Response to Mpls StarTribune Article (Long Post)
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02-28-2002, 03:12 PM
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Minneapolis Star Tribune Special Report
If you are from Minnesota you've probably seen February 24th's Star Tribune Sunday's paper and the articles that have followed. I couldn't let it go without giving ole Tom two cents worth. Long post but it took a little time to cool down. I e-mailed him the following response to the special report with my real name and address. Sorry to ATVAM and BRC if I spoke out and over protocol, I'm not a spokesman for either organization, only a paying dues club member. When I say "we" it's family and friends only.
February 27th, 2002
Tom Meersman,
Star Tribune Staff Writer
Re: Star Tribune special report: Tracks on the land
Dear Tom,
It has come to my attention abruptly, after a review of your special report on ATV’s in the state of Minnesota, that you have a large quantity of incorrect data, information, and half truth’s in your work relating to the information you have provided in your report.
By introduction, I have been an ATV enthusiast for the last two years. We have two ATV’s, paid for, registered and taxed within the laws of Minnesota. We’ve put on over 1,500 miles on those ATV’s mostly in Minnesota with two trips to Wisconsin. Those miles were accumulated on Private land, State and National Forests. I was part of two ATV clubs and currently part of ATVAM and Blue Ribbon Coalition. With that said, this response may have some merit for addressing your special report.
As most ATV enthusiasts feel after reading Star Tribune’s Sunday’s paper, we are appalled at the entire piece of work you and your staff presented. Actually the first glimpse of the Star Tribune that Sunday morning was folded, showing only the top headlines of your special report with a photo of an authorized mudding hole within a Grant-In-Aid, (GIA) trail system called Red Top. You made it appear as an unauthorized section of land resembling a war zone at first glance. Was that the “Old bait and switch” Tom? You falsely give the shocking headlines next to that photo, an image of Minnesota that now has people so far misled, that any un-bias material if found in your report, has very little or no meaning to the reader.
What you have done with your report will take years to mend in the attitudes and minds of everyone that enjoys and pay’s for the states natural resources. You have painted a dark cloud over the DNR, an organization that attempts to do the right thing gets slammed yet again by the public with your, whatever you call it, information. I’m not for or against the DNR’s practices and I personally know no one in the DNR. So now what, hate the DNR for trying to make trails to get riders managed? Then cast DNR as irresponsible for trying to get the trails rolling? Based on your research, if that’s what you call it, perhaps we should delay authorized trails usage and advancement until studies are done, say 5-7 years? You don’t understand or fail to realize, this is another year of record-breaking ATV sales and usage gearing up in Minnesota and now the DNR will be busy alright, tied up in reports and studies while the dismal situation you outlined through the Star Tribune just grows worse and worse. The ruling you’ve mentioned in your special report was made in favor of impact studies before trails are created really did nothing but delay solutions to situations already taking place as photographed in your special report. So blame the riders and DNR, that’s not correct, that’s journalism to sway votes by half truths.
Motorized sport users are required to pay tax and user fees for the use of natural resources in accordance with current laws. We are continuing to pay out fees and taxes and get nothing more than signs to stay away, warnings and tickets by overburdened enforcement because we are required by law to obey what is in place. We’ll what is currently in place without further advancement in trails and places to ride benefits nobody. You have failed to tell the public we have to move on real solutions now or pay unreal prices in the future. What does a hiker pay to hike in Minnesota? Please tell me they pay something, or do they rely on revenue from tax and user fees from motorized sports for posting signs to keep motorized sports from their untouchable areas? Explain this to your readers, maybe next project.
That’s probably the most gut wrenching reality of your report. Blaming the motorized recreational user’s casting them as guilty and the cause of all environmental problems in natural resource usage, making the entire situation their problems. Saying nothing at all about the good attempts of organized clubs doing the right things and providing solutions. Those small ATV or OHV clubs all over the state take care of trails, create GIA trails and work with the DNR on almost every occasion. Yet you paint them as irresponsibility to the rest of the public while they continue trying to make something out of nothing. You continue to explain how the DNR is not doing enough, yet they are guilty for trying to get a handle on tails and issues across the state. Guilty by reader conviction that impacts all riders with your pictures of erosion and illegal riding, yet give no solutions or provide information for anyone reading to get involved. Where were the good effort stories in your special report about the advancements made to trails in Minnesota by over 30 ATV clubs and the ATVAM organization provided in your article? You made the Red Top story appear hopeless and said very little about the Gilbert OHV Park. Must have run out of paper.
You did nothing to bridge the gap on issues between motorized and non-motorized sports. Now the environmentalists are scared to be in the woods with all that crazy machinery wrecking everything. The motorized population is scared to go into the woods and disrupt all the environmentalist activities. The gap you created is bigger than any mud hole your staff photographed. You’ve just made it deeper and dirtier for agreed upon solutions to correct trails issues.
