch the beginning of next years cleanup before
we had finished this one. Finally Lee, of NCTR, walked down and asked the person
to go somewhere else due to the 40 plus people in the area. I imagine he went to
the next little gully a few hundred yards further up the county road. This area
also needs to be addressed, but our clubs are working to protect our access on
the Lefthand Canyon 4WD road.
With lunch done and the final bit of trash removal under way
it was time to end the project and begin the riding and 4 wheeling. I had not
heard from Richard and the extraction crew yet, and Bill was willing to take his
pickup on up the 4WD road, so we went looking for our other 4WD club members.
On
our way to ?Five Points' we collected Dan and Larry and Michael Lonzer,
another four wheeler that read about our project in the newspaper. Before the
"Maze" area we passed two other four wheelers that had come up for the
project and were working on removing a trashed Jeep CJ-7 (which we later
learned, by getting the VIN number to the Forest Service, had been stolen). We
also met Greg towing down the little red car. At the end of the "Maze"
we went just a short distance further and parked at a wide spot. Richard, Roy,
Hurshell, Doug, and Gail were working the Wagoneer past an off camber section of
the road. Gail was hooked up to the Wagoneer trying to drag it over the rocks
with out letting it drag her off the road. About half way across this section,
gravity pulled the Wagoneer remains off the road and down hill. We unhooked Gail
to let her get past the off camber section, and got Roy past the wreckage as
well.
By
now Greg was coming back up, so we got him into position to winch the Wagoneer
back up onto the road. But first, we had to let three other vehicles that had
come up behind Greg get by, as they could not back up over the other rough
section of road we would be doing next. Once they had passed, Greg got
everything hooked up and pulled the Wagoneer back onto the road. Next we had to
have Greg back over the other obstacle and Dan backed up the road to hook up to
the Wagoneer. The chain was pulled short and hooked back at the firewall to lift
the front when the frame got hung up on the rocks in the road. Shortly Dan was
on his way. With a little human guidance and a constant forward momentum from
Dan we got the Wagoneer past the next section of off camber road.
In
about 30 minutes Dan had the Wagoneer dropped off next to the car and CJ-7. I
decided to put them in the parking place used by the shooters at the illegal
shooting area. This may help reduce the shooting in this area until we work out
where to take the remains of the vehicles. It was 4:00pm now, and dinner time
was approaching. Time to end this years cleanup.
Volunteer Projects
Middle St. Vrain 4WD Road - Host Site Building Project Number of Volunteer Hours 160 Value of Project $ 1,360
An old entrance station was hauled down to Longmont and rebuilt. Windows were
replaced, interior and exterior wood was repaired, holes were filled, and the
shutters were fixed. The inside and outside were painted and the roof shingles
were repaired. The building was then hauled up to the Middle St. Vrain trailhead
host site and installed.
1991 Middle St. Vrain 4WD Road Maintenance Number of Volunteer Hours 128 Value of Project $ 1,088
Water was drained and directed off the road. One large obstacle was removed
to eliminate vehicles leaving the road.
1992 Mount Alto Picnic Ground Project Number of Volunteer Hours 368 Value of Project $ 3,128
Old pavilion fireplace was repaired. All picnic tables and barriers were
stained. Mnt. Alto sign was re-painted. New fire rings were placed. Restroom
walls were repaired, screens replaces and doors re-hung. Area was
cleaned of all trash.
1993 Lefthand Canyon Cleanup (Earthday Project) Number of Volunteer Hours 42 Value of Project $ 357
Four old cars and assorted trash were hauled out of the
upper meadow. Road entrance was cleaned of trash.
Rainbow Lakes Campground Rehabilitation Project Number of Volunteer Hours 1,250 Value of Project $ 14,056
Sixteen campsites were cleared of old fire pits, pedestal grills, and picnic
tables. New fire rings and pedestal grills were installed. Sixteen foundation
holes were dug. New single post picnic tables were installed with concrete
foundations poured. Two outhouses were painted. All barrier logs were painted.
