ATV trails closed in Botetourt County Va.

01/24/2010

FINCASTLE -- The U.S. Forest Service has closed a trail system in Botetourt County, where erosion caused by four-wheeling has created high levels of sediment in nearby streams.
After completing water-quality monitoring, the Forest Service decided to close the Patterson Mountain ATV Trail System, a 16-mile network that consists of a main route and 10 side trails.
Regular use by all-terrain vehicles has reduced some the trails to shallow trenches, routing dirt and mud into the waterways during times of heavy rain and snow. Testing found that trail conditions didn't comply with the Jefferson National Forest plan.
The Patterson Mountain trail system is one of four such attractions in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests.

 

I can foresee the day, because of environmental concerns, some true, most not, when there are no ATV trails, no hunting, no firewood, no paint, no gas, and no electricity. And because of national health care, we will not be allowed to own ATV's, motorcycles, guns, eat red meat, smoke cigarettes, fly small airplanes, etc. Here's the US Goovernments Phiosophy: "Terrorize the public buy demonizing a non-existant threat, then "rescue" them with needless and dramatic action." This action simply restricts more of our freedoms.

 

Brimstone,Windrock,Hatfiels/McCoe etc,and Im only 89 miles from the best off road
ranch there is and thats Leerjaks so will be riding for awhile.We have got to start
following ATV with Cutter example and start getting active in the meeting to help
save our riding areas.

 

Yeah it's ok that you've got places to ride and I do too, I just don't like seeing them taking one place away from the Tax paying people.
I think us ATV riders need to tread lighty in areas where you know it's going to erode and stop making ruts that will never heal by mother nature they will only get worst.
I rode back in the fall of last year in Welch WVa. and we rode 32 miles one way and 32 back to where we was staying(cool as crap) but I noticed that the ruts were deep and I thought it's just a matter of time before they shut'em down. I'm just saying, it has started!

 

At my age and the group I ride with we just putt putt and am proud of the
damage we dont do,watch a bunch of them tear it up you say something
they just flip you off,tell you to mind your own business,they will learn the
hard way in time.

 

Here in Co we have simillar issues as you folkes in the east. (Tho not as bad) But when we do have these issues we as OHV enthusists join clubs and these clubs along with Jeep clubs unite and help rebuild the the the trails we ride. The forest service usually provides the money and a fair share of help as well. It might not save all the trails we ride but it goes a long way in trying to keep them open and all of us enjoying the GREAT outdoors!!!

 

My opinion is that we will lose more of them because of the actions of our fellow riders than because of erosion...those actions being:

Littering, which is just inexcusable folks...cans, plastic, whatever...you brought it to the trails, you can just as easily carry it out, at least to as far as the nearest trash can. Stuff left on the trail gets blown across the land and carried down creeks and rivers..it never stays where you dropped it. When a park ranger sees ATV tracks leading to an area where there's a ton of empty beer cans, you can guess who is held accountable for it...(all of us riders)

Loud exhausts...yeah, it's THAT guy with the set of "Thunderpipes" mounted on his Yondasaki who blats across the riding areas, annoying neighboring landowners to the point of where they complain to the park management and/or get lawyers to seek injunctions against the private riding parks.

Riding without helmets...how stupid do we have to be? When somebody riding an ATV has an accident and splits their skull, or even worse a child gets hurt, who is blamed for the problem? What kind of publicity does that create for our sport? Better yet, when the ATV makers get sued because someone got hurt riding one, what does the public think of ATVs as recreational machines then?

Not treading lightly...riding off of established trails is what gets them closed down. As mentioned earlier in this thread, erosion becomes a problem for everyone when a few riders decide to shred a hillside or cross a stream that's not on the trail.

This is all summed up in one word...responsibility. And when we don't take responsibility, Uncle Sam does it for us, and the easiest thing for them to do to solve the problem is close it down

We'll lose them, but it will be by our own hands if we don't become more responsible

 

Um, yep.

The local trail system here in WNY, while not huge, is growing, and steps are taken to placate landowners, fill ruts, and add hard fill to super soft areas to prevent (or control) further damage. So far it's working well. The idiots without helmets will be the ones to kill it for us, though.

 

I guess it is time to buy huge hunks of private land in the middle of nowhere. Oh wait we can't do that b/c our saving just got erased by the banking industry and we will no longer be able to save b/c our health care insurance will be "better for EVERYONE"..

 

But I thought healthcare was going to be "free"?