The information you provided about ATV’s washed off in streams and lakes just about made your entire report almost humorous. Does your researcher or you have any idea what a motorized boat and fertilization from farming or lakeshore housing developments do to Minnesota lakes and streams? I guess not because you concluded washing mud from an ATV is environmentally dangerous.
Have you taken into account that riding areas such as Spider Lake are perfect because they are muddy and challenging. The photos taken made the area look so bad, yet that is what some riders would call perfect. In the big picture more restrictions and management of mudding areas will not make them look any less muddier. Quick identification of erosion and correct steps to recovery when managed correctly sound great and will work, but it’s still muddy. Just like those damn motorboats, the lakes are managed, but the boats still make waves.
As I continued through your report, it was amazing to see how your information sources came up with data and numbers. Just for starters, check the number of ATV’s on farms against those in urban garages, and remember, they’re registered differently as well. Your report made it sound like every ATV tearing up the land was sitting in the metro area with a full tank of gas just waiting for weekends. Putting so much faith into your survey results and bogus questions, you forgot the main rule in survey and data gathering; Garbage In, Garbage Out. You’re loosing me Tom. I’m beginning to think you did the report in an attempt to just rattle the masses on a sport very visible during one of the warmest winters we’ve had in a long time. Or, just to get a little reaction from both sides. What motivates a person to write like that? Did I mention a gap you’ve widened to outdoor recreation? Can’t wait to see your next reports on motorized boats or Farmers, don’t forget to do a survey!
This is none of my business at all yet still bothers me. I received my publications of Minnesota Off-Road Magazine dated January/February 2002, Volume 7 Number 4. In this magazine is a section called “Club Round-up”, a sort of “what’s going on” with ATV or OHV Minnesota Clubs. Anyway, under the Washington-Ramsey County Wheelers section is what I thought was very disturbing information from the contributor. The fifth paragraph had your name in it and if you haven’t had a chance to read your copy of the Minnesota Off-Road here it is word for word.
“Dave K. made an interesting trip to the Moose Lake area which is the Nemadji and Willow River trails with Joe Alberio and Tom Meersman from the Star Tribune newspaper. They rode in an SUV vehicle because the trails are closed for right now in the winter. Joe Alberio made some good comments about WRCW. They rode from Cavert campground and toured the Munger and Yellow Birch Trail. Tom from the Star Tribune is doing research on the ATV’s and will be printing an article sometime after January.”
Tom, I’m not a member of the WRCW, I have never met Dave K., and I sure in the hell don’t know what was shown or talked about to you in that area of Minnesota. Please explain: How could, what appeared so promising in the Minnesota Off-Road article, as a good attempt to identify ATV issues by a big paper, anticipated by many as a good report coming from Star Tribune, turn out like it did?
Even though what you’ve written seems negative there was actually some good results that have come out of your work.
Not less than five phone calls did I receive on Sunday afternoon. A couple had asked if it was true; Am I really a tree and fish killer? Had I been to those places? Was it really as bad as the paper had said? How much do those things cost? And so on. It was really good talking to those people, it had raised their awareness on the sport of ATVing more than I ever could have. When I invited them to ride this year, they asked if I’d help them buy their own ATV’s. Of course I will and can’t wait to add another person to the sport.
Look at the awareness you’ve created to the sport. ATV Club participation I’m assuming will be at an all time high this year, and last time I asked DNR the numbers of volunteers, helping them on projects numbered around 31,000 in 2001. Not all for any one cause but many people who want to do the right thing. No better place than the Trails and Waterways department of the DNR.
To my shock, most people reading the Star Tribune see it as extremely liberal publication and didn’t really take what you’ve written as “all there”. Chalking the report up as another slow news day. I guess I was one of the few that took it hard at first. But now, I carry your special report with me everywhere asking people what they think. Plus you’ve gotten a 4-page response from me, that’s really good.
On the final note Tom, I’m a little concerned about this upcoming weekend. We’re going up north with the families. Five ATV’s, two snowmobiles, digital camera and we’re ready to have some fun. Imagine the possibility of getting flipped off by Green Peace going up 35W? Your work makes all riders guilty without doing anything wrong. Some joker will take a look at us and get stupid, maybe even some good old-fashioned road rage. Gee, thanks Tom, just what I need to complete the adventure of riding ATV’s
You’ve even motivated me to write a letter to the Chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee using your report as my basis. Tom, think of riding ATV’s like a flavor of surfing, some people just will never get what it’s all about, no matter how much they write about it.
