I agree with half of what you are saying.

The "publics money" is really money pulled from the sale of a quad purchase and/or registration. That money is earmarked for trails, but is seldom used for them.

People have a right to be pissed. I'm sure most people would pay yearly fees on top of what they already pay to open up public trails for atv use.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: squeege

I agree with half of what you are saying.
The "publics money" is really money pulled from the sale of a quad purchase and/or registration. That money is earmarked for trails, but is seldom used for them.

I'm certain that this is the case elsewhere (and am sorry to go off topic once again); yet not at the largest maintained system in the nation (Michigan).We have sticker money only; sales of same have been flat for years and there has been no increase in fees to properly support the resource for many years before that.

"...People have a right to be pissed. I'm sure most people would pay yearly fees on top of what they already pay to open up public trails for atv use...."

I'll have to respectfully disagree with that in the sense that 'most people' could just plain force their off-road leadership to indeed carry the pay-to-play flag and push HARD for the needed fee increases. For example, orv leadership here has promoted the creation of massive new mileage on the sides of our county roads through an inistence that no new fees need be created to properly maintain same over time.

Some may be willing to pay extra and indeed fight for same, including myself...yet you have the vast majority out there hoping to skate by with just as little spent in this area as possible...allowing orv leaders to get us into the underfunded massive closure mess that we are faced with today.

Off-road users will be willing to pay all right....as they have gotten themselves into a less-than-proactive purely defensive position through poor leadership choices....that has actually given them no choice but to do just that or lose what they seemingly refused to take care of throughout time.

 

X - glad to hear it - seems the thread took a turn to land issues - big surprise - anyway - i am glad to hear about it - your wife sounds like one tough lady!!! Nothing is slowing her down - lol - that is good - hope the rest of the healing goes well too - tell her to keep it up!!!! So I am gonna guess that she is willing to jump back on the bike from the sound of things - that is too cool!!! well - just wanted to check in on ya and see how it was going - take care and good luck!!!

Splat

 

X - weird - thought i replied but not seeing it - dunno if it will show or not - strange - very strange - anyway - glad to hear she is recovering quickly - she sounds like one tough lady for sure!!! seems like the thread went to land issues or something - big surprise there - anyhow - tell her to keep up the quick recovery!!! Also sounds like she might be willing to get back on the bike - too freakin cool!!! hope the rest of the recovery goes as well as it has up to now - sorry that she is putting the "gals" back in their cages [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] downside to everything i guess - lol - but what can ya do - lol - well just wanted to check in and see how things where going and glad to hear it is going well - talk with ya later.

Splat

 

DOI!!!! there I is - guess i had one (or several) to many head wounds growing up (hence the screen name - got it as a young man - was the sound i used to make when hitting the ground trying to skate board - lol) maybe someday i will quit hitting the old noodle on crap - if i am lucky that is - didnt notice this went to 2 pages - DDDEEERRRRRR!!!!

 

Same story here, same frustration on my part. You wouldn't believe what some of these people will do - the sheer arrogance. Someone spends a fortune on a quad, and somehow thinks that gives them the right to invade my farm, leave beer cans, rut the hillsides, and just make a mess out of the place. Time was when I used to let people ride my trails. But it got out of hand, my farm was being torn up and trashed, and there was the liability issue. I've had trouble with no trespassing signs, too. They must be lightweight, because they just keep floating away.

Personally, I think the solution is to impose the same fines for ORV trespass as they are for deer poaching here in KY - confiscation of anything they have with them.

I have learned one lesson - don't take matters into your own hands. It can get out of control very quickly, and the trespasser might have a gun in the saddlebags. And it might be their lucky day. Get someone with a badge there to settle things down - LEO's are trained for, and get paid, to handle that sort of confrontation. That has the added bonus of tossing the offender to the horrors of the US legal system. They'll end up hating the police and courts, not you. Also, as tempting as it may be, never set a booby trap. That will land you in jail, and cost you everything you have.

Yes, they're wrong, yes, it's your land, no, you shouldn't have to put up with it. Just don't lose your cool, there are a thousand hungry lawyers out there just waiting for you to give them the excuse to steal your life's work.



<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: georged

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: CaptainQuint



<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: squeegeOur property is posted no trespassing now just for these reasons</end quote></div>

Hate to break it to ya but that won't discourage most of them. The sad thing is (and to detriment of our sport) is that a large percentage of riders will not only blast right by that no trespassing sign but with rip it down. You see, what is yours is theirs. The only thing that matters is that you provide them a place to ride their ATV. And heaven help you if one of them gets hurt while they're trespassing, burglarizing, stealing and vandalizing on your land. They'll start placing calls to Larry H. Lawyer before the blood is dry and the ambulance has stopped rolling.







And that's why you have to write those large checks every 6 months for multimillion dollar liability coverage.</end quote></div>



Yep. I've been criticized many times on this forum for going to great lengths to keep ATV, dirt bike and other trespassers off my property and impose serious fines for their destruction of public property or close it off for that very reason. And I still read posts by riders encouraging trespassing because public money hasn't provided a place for them to destroy.</end quote></div>