Middle St. Vrain 4WD Road - Mud Bog and Buck & Rail Fence
Project Number of Volunteer Hours 134 Value of Project $ 1,139
Hardened road section that crosses a wet meadow was corridored by
building a Buck and Rail fence and placing rock barriers. Off
route travel was controlled.
1994 Lefthand Canyon Cleanup (Earthday Project) Number of Volunteer Hours 36 Value of Project $ 306
Two junk cars were removed from the upper meadow. Road
entrance was cleaned of trash.
Jumbo Mountain Picnic Ground Project Number of Volunteer Hours 192 Value of Project $ 1,632
All overgrowth was removed. Two new picnic sites were added to the original
five. Fire rings were placed. All five picnic sites were set with new perimeter
logs and filled with gravel. Pedestal grills were placed. All picnic tables and
barrier logs were stained
1995 Lefthand Canyon Cleanup (Earthday Project) Number of Volunteer Hours 48 Value of Project $ 408
Trash was removed from road entrance. TV's, refridgerators,
newspaper dispensers, microwaves, etc. were removed from the upper meadow.
Mount Meeker Overflow Campground Project Number of Volunteer Hours 421 Value of Project $ 3,578.50
This project included removal of old fire rings, removal of an old fence and
removal of a cattle guard. A new fee station and sign board was installed. A new
gate at the entrance was installed. All sections of poor road were repaired. A
loop and trailhead were established at the end of the campground. Twenty nine
fire rings were installed. All sites were numbered.
Eight Barrier logs were placed.
Middle St. Vrain / Coney Flats 4WD Road - Signing Project Phase I Number of Volunteer Hours 551.5 Value of Project $ 11,588
A $6,900 State Parks/OHV registration funded grant was used
to purchase road signs, trail signs, material for construction of 2 three sided
informational panels, and travel management posters. Signs were placed for all
users of this multi-use recreational corridor. Travel
Management Poster "bird houses" and 2 three sided informational panels
were constructed by club members.
Middle St. Vrain / Coney Flats 4WD Road - Signing Project Phase II Number of Volunteer Hours 60 Value of Project $ 480
A $6,900 State Parks/OHV registration funded grant was used to purchase road
signs, trail signs, material for construction of 2 three sided informational
panels, and travel management posters. The Coney Flats 4WD Road three sided
informational sign was installed.
1996 Lefthand Canyon Cleanup (Earthday Project) Number of Volunteer Hours 48 Value of Project $ 408
Trash was removed from road entrance. TV's, refridgerators,
newspaper dispensers, microwaves, etc. were removed from the upper meadow.
Middle St. Vrain / Coney Flats 4WD Road - Signing
Project Phase III Number of Volunteer Hours 311 Value of Project $ 2,488
A $6,900 State Parks/OHV registration funded grant was used to purchase road
signs, trail signs, material for construction of 2 three sided informational
panels, and travel management posters. The Camp Dick 4WD Road trailhead three
sided informational sign was installed, a new Host site was constructed, the
Host building was repaired.
Ironclads 4WD Road - Cleanup Project Number of Volunteer Hours 69 Value of Project $ 587
Clean and repaired fire rings, fixed road drainage, removed trash,
and cleaned up area.
1997 Lefthand Canyon Cleanup (Earthday Project) Number of Volunteer Hours 122 Value of Project $ 1,037
Trash was removed from road entrance area. TV's,
refridgerators, microwaves, etc. were removed from the upper meadow. Three
abandoned vehicles were also removed.
Middle St. Vrain / Coney Flats 4WD Road Number of Volunteer Hours 140 Value of Project $ 1,190
Adopt-A-Road work on the entrance. Water bar work, buck and
rail fence construction for route control. Repair of old
corduroy road section.
