Yes, that may very well be the headlines if ATV riders continue to create erosion problems on public land. According to the lead article in the current issue of National Geographic, erosion from ATV's is the number one problem being faced by the US Bureau of Land Management.

Little wonder the Environmental Issue section of this forum is completely empty. Don't guess too many ATV owners out there give a crap about what damage they leave behind for others to deal with.

I use my ATV just like I use my automobiles, that is to get from point A to B. I can see how a lot of damage is created by those who spend endless hours just riding in circles.

 

Springdrl....I couldn't help but notice your location. For one that rides from point A to B, I just wanted to know.....where to you ride at?

 

I use one of my ATV's to hunt white-tailed deer and wild pigs near Lovelady, Texas. I keep another one in Mississippi for the same purpose.

Members of my Texas lease use trails through the Davey Crockett National Forest to gave acccess to private land and to hunt the forest as well. I have a good relationship with NFS employees in Lufkin and for that reason was made aware of the issue with ATV erosion damage some time ago. The thrill riders have already forced them to close several areas of the Davey Crockett to ATV use.

There is no doubt in my mind that if ATV riders continue to create havoc in their "joy riding", the US government is going to step in and shut everything down.

I have to think too that government officials had ATVs in mind when they recently passed new legislation to cut back on the construction and maintenance of roads in our nation's National Forests. The last thing they wanted to do was make it easier for ATV riders to create more damage to sensitive areas.

 

springdrl-So, just because you're not a sport rider, it means the rest of us can't be??? I've seen some of your posts before!! You sound like a (closet) enviro weenie (but just to a lesser degree). 1,500 quads are sold EVERY DAY in this country. You know most of these are going to be used for SPORT riding. That is a whole bunch of pro quad voters joining our ranks daily. We just need to stand up and exercise our political clout. Now I'm in favor of a REASONABLE AMOUNT OF CONSERVATION (I have a degree in environmental biology by the way), but IT'S OUR LAND TOO (and out taxes)!! If we want to use it for sport riding, well that's our RIGHT! Sure there will be some erosion and other problems, and these need to be delt with by good trail maintenance, etc.

 

springdrl shut the F@#K up you whinning fool knowone cares what you say you damn deer hunter, you gota 4x4 that goes 2 miles an hour just because you suck at riding and go real slow doesnt make you an awsome person likwe you think you are we all got sports and going in circles and oding donuts is what there for adn its fun to rip everything!!!

 

Not really sure I can appreciate the tone of your post. Sounds too close to rantings of an eco-**** to me.

Much of what is considered "damage" is all in your perspective. That said, I agree that there seems to be a high number of morons out there, sadly, most on quads (some on motorcycles and many in 4wd vehicles) - and that is even reflected on these boards.

But to place all the blame on "sport riders" is a bit self rightous. I'm sure some of us out here consider your sport of hunting "damage", and as I'm sure you well know, there are people out there that would like to see folks like you stopped & your guns taken away.

Not that I'm trying to turn this into a hunting debate (personally I don't enjoy hunting animals (I hunt those that can shoot back, paintball [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]), but I have no problem with those that do), although I can argue both sides and am a staunch supporter of gun rights.

What particularly bugs me about your post and other eco-**** ideas, is that the area of "damage" done by ATV's and ORV's in general is VERY small in the big scheme of things. It's also "damage" that's non-permanent and easily dealt with. Trails take up a VERY small and insignificant portion of woods/forest, but by their nature are easily traveled and observed which opens them up to criticism by SUV driving, latte sipping, pony tail sporting "Environmentalist". Take a look at most any trail system from the air and you get a true perspective of the "damage" against the big picture.

The day that someone that complains about "Damage" from ATV use on trails decides to:

Not use their electricity at their home because of the 100' wide swath cut thru the woods to deliver it and the mining to get the coal or other resources to generate it

Give up their SUV because of the fuel & resources it uses (I could go on and on - on this one)

Dress in homemade grass skirts due to the gross resourse abuse in the obtaining of raw materials, the manufacture, the transportation, and retailing of their designer clothing

Give up their designer cappuccino (again, see reasons noted above)

Give up their house and take to a grass hut that doesn't use resources like wood (again, I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture)

- is the day they'll truly be able to say something without being a hypocrite. Seems like those people always want me to give something up that I enjoy, but don't feel they need to give anything up themselves.