If you are from Minnesota you've probably seen February 24th's Star Tribune Sunday's paper and the articles that have followed. I couldn't let it go without giving ole Tom two cents worth. Long post but it took a little time to cool down. I e-mailed him the following response to the special report with my real name and address. Sorry to ATVAM and BRC if I spoke out and over protocol, I'm not a spokesman for either organization, only a paying dues club member. When I say "we" it's family and friends only.
February 27th, 2002
Tom Meersman,
Star Tribune Staff Writer
Re: Star Tribune special report: Tracks on the land
Dear Tom,
It has come to my attention abruptly, after a review of your special report on ATV’s in the state of Minnesota, that you have a large quantity of incorrect data, information, and half truth’s in your work relating to the information you have provided in your report.
By introduction, I have been an ATV enthusiast for the last two years. We have two ATV’s, paid for, registered and taxed within the laws of Minnesota. We’ve put on over 1,500 miles on those ATV’s mostly in Minnesota with two trips to Wisconsin. Those miles were accumulated on Private land, State and National Forests. I was part of two ATV clubs and currently part of ATVAM and Blue Ribbon Coalition. With that said, this response may have some merit for addressing your special report.
As most ATV enthusiasts feel after reading Star Tribune’s Sunday’s paper, we are appalled at the entire piece of work you and your staff presented. Actually the first glimpse of the Star Tribune that Sunday morning was folded, showing only the top headlines of your special report with a photo of an authorized mudding hole within a Grant-In-Aid, (GIA) trail system called Red Top. You made it appear as an unauthorized section of land resembling a war zone at first glance. Was that the “Old bait and switch” Tom? You falsely give the shocking headlines next to that photo, an image of Minnesota that now has people so far misled, that any un-bias material if found in your report, has very little or no meaning to the reader.
What you have done with your report will take years to mend in the attitudes and minds of everyone that enjoys and pay’s for the states natural resources. You have painted a dark cloud over the DNR, an organization that attempts to do the right thing gets slammed yet again by the public with your, whatever you call it, information. I’m not for or against the DNR’s practices and I personally know no one in the DNR. So now what, hate the DNR for trying to make trails to get riders managed? Then cast DNR as irresponsible for trying to get the trails rolling? Based on your research, if that’s what you call it, perhaps we should delay authorized trails usage and advancement until studies are done, say 5-7 years? You don’t understand or fail to realize, this is another year of record-breaking ATV sales and usage gearing up in Minnesota and now the DNR will be busy alright, tied up in reports and studies while the dismal situation you outlined through the Star Tribune just grows worse and worse. The ruling you’ve mentioned in your special report was made in favor of impact studies before trails are created really did nothing but delay solutions to situations already taking place as photographed in your special report. So blame the riders and DNR, that’s not correct, that’s journalism to sway votes by half truths.
Motorized sport users are required to pay tax and user fees for the use of natural resources in accordance with current laws. We are continuing to pay out fees and taxes and get nothing more than signs to stay away, warnings and tickets by overburdened enforcement because we are required by law to obey what is in place. We’ll what is currently in place without further advancement in trails and places to ride benefits nobody. You have failed to tell the public we have to move on real solutions now or pay unreal prices in the future. What does a hiker pay to hike in Minnesota? Please tell me they pay something, or do they rely on revenue from tax and user fees from motorized sports for posting signs to keep motorized sports from their untouchable areas? Explain this to your readers, maybe next project.
That’s probably the most gut wrenching reality of your report. Blaming the motorized recreational user’s casting them as guilty and the cause of all environmental problems in natural resource usage, making the entire situation their problems. Saying nothing at all about the good attempts of organized clubs doing the right things and providing solutions. Those small ATV or OHV clubs all over the state take care of trails, create GIA trails and work with the DNR on almost every occasion. Yet you paint them as irresponsibility to the rest of the public while they continue trying to make something out of nothing. You continue to explain how the DNR is not doing enough, yet they are guilty for trying to get a handle on tails and issues across the state. Guilty by reader conviction that impacts all riders with your pictures of erosion and illegal riding, yet give no solutions or provide information for anyone reading to get involved. Where were the good effort stories in your special report about the advancements made to trails in Minnesota by over 30 ATV clubs and the ATVAM organization provided in your article? You made the Red Top story appear hopeless and said very little about the Gilbert OHV Park. Must have run out of paper.
You did nothing to bridge the gap on issues between motorized and non-motorized sports. Now the environmentalists are scared to be in the woods with all that crazy machinery wrecking everything. The motorized population is scared to go into the woods and disrupt all the environmentalist activities. The gap you created is bigger than any mud hole your staff photographed. You’ve just made it deeper and dirtier for agreed upon solutions to correct trails issues.
The information you provided about ATV’s washed off in streams and lakes just about made your entire report almost humorous. Does your researcher or you have any idea what a motorized boat and fertilization from farming or lakeshore housing developments do to Minnesota lakes and streams? I guess not because you concluded washing mud from an ATV is environmentally dangerous.