Nugget Hill / Gillespie Gulch 4WD Road Number of Volunteer Hours 58.5 Value of Project $ 497
Georgia Bounty Runners Re-open OHV Area
after Hurricane
By Lane Bailey
High winds. Heavy Rain. Lightning. Hurricane Opal
wreaks her havoc on the way through North Georgia.
When the storm subsided, hundreds of trees were
down, and all of the trails in the Beasley Knob OHV area near Blairsville, Ga.
were blocked. The Georgia Bounty Runners, who have enjoyed a great
relationship with the local Forest Service Rangers through their
"adopt-a-trail" work, swung into action. We did our first
work weekend during a snowstorm in January, 1996. Several hundred
man-hours, and several chain saws, wielded by members newly certified
by the USFS as chain saw operators, and a dozen trucks moved in to open
one of the many trails. Despite the snow and cold, about 20 tree jams
were cleared, and one of the trails was re-opened. The club returned
again in May to work some more of the trails in steeper areas where logging
wasn't likely. Again, a dozen vehicles, and dozens of volunteers
worked over the area. This time, damage from bypasses was increasing the
workload, but the GBR was able to close off the cut-around's and ghost trails
with the trees that were being cleared from the real trail.
The situation wasn't looking to bad, the GBR were
going to be able to open the trails and get the area back onto it's feet. Then
several things happened. First, the entire area suffered a closure, with gates
locked, because a few individuals refused to honor the closure signs for the
trails that were still blocked. These persons proceeded onto the trails, and cut
around blockages. Because of the steep terrain, the bypasses were causing
erosion. In order to limit the damage the area was closed to all vehicle travel.
Re-opening the trails was scheduled for the end of May, 1997. Then came the red
tape.
The second circumstance had to do with timber. A
salvage timber sale was called for with all of the down trees. This closed the
area to those trying to meet the deadlines in restoring it. Because of all of
the necessary clearances for the timber sale, the sale was delayed. As the
Rangers worked furiously to try to get the sale through, and get the work
parties back into the area, time ticked away. The GBR was finally allowed back
into the area in February, 1997.
With the February work weekend, and another in
April, this time with the assistance of the Southern Land Rover Society (SOLAROS)
more clearing was done, as well as silt fencing and other trail
maintenance. Again, for the last two weekends, over a dozen vehicles,
almost twenty on the April weekend, and two dozen volunteers
including the GBR Chain saw Operators.
The Southern Four Wheel Drive Association held a
work weekend at the beginning of May to put the finishing touches on the area in
preparation of its re-opening. Through their efforts signs were placed or
rebuilt, areas were seeded, and utilizing heavy equipment, water
diversion bars were constructed and problem areas were repaired. The
end result was that when the SFWDA left at the end of the weekend, the
gates stayed open, returning an area to the enthusiasts of North
Georgia that had been closed for over a year and a half.
The re-opening of the Beasley Knob OHV area is a
prime example of local enthusiasts getting involved and saving their
access to their forest. After a few individuals misused the area by
cutting their own bypasses and ignoring signs posted to close specific trails,
the whole area was almost scrapped. The goodwill that existed between
the USFS Rangers on the district and the Georgia Bounty Runners 4WD club, as
well as the Southern Four Wheel Drive Association allowed the OHV area a second
chance. The Rangers felt that the work required would be done, and done
well, and within the time constraints allowed. So, they were allowed access to
the area in order to work the trails.
If your club doesn't have a relationship
with the local land agencies, adopt-a-trail, and start getting to know your land
agents. This is our land, and that means we should have access. It also
means we need to keep up with maintenance and keep the land healthy. It is a two
way street.
As you see, there is often a lot of backbreaking work
involved, and it's the OHV users and Outdoor Recreationalists that are
the first to step up to the plate and make things happen. Working with
Forest Service and other Govt. agencies is a very common occurrence, and a fact
you never see mentioned by the major environmental organizations.You will note
that the first activity was said to have been announced in the local newspaper.
