Motorized outdoor enthusiasts are converging in increasing numbers on Western public lands -- not only in areas marked for such outdoor enthusiasm, but in wilderness areas where rules against off-roading are nearly impossible to enforce. Registration of all-terrain vehicles and motorbikes in four Western states tripled from 1998 to 2006. The surge is traceable to the booming outdoor-recreation industry, as well as the culture of sprawl: In some places, houses have been pushed out so far that federally owned land is just a big backyard -- albeit a public backyard where no individual has to take the specific blame for vehicle-aggravated erosion and water pollution. Off-roaders deny criticism that they're out to defile untouched nature, arguing that public land is there for public use. "[Groups lobbying for wilderness designations] think it has to be kept in this pristine state," says one motorcycle-shop owner. "These people don't even use it." Which is, of course, the point.
source: The New York Times
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Comments
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Wolverine Posted 5:52 am
31 Dec 2007
What's needed is complete abolition of motorized recreation in any form. This is a totally illegitimate activity and industry.
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egrande25 Posted 3:25 am
01 Jan 2008
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randino Posted 7:14 am
01 Jan 2008
They have a philosophy that they can do anything they want in the name of freedom and the hell with everyone else. They are the apogee of American individualism gone berserk. The roots of the problem began with the dogma of multiple use, which I call mutliple abuse. The fact is that ATV use is not compatible with the recreation rights of other visitors to public land. But they are well funded and organized and have become the 800 lb gorillas of ourdoor rec. Just go to a forest service planning meeting where they have turned out. It is sobering.
Randy Cunningham
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egrande25 Posted 3:40 pm
01 Jan 2008
Wilderness land should clearly be off limits to any vehicle. As for less-than-wilderness designations, it's more of a gray area. Multiple-use in my opinion is imperfect, but a valid way of offering the people supporting that land and its management financially (taxpayers) many opportunities to utilize it if they so choose. Of course this use can be abused...over-grazing of National Grasslands by private ranch herds comes to mind...so limits are necessary. However, an outright ban on ATV use on all public lands is simply not a fair limit. In my opinion enforced ATV use trails away from sensitive ecological areas, and planned to reduce noise pollution and erosion, are the way to go. Enforcement of this would be an initial hurdle, but some heavy fines would spread the message pretty quickly.
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Wolverine Posted 4:42 am
02 Jan 2008
An activity does not have to be illegal to be environmentally illegitimate. This is an ENVIRONMENTAL website, remember? Destroying the land, making noise, and consuming and burning oil for pleasure are not legitimate activities, and neither is selling machines for doing so.
Humans have already destroyed most of the planet. To say about the tiny fraction left in an at least somewhat natural condition that "not all public lands are intended to be pristine wildernesses" and that some should continued to be destroyed by logging or motorized recreation is entirely repugnant to environmental concerns, as well as very selfish. What the planet needs is far more wilderness, not more land destroyed by a bunch of mindless, aggressive jerks (Randy's comments above are totally correct).
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