If they want to go back and live on that level, there's plenty of 3rd world countries that have plenty to offer. But, if you're make the conscious decision to make your home in an industrialized nation with lots of people with different backgrounds that enjoy different activities, you're going to have to learn how to share.

People are funny... We recently had a new proposition up at the last election. It was basically written to ban roadside billboards. We are in a tourist area that's visited for it's lakes and wooded hills, it's also visited for it's entertainment and attractions. While it's true that some billboard owners have abused the roadsides by putting up numerous close proximity boards, I've found in my travels that billboards can be a very helpful resource when in an area you aren't familiar with. Anyhow, the main argument of these folks was how it detracted from the "Natural Beauty" of Missouri's landscape. What I find funny is that if you're truly interested in the natural beauty of the area, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING LOOKING FOR IT ON THE HIGHWAY? Get off the freakin' road and God forbid get your SUV's tires dirty, heck, maybe even get out of the air conditioned comfort & safety of your Suburban to enjoy some of the trails, woods, caves, lakes, or streams.

Also keep in mind that some of our most prized National treasures are products of erosion (Grand Canyon, etc). It's all perspective. What would those have been, had Rangers & BLM been their millions of years ago to stop the "damage". While I'm not proposing that land management be abandoned, it should be applied intellignetly and without locking out the people that "own" it.

I personally don't post or visit the environmental side of this or many other boards or usenet groups because it's impossible to talk to these people, they are not rational or interested in science, I am tired of hearing all the whining, and I'm tired of all the liberal media sources programming the lemmings which take their word as the gospel. It doesn't make me happy to visit boards that highlight these issues and I'm personally tired of it.

In fact, I basically only ride on private land anymore because I am so tired of dealing with the people I pay to "manage" my public lands and keep things in order. It seems they'd prefer to not work and take the easy route by closing areas instead of addressing problems as they arise. It seems that they prefer to punish everyone instead of finding gross offenders (people purposely seeking out and tearing up mudholes, leaving trash, etc..).

My solution? Quit closing areas - people need more family sports like ours - closing these areas hurts families by giving them one less activity that can be enjoyed together. I, for one, stayed out of trouble when I was young because I had something fun to do with my time and something I enjoyed doing with my stepfather really helped smooth relations - now as an adult I have a great hobby that helps keep me fit, active, and enjoying the outdoors. The more areas that are closed, the more heavy the concentration of riders (and other user groups) in the areas that remain open which results in more "impact" and confrontation between user groups. Is Ranger Rick so utterly stupid to not see that taking the easy route (closing areas), is going to do nothing but worsen the bigger picture for the people he serves?

Our country's huge. It's big enough that the hunters, atv riders, equestrians, hikers, mtb riders, snowmobilers, sightseers, etc... can all use & enjoy our outdoor resources without significant "impact" if we don't have a govt bureaucrat standing in the way.

 

yel400exman

You're not helping. Please calm down, gather your thoughts and construct a quality post next time... Your post appears to make you someone I'd be likely consider an abuser.

 

thank you 86atc250r. that was one of the best things i've read regarding environmentalists.

springdrl - i hope you open your mind to some of the things mentioned above. there is no reason to start taking more rights away from tax paying american families. let's instead start dealing with the individuals abusing their rights.

 

Dig deep mud holes and spend endless hours trying to make it through them on your own private land.

Remove ATV's from the equation and ask yourself what Joe Public would think when he/she comes across the side of a hill or a creek bottom that has been torn up by people with shovels just for the sake of having fun.

You can either choose to work with the government in trying to solve this problem or you can look forward to the days when the only place to ride is on privately owned land.

Believe me guys, my ATVs leave tracks in the woods just like your's. But as someone has already mentioned in another forum, I always "tread lightly" and only ride in those areas designated for ATV use.

As for my personal views, I consider myself as a true conservationist with the desire to preserve our natural resources for the enjoyment of current and future generations.

 

Gabe

Great post! I think as riders, we all need to stick together to keep our riding areas open for everyone to use. I have a riding buddy that likes to ride anywhere and everywhere in the National Forest. He kept giving me a bunch of crap because I only wanted to ride on the marked trails. I finally gave him two options: Ride with me on the trails or get a new riding partner. Fortunately, he has decided on staying on the marked trails. His opinion is that he paid for his riding permit and that gives him the right to tear up whatever he wants. He is not a bad person, just ignorant to the destruction that he is causing.


yel400exman:

You need to grow up. Calling someone names because you don't like his opinion is about as childish as third grade! Not to mention your lack of spelling ability.