Ask yourself this.....Where were the areas "environmentalists"
to assist in the activities?
While these examples show how much can be done when an
organized group is set in motion, the old adage holds true. One man
"CAN" make a difference. Ed Cox explains...
"In my mind, acting as a socially responsible four
wheelers is as simple as pie. I make it a habit hat ANYTIME I am out in the
wilderness, (or even at a park, for that matter) I make it MANDATORY to
leave the place better than I found it. This simply means if I go to a
campsite, I dump my trash PLUS the cans, paper, cigarette butts, etc. I found
lying around.
If I'm on the trail and I see paper, a can, or some other trash, I STOP and pick
it up.
If I'm hiking and I see that someone left garbage at a site, I PICK IT UP, and
pack it out.
In general, I take full responsibility for other peoples
mistakes. I not only take on this burden, I look forward to it. I
recall being at one camp site where I was walking through empty sites and I
happened to reach down and pick up some trash. I dumped the trash and went to my
campsite. About 15 minutes later the campgrounds hosts (an older couple) walked
into my site and thanked me for picking up the trash. They said that most times
when they see a jeep loaded up with coolers, etc..enter a campground they
"get ready for trouble". I talked with them for a while about
stereotyping, etc. and I think they got my point.
Bottom line....it's easy to make a difference in
as little as five minutes. Live the Nike way....Just Do It".
Outdoor Recreation and it's Positive
impact on the not so mythical "Future Generations"
One of the rallying cries of the environmental movement is
"We have to preserve the land for future generations" This is an
admirable and emotional plea. You would be extremely hard pressed to find any
Outdoor recreationalists that would disagree with it's basic premise. The
problem however, lies in how the environmental movement plan's to bring that
"preservation" about. Historically (sic?) it has come through
designation of vast tracts of land to be "endangered", or
"sensitive", blocking people from it's use. Now ask yourself this. Does
the environmental movment have any firmly set plan as to which of these future
generations will actually get to return to, and use the land saved for them?
The answer is No.
What's even worse, is that every aspect of their land use plans call for the
(sometimes gradual, sometimes immediate) elimination of humans and human related
activities from these areas PERMANENTLY. No "future
generation" will ever be able to use this land. In short, we
have been Lied to by the environmental movement again. The next
time you hear the words "Preserve the land for future generations",
reflect on the words and philosophy of current Sierra Club Board Member
Dave Foreman from the Sierra Club book "Listening
to the Land", copyright ? 1995 Derrick Jensen, when he says.....
" Deep ecology becomes something real when it
motivates our day-to-day actions, and there is no more honorable thing any of us
can do with our lives than to work to put part of the world off-limits to the
activities of human beings" (full text
available at http://www.realtime.net/~waynep/pkar9510.htm)
cited under "Fair use"
When considering "future generations" and their
impact on society and the environment, one finds outdoor
recreationalists addressing the problem from many directions, and many
people are suprised to discover the extent of these "real
world" solutions. One example is the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle
Recreation Division of California (OHMVR) & the California Police Activities
League, who have teamed up to offer a program called "Off-Road
Pals".Recognizing the attraction OHV's have for today's Youth, PALS started
offering motorcycle and ATV riding opportunities to "at risk", and
underprivileged youth.
Starting
in 1995, OHMVR State Vehicular Recreation Areas began offering 2 day programs
for safety instruction, camping, and supervised trail riding to kids from 10 to
14 yr. of age. (From the OHMVR pamphlet "Off road
Pals - Partnerships for the future" available from
Off Highway Vehicle Recreational Division-Dept. of Parks and Recreation, PO box
94286, Sacramento CA. 94296-0001)
This program, using approved OHV areas teaches
environmentally responsible land usage, would be unavailable if groups like the
Sierra Club and the SUWA have their way. As above, the so
called "environmental" groups have chosen to ignore the obvious
benefits of the program to the environment, in favor of the fulfillment of their
private agendas.