Have you taken into account that riding areas such as Spider Lake are perfect because they are muddy and challenging. The photos taken made the area look so bad, yet that is what some riders would call perfect. In the big picture more restrictions and management of mudding areas will not make them look any less muddier. Quick identification of erosion and correct steps to recovery when managed correctly sound great and will work, but it’s still muddy. Just like those damn motorboats, the lakes are managed, but the boats still make waves.
As I continued through your report, it was amazing to see how your information sources came up with data and numbers. Just for starters, check the number of ATV’s on farms against those in urban garages, and remember, they’re registered differently as well. Your report made it sound like every ATV tearing up the land was sitting in the metro area with a full tank of gas just waiting for weekends. Putting so much faith into your survey results and bogus questions, you forgot the main rule in survey and data gathering; Garbage In, Garbage Out. You’re loosing me Tom. I’m beginning to think you did the report in an attempt to just rattle the masses on a sport very visible during one of the warmest winters we’ve had in a long time. Or, just to get a little reaction from both sides. What motivates a person to write like that? Did I mention a gap you’ve widened to outdoor recreation? Can’t wait to see your next reports on motorized boats or Farmers, don’t forget to do a survey!
This is none of my business at all yet still bothers me. I received my publications of Minnesota Off-Road Magazine dated January/February 2002, Volume 7 Number 4. In this magazine is a section called “Club Round-up”, a sort of “what’s going on” with ATV or OHV Minnesota Clubs. Anyway, under the Washington-Ramsey County Wheelers section is what I thought was very disturbing information from the contributor. The fifth paragraph had your name in it and if you haven’t had a chance to read your copy of the Minnesota Off-Road here it is word for word.
“Dave K. made an interesting trip to the Moose Lake area which is the Nemadji and Willow River trails with Joe Alberio and Tom Meersman from the Star Tribune newspaper. They rode in an SUV vehicle because the trails are closed for right now in the winter. Joe Alberio made some good comments about WRCW. They rode from Cavert campground and toured the Munger and Yellow Birch Trail. Tom from the Star Tribune is doing research on the ATV’s and will be printing an article sometime after January.”
Tom, I’m not a member of the WRCW, I have never met Dave K., and I sure in the hell don’t know what was shown or talked about to you in that area of Minnesota. Please explain: How could, what appeared so promising in the Minnesota Off-Road article, as a good attempt to identify ATV issues by a big paper, anticipated by many as a good report coming from Star Tribune, turn out like it did?
Even though what you’ve written seems negative there was actually some good results that have come out of your work.
Not less than five phone calls did I receive on Sunday afternoon. A couple had asked if it was true; Am I really a tree and fish killer? Had I been to those places? Was it really as bad as the paper had said? How much do those things cost? And so on. It was really good talking to those people, it had raised their awareness on the sport of ATVing more than I ever could have. When I invited them to ride this year, they asked if I’d help them buy their own ATV’s. Of course I will and can’t wait to add another person to the sport.
Look at the awareness you’ve created to the sport. ATV Club participation I’m assuming will be at an all time high this year, and last time I asked DNR the numbers of volunteers, helping them on projects numbered around 31,000 in 2001. Not all for any one cause but many people who want to do the right thing. No better place than the Trails and Waterways department of the DNR.
To my shock, most people reading the Star Tribune see it as extremely liberal publication and didn’t really take what you’ve written as “all there”. Chalking the report up as another slow news day. I guess I was one of the few that took it hard at first. But now, I carry your special report with me everywhere asking people what they think. Plus you’ve gotten a 4-page response from me, that’s really good.
On the final note Tom, I’m a little concerned about this upcoming weekend. We’re going up north with the families. Five ATV’s, two snowmobiles, digital camera and we’re ready to have some fun. Imagine the possibility of getting flipped off by Green Peace going up 35W? Your work makes all riders guilty without doing anything wrong. Some joker will take a look at us and get stupid, maybe even some good old-fashioned road rage. Gee, thanks Tom, just what I need to complete the adventure of riding ATV’s
You’ve even motivated me to write a letter to the Chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee using your report as my basis. Tom, think of riding ATV’s like a flavor of surfing, some people just will never get what it’s all about, no matter how much they write about it.
#2
03-01-2002, 08:50 PM
great letter I had a ;etter to the editor printed in wedensdays paper supporting atvers and got many rounds of applause at work I to am headed up north this weekend with 2 atvs and 6 sleds(2 trucks)and so help me if i get a dirty look or a tree hugger in my face they will get an earfull fight the good fight down with the star trib the very definition of biased
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03-04-2002, 10:52 AM
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