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Hi Everybody, I am Shane Evans from the Baton Rouge area. Myself and several other Louisiana Riders, because of the problems and fees spiraling out of control at the Dunes, as well as the problems with locals (particularly drunk & underage) at the Claiborne Campsite, have begun looking for alternatives. I met with some mixed success, but wound up hitting dead ends everywhere I turned. I began researching state run programs such as the ones in Pennsylvania and Tennessee, where the States there operate parks and campgrounds geared towards OHV use. You all, as well as I, realize that Four Wheelers, (and I mean ATV's, Not H2's) are the number one RV in the country. I mean, twice as many ATVs are sold as Motorcycles and Campers COMBINED. There is no other mode of transportation that has the ability to allow disabled and elderly persons see the countryside, as well as offer the excitement of racing and trials type activities to the more adventurous.

With all this in mind, and realizing that the only way that as a group, the only way we will ever get and maintain support from our state and federal government is if we begin taking some resposibility for the areas that we ask them to let us use. I began trying to identify and email anybody I could find within the Louisiana Park system that may listen. We all know that the staff at Claiborne has had it with us as a group. I have seen them give tickets to people that really should have been cut some slack, just because the Ranger was furious at the whole "thing" going on at Camp Claiborne. They hired on to be wildlife protectors, and work at wildlife and timber management. They did not choose their profession to babysit a bunch of drunks behaving like lunatics at a National Forest. They are used to people taking photos of wildlife in the Forest, not seeing if they can get their Grizzly 4x4 stuck in the MIDDLE OF THE CAMPGROUND at 3 am. My letter writing was an attempt to get the right people talking about having a park where there is running water, electricity, and the place is nice, and kept clean. I hate to say it, but the only way that will probably happen is that there is a substantial fee charged for admission, and that fee be used to pay cops to work there 24/7 while the park is open. I WANT them there. I want my kids to be able to sit by a campfire and roast marshmellows without the real risk of getting run over by a Alcohol Banshee drag racing through the campground. We all know its gotten out of hand. It is time to do something as adults to save our privledges of riding on public lands.

The reason for my timing in putting up this post is that I have recieved a response from someone who actually is in a position to help us, and took the time to read my email and respond with a possible plan of action for us. I will put it up here, but will remove the ladies name, to avoid a bad apple spoiling this opportunity for us. This will require us organizing a family, land preservation oriented ATV club, or us all joining and supporting an already existing club that has had some success in dealing with the government on land issues. I didnt know this, but this lady percieves that the dirtbike crowd is more geared towards preservation than the Atvers.. I guess I have to believe her. I am fairly sure they are the ones who mark and maintain most of the trails in Claiborne. Well, her is her email, I am, well... begging for participation and ideas. I hope that all of you will commit to this with some volunteer time, a little bit of money, and a huge commitment to making damn sure that everybody in the government knows how big our numbers are, and how wonderfully polite and environmentally concious we all are. I guess we need to establish racing, mudriding, and trailriding areas and make sure the three dont mix. Well here is the letter which includes my original letter and her response:

<<Thank you for your interest in OHV opportunities in Louisiana and in sharing Tennessee's program with me. I do not remember what the program is but I will look it up on the internet and see what I can find out. This office still has the OHV Study information that we prepared a couple of years ago and hope, with the new administration to be able to use it effectively. The Assistant Secretary of State Parks, Dwight Landreneau has said that he is interested in pursuing this type of activity on new sites that we may acquire. We are also looking into the possibility on such activities on a site we recently purchased. I am aware of the problems at Camp Claiborne and know that the Kisatchie staff is stretched to the limit as far as enforcement personnel they are allowed to hire. The dirt bike riders have been effective and supportive of the Kisatchie National Forest programs but I have not seen as much support from ATV riders. I do not know whether this is because there are few or no ATV clubs, or because it is difficult to get ATV riders together. If would help with Kisatchie, and with future efforts to provide areas to ride, to have spokespersons for the ATV riders and to have an effort on the part of riders to be better conservationists and police themselves.
I serve on a Trails Committee hosted by Kisatchie to look at some of the problems they have encountered on the forest as a result of their policy on OHV's. I don't know if they can charge for use or create fee areas for riding but it certainly something I will check into. I do know that one of the serious concerns for any land owner, public or private, is the huge gap between what is good for the land base and what is fun for ATV riders and Jeep riders. I know that spinning out in huge mud holes and soft muddy trails is a lot of fun, as is crawling over tree roots and hard to access areas for Jeeps. This is whatprevents timber companies, public agencies such as the Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries, State Parks and other federal and state agencies from getting into the program. I have seen so many families that participate in the good clean activities that it is a shame that these activities are not publicized as the norm.
With new administration coming into office I plan to bring up this need again and garner support for opportunities in Louisiana to participate in this activity. You can help by working with others to create a coalition of ATV riders who stress education, family involvement, healthful activities through camping and the outdoors, and environmental protection as your mission. The dirt bike riders have had to do the same thing over the years to change public perception and they have a strong coalition here in Louisiana. They have helped me over the last few years to push this activiy to the forefront.
Thank you for the email and if you have any further ideas or have imformation about Tennessee based on your experiences I would like to hear from you.
www.lastateparks.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Shane Evans [mailto:shaneevans1@cox.net]
Sent: Monday, October 27, 2003 7:45 PM
To: XXXXXXXXXX
Subject: state OHV opportunities

Hi, Ms. XXXXXX,
I am writing because I am interested, and have participated in ATV riding in the state for some time. I see those opportunities dwindling, and I guess to cut a long email short, I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help.
My family and I have visited Camp Claiborne in the Kistachie National forest for several years, and lately have not gone much because of the very limited facilities there. (no running water, or electricity) and my wife and I have added several very young children to the family. I feel that the rangers that work that district are very hostile towards ATVers, and I am sure have had more than their fair share of problem causers. I am a Police Officer here in Baton Rouge, and understand what they must go through. I have personally been at the Claiborne Campground when a lot of LOCAL teenagers have arrived intoxicated, and caused a major disturbance.
My point is, my family and I would go to Camp Claiborne, and we would have still gone had we had to pay a fee that would have helped cover on site rangers, and improved facilities. We happily pay fees at other campsites we frequent. We also happily patronize the businesses and resturants that are local to the campgrounds that we find that have OHV use opportunities.
I read with interest the OHV program being initiated by the State of Tennessee, and I thought I would try to point it out to the appropriate people within my own state. I plan on investigating the OHV opportunities in Tennessee, and taking my family there, and spending some of my hard earned Louisiana money there.
ATVs are the number one sold recreational vehicle in this country. Their sales outnumber motorcycles two to one. It is a family event that children down to 6 years old can enjoy with their parents. My family owns 6 ATVs. We go camping where we can enjoy nature without having to hike and haul food in for miles. We were able at one point, to see 30+ miles of Louisiana forest and wildlife in Camp Claiborne in a 3 hour period. Those trips are family memories we will always cherish.
THANK YOU for your time reading this email. I tried to keep it short, but I am full of ideas that would benifit the Sportsmans Paradise, as well as visitors that would like to come visit our great state.
Shane Evans
XXXX Wax Rd.
Greenwell Springs, La.>>