The
NYPUM (National Youth Project Using Mini-Bikes)Is a Private, non profit program
which operates after school and during summers across America, has spent the
last 25 years helping kids and their families get "on track". With a
system of agreements and real world improvement in school and behavior, Kids
earn the privilege of learning about, and riding Bikes donated by American
Honda. Local Business organizations in each community help support the program,
which thus far has returned a 90% success rate with the kids
involved.
Far from just pleasure riding, the kids are taught safe riding
habits, mechanics, and most importantly, respect of others and their
property (IE the environment).Located at
NYPUM Operations Center - 11 Beacon St. Suite 325, Boston MA, 02108 -
800-75-NYPUM, the Organization is actively seeking more people and businesses to
become involved.
Another example of OHV's working in a
positive way is the Off-Road Racing Team of Sheriff's Deputy Steve
Williams, who uses his SCORE Race Truck as a means to reach out to
youth, and teach them about the D.A.R.E. program, and the dangers of
drug abuse.
Ryan Thomas of Chenowith Racing, has
contributed an enormous ammount of time helping children through his
"Making a Difference Through Racing" program. He has worked
with "The Make a Wish Foundation", "Big Brothers &
Big Sisters of America". Ryan has conducted a food and clothing
drive for the children of Baja Mexico, and speaks to kids about drug
awareness. Thomas currently campagins a "Pro Truck" in the
Score Desert Racing Series, and is contributing 100% of his winnings
in the Barber Dodge Pro Series" to the BBBSA.
It seems quite Ironic that these so called "anti
environmental nature haters" have done so much to make the world a
better place to live in, even for those who may only live in it a short
time. Again, Where are the so called environmental groups to assist in
these environmentally and socially positive activities? Were
these groups to take the high road, by working with, rather against OHV
users and Outdoor Recreationalists, the environment would see a benefit (which
is supposed to be why environmental groups exist in the first place).
However, doing so would prove Outdoor Recreationalists to be part
of the solution, rather than
the cause of the problem. In short, it would
hamper their stated goal to "eliminate off road activity on
public lands by the year 2000" and demonstrate that they
have lied to the general population all along.
The fact is that without OHV users, and Outdoor
Recreationalists, each of these areas would still be covered in garbage,
leading one to wonder, "Is the modern environmental movement working harder
to help theenvironmentor
itself"?
As with all things, actions speak
louder than words, and the actions of OHV users and Outdoor Recreationalists
have resulted in a better and cleaner environment.
Presented here are but a few examples of how OHV users and other
Outdoor Recreationalists work daily for the betterment of the environment,
and in fact, the world we live in. We challenge you to set aside any
preconceived notions you may have about OHV users and other outdoor
recreationalists, and look at groups and individuals in your own area. You are
sure to be suprised at what you will find. By way of example, I present these
words of wisdom from Dr. Jack Stauder, Professor of
Sociology/Anthropology, U. Mass., Dartmouth, as quoted in Blue Ribbon
Online
http://www.sharetrails.org/.
"In short, wherever I unearthed arguments and
analysis that dissented from the "ecologically correct" views of the
environmental movement, I found another side that could not be dismissed easily,
as environmentalists often tried to do, as representing only ignorance and
greed. "
For more information about "Multiple Use", OHV and
Outdoor Recreationalist issues and concerns, please visit
Copyright 1997 Norm Lenhart , Off-Road.com, and all contributors to this
article.
The article and any part thereof, is free for use by any agency, and in any
medium with the following restrictions..
Any agency, group, individual working
toward the restriction, reduction, or elimination of OHV usage, or other forms
of outdoor recreation on public lands must agree to pay $100 per word used, to
the Blue Ribbon Coalition., before any publication of said words.This includes,
but is not limited to The Sierra Club, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Earth
First!, PETA, their supporters, or members. Usage of this article or any part
thereof, constitutes legal acceptance of these terms.
