You failed to accurately quote me, and also inserted your own comments into mine. You have also made inaccurate presumptions. I never said anyone is beyond the reach of law enforcement – only that that do not have the right to arbitrarily enter private property. I also never said anything about “ATV’ers in general.” Be careful of what you say.

 

I take out more than i bring in. I love doing 3 things tho... Rooster tails, dounuts, wheelies. but i do them where im supposed to ...THE SAND!!!!

 

My son and I have always stopped on the trail to pick up bottles, cans, trash, etc. Funny, they can pack in a full plastic water bottle, but the empty is too much to take back? One time I actually filled my back compartment with crushed up trash, even found a bag and filled that, just on one loop of the trail we rode on last year in Wisconsin. Took a side trail down to a very pretty little lake with a small beach, and was apalled. Campers had left a huge pile of half burnt garbage in the fire pit, plastic, glass, used diapers, etc. they had stripped the bark off several birch trees near the site, I assume for starting fires, and, to my absolute horror... had left a five gallon bucket full of human feces and toilet paper just sitting there stinking up the place. A short walk into the woods and a small dug out latrine would have taken maybe 10 min of their time, I can only imagine the slobs that had been camping there,treating the woods like their own private dumping grounds, not to mention the example they were setting for any children that might be present. When I camp with my son or friends,we burn out paper, pack up plastics and cans (try not to bring glass or metal if we can help it) and use outhouses available, or dig latrines far from camp or any ground water. Some people just don't get it..........

 

Im so sick of the epa an sierra club they can stuff it.When I see them carrying out more garbage then us out of the woods then they can be allowed to bitch.

 

When I said we should be careful not to badmouth ATV'ers on an ATV site, this is how you responded, exactly: "I always find trash, my trails torn up, my deer stands shot up, my salt blocks stolen, etc, etc…." That sounds like something we'd expect on a tree hugger site in response to a posting by someone saying they hate ATV'ers.

Most ATV'ers are not like your neighbors, and I'm certain you didn't intend to indicate that you think they are. That's what I mean by be careful what you say.

 

I also said "Tree huggers will always try to condemn our sport no matter what we say or do."

If you continue to tell me what to say or not say or attempt to tell me what I did or did not mean to say I will delete your posts. And yes, I mean exactly what I said.

 

What i hate is how almost every spring, here in Minnesota, the Star Tribune does a 2 page article on the "evils" of off roaders, specifically targeting ATVs, putting in pictures of torn up fields, wetlands, and basically slanting the entire view on the ATV industry, as if we are all intent on tearing up as much nature as possible. But, use ATVs to search for a lost child, rescue stranded hunters or hikers, and it is stuck on the back page, with a paragraph.
Yes, I have seen signs torn down, tracks into restricted wetlands and lots of off trail damage, but that is by a few bad apples, yet we are all lumped together as if we share the same brain and body. That is the key element behind "watch what you say", as well as "watch what you do", for we are all judged for the actions of all members of the ATV community, not just the good, but the bad as well. That one "little mistake" can ballon into a public outcry that closes trails, restricts riding areas, and gets laws passed to limit our sport even more.

 

Well said. I applaud those of you who are doing your part (or more than your part) to encourage responsible riding by picking up trash and not destroying lands. As has been mentioned, there are areas where donuts and the like are appropriate, and as was said, those areas tend to be sand.

The public perception thing will always haunt the OHV/ORV crowd. By participating in clean ups, encouraging peer compliance with responsible and legal riding guidelines, and bringing more of this to light to the general public, we all do our riding community a huge service. It is truly unfortunate that the stewardship efforts are rarely promoted in the media, but an instance of resource damage or user conflict will make the front page. So we must continue to do what we can to correct any negative perceptions as quickly and correctly as possible. One way that I can recommend is to expose your non-riding friends to either the sport itself through a training class or a safe ride, or to club benefits/fundraiser/charity events and area cleanups.

Kudos to you folks!

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