Buy Bad; and Park Your Junk?

[jeepndel]

BUY BAD; AND PARK YOUR JUNK?
Love the one you’re with and let the others you’re not with know why!

By Del & Stacie Albright

If you buy off-road parts from a company that does not support landuse, trails, raffles or off-road organizations, you are buying “bad” and you might as well go green and park your junk! I’m not being harsh here; I’m being real. I’ve been off-roading for 50 years and working in landuse for 30. We’ve come far enough in the landuse world that EVERY club, business, group, virtual club, whatever, knows we are losing trails to enviro-exclusionary elitists and we have to fight back! Companies not on the landuse team in some way (commensurate with their size) and merely making money from our love of our sports need to be brought to justice – the justice of our pocket books.

If you are buying from outfits merely because they’re cheap and not checking to see if they support landuse, you might as well give a similar amount of money to the Sierra Club or other anti-access groups trying EVERY DAY to shut us down. It’s that simple.

So what can we do to make sure we ARE buying from outfits that are in the game. Here’s the simple process:

1. Ask them if and how they support landuse.
2. Find out what events they show up at and if they are donating to the event raffle --- that raffle hopefully supports landuse in some way and not just some warm and fuzzy cause solely.
3. Look at their website to see what links they offer in the landuse world (United 4WDA, BlueRibbon Coalition, state organizations, AMA, ASA, etc.); and…
4. Check out your state association and regional off-road groups to see what businesses THEY claim as members and supporters (on their website and in their newsletter where some list levels of sponsorship even).

Now let’s say you really love a company but they failed on all the above checks….just get in touch and give them a chance to “convert” to supporting pro-access efforts. Get a few buddies to jump in with you. Be fair. If they don’t covert, STOP buying from them and let them know why. You will be helping to SAVE our sports and keep our trails open by doing that.

On the other hand, let’s say you buy from an outfit that is ALWAYS showing up with product donations to raffles, giving to landuse organizations, supporting the cause of access on their website and in their newsletters…..GIVE THEM A HUG – publicly! Say so on forums when it’s appropriate. Let your buddies know about the “good guys.” Be outspoken why YOU buy from the businesses who support keeping our trails open. This has to go two ways -- love the one you’re with and let the others you’re not with know WHY!

 

[rholbrook]

Amen

 

[moab_cj5]

I agree.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Amen!

 

[AaronPaige]

There is a local (utah) list of company's that don't support the off road or motorized land use, many of witch are in or around Moab... I'll try to make it more seen but agreed thanks to all that are helping

 

[Tacoma]

Now if we can get some quantification on how supporting landuse organizations equates to keeping trails open...

Yes, I'll be that guy-- because that's really the conversation that needs to be happening, at the heart of things. What does it matter if every company in the world "supports" land use organizations, if no one's writing the letters, going to the legislative meetings (and I say "legislative meetings" on purpose), talking to their friends, etc.? If a tree wears a U4WDA or BRC shirt when it falls in the woods, does anyone hear it talk about land use?

Not a popular opinion but I'm not all that worried about popularity. The conversation needs to change its focus IN MY OPINION. I'd be happy to continue this particular debate in a different thread... And of course, I'm not against supporting land use groups, or advocating not supporting them.

 

[Olaf]

Except for Campchef

 

[Olaf]

You want to take this to another thread or discuss here?

Now if we can get some quantification on how supporting landuse organizations equates to keeping trails open...

Yes, I'll be that guy-- because that's really the conversation that needs to be happening, at the heart of things. What does it matter if every company in the world "supports" land use organizations, if no one's writing the letters, going to the legislative meetings (and I say "legislative meetings" on purpose), talking to their friends, etc.? If a tree wears a U4WDA or BRC shirt when it falls in the woods, does anyone hear it talk about land use?

Not a popular opinion but I'm not all that worried about popularity. The conversation needs to change its focus IN MY OPINION. I'd be happy to continue this particular debate in a different thread... And of course, I'm not against supporting land use groups, or advocating not supporting them.

 

[Tacoma]

You want to take this to another thread or discuss here?

I'll leave that up to the mod.

 

[AaronPaige]

No matter how you look at it if your not standing up for what you want, your just leaving it up to someone else that may not want what you want...and even if you contribute to whatever organization are they really doing what needs done in your eyes...