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By
9:00am we were hard at it, cleaning up the trash that had been shot up and left
by some of the less conscientious target shooters. The Executive Order
prohibiting shooting at the first area was completely gone from the sign post at
the entrance to the 4WD road, so I posted the last laminated copy that Paul
Krisanits of the Boulder Ranger District had given me. The carsonite ?No
Shooting' signs we put in last year at the lower section were no where to be
found. Only a short section of the splintered post stuck out of the ground. I
placed two new ones that are the last of the ?No Shooting' signs which were
purchased with the extra funds from our Middle St. Vrain project a few years
ago. One of the large dual plate, 1/4" thick signs, welded to a 4"
square pipe that Paul had put in the ground with concrete last year was still
standing, though the second one that was installed was gone. Only one bolt held
the two plates of the remaining sign together, it appeared as if the other three
bolts had been shot out. No lettering remained due to the many shotgun blasts
that had been directed at the ?No Shooting' on the sign.
This
year we found washing machines and dryers, a CD player, phone books, milk jugs,
glass bottles, televisions, radios, clay pigeons, a few still whole, and even
stuffed animals. By noon the dumpster was full up to the top
and lunch was on the grill. Roger made it back down from the upper meadow, which
was as far as he got. He and Ann filled the bed of his truck with trash from
that area which is used quite a bit for camping.
On
our way to ?Five Points' we collected Dan and Larry and Michael Lonzer,
another four wheeler that read about our project in the newspaper. Before the
"Maze" area we passed two other four wheelers that had come up for the
project and were working on removing a trashed Jeep CJ-7 (which we later
learned, by getting the VIN number to the Forest Service, had been stolen). We
also met Greg towing down the little red car. At the end of the "Maze"
we went just a short distance further and parked at a wide spot. Richard, Roy,
Hurshell, Doug, and Gail were working the Wagoneer past an off camber section of
the road. Gail was hooked up to the Wagoneer trying to drag it over the rocks
with out letting it drag her off the road. About half way across this section,
gravity pulled the Wagoneer remains off the road and down hill. We unhooked Gail
to let her get past the off camber section, and got Roy past the wreckage as
well.
By
now Greg was coming back up, so we got him into position to winch the Wagoneer
back up onto the road. But first, we had to let three other vehicles that had
come up behind Greg get by, as they could not back up over the other rough
section of road we would be doing next. Once they had passed, Greg got
everything hooked up and pulled the Wagoneer back onto the road. Next we had to
have Greg back over the other obstacle and Dan backed up the road to hook up to
the Wagoneer. The chain was pulled short and hooked back at the firewall to lift
the front when the frame got hung up on the rocks in the road. Shortly Dan was
on his way. With a little human guidance and a constant forward momentum from
Dan we got the Wagoneer past the next section of off camber road.
In
about 30 minutes Dan had the Wagoneer dropped off next to the car and CJ-7. I
decided to put them in the parking place used by the shooters at the illegal
shooting area. This may help reduce the shooting in this area until we work out
where to take the remains of the vehicles. It was 4:00pm now, and dinner time
was approaching. Time to end this years cleanup.
Starting
in 1995, OHMVR State Vehicular Recreation Areas began offering 2 day programs
for safety instruction, camping, and supervised trail riding to kids from 10 to
14 yr. of age. (From the OHMVR pamphlet "Off road
Pals - Partnerships for the future" available from
The
NYPUM (National Youth Project Using Mini-Bikes)Is a Private, non profit program
which operates after school and during summers across America, has spent the
last 25 years helping kids and their families get "on track". With a
system of agreements and real world improvement in school and behavior, Kids
earn the privilege of learning about, and riding Bikes donated by American
Honda. Local Business organizations in each community help support the program,
which thus far has returned a 90% success rate with the kids
involved.
