KSL Editorial
- Thread starter RKCRWLR
- Start date
cannoncrawler
TWERNT THE MORMONS!!!!!!
- Location
- Idaho
from the comments:
Our population is growing rapidly. What were once rural areas, or small communities adjacent to rural areas are often now urban centers far removed from rural recreational opportunities. Even in SLCo, most long time residents over 40 years of age can remember themselves or family or friends hunting pheasant or other wildlife in open fields that are now neighborhoods full of homes in South Jordan, Draper, and even Sandy.
At the same time that the need for rural recreational opportunities are growing, the amount of land open and available for such uses is shrinking as land is developed and government land is closed to motorized use. REAL solutions are needed, and expecting ATV riders, shooters, and others not necessarily part of the Sierra club to drive for many hours just to use over-crowded, small patches of land is NOT a solution.
1-Planning for "open space" and other land use must also include setting aside land for OHV use, for shooting, and for other uses not necessarily compatible with bucolic hiking.
2-Of necessity, these ares need to be large enough to be both usable and enjoyable to the OHV users and shooters. NOBODY wants to ride in circles for 8 hours. An OHV can cover more miles in an hour than a hiker can in two days.
3-Trails and access to these area needs to be developed THROUGH suburban and rural areas so that long drives pulling a trailer are not required.
4-Areas need to be placed off limits ONLY for very valid reasons. A single flash flood will cause more erosion than many years of OHV use. Public lands MUST be usable by the public, including the growing segment that likes motorized recreation.
5-Areas off limits need to be fully and properly signed, ideally with directions to the closest open riding area included. Most undeveloped areas have many points of egress and they all need to be signed if enforcement is to be possible.
6-Unintended, or non-destructive first time violations need to be handled with an eye to education. Repeated violations, vandalism, etc needs to be punished severely enough to send a strong message.
In closing, we must EXPAND the number of areas and acres open to motorized recreation. OHV and ATV use is popular and growing as is our population. Hikers, bikers, and other non-motorized users need to understand that they are going to have to share much of the public land with motorized users. Those unable to share, should limit their recreation time to the already existing MASSIVE amounts of land off limits to motorized use such as national parks, wilderness areas, and the like.
Our population is growing rapidly. What were once rural areas, or small communities adjacent to rural areas are often now urban centers far removed from rural recreational opportunities. Even in SLCo, most long time residents over 40 years of age can remember themselves or family or friends hunting pheasant or other wildlife in open fields that are now neighborhoods full of homes in South Jordan, Draper, and even Sandy.
At the same time that the need for rural recreational opportunities are growing, the amount of land open and available for such uses is shrinking as land is developed and government land is closed to motorized use. REAL solutions are needed, and expecting ATV riders, shooters, and others not necessarily part of the Sierra club to drive for many hours just to use over-crowded, small patches of land is NOT a solution.
1-Planning for "open space" and other land use must also include setting aside land for OHV use, for shooting, and for other uses not necessarily compatible with bucolic hiking.
2-Of necessity, these ares need to be large enough to be both usable and enjoyable to the OHV users and shooters. NOBODY wants to ride in circles for 8 hours. An OHV can cover more miles in an hour than a hiker can in two days.
3-Trails and access to these area needs to be developed THROUGH suburban and rural areas so that long drives pulling a trailer are not required.
4-Areas need to be placed off limits ONLY for very valid reasons. A single flash flood will cause more erosion than many years of OHV use. Public lands MUST be usable by the public, including the growing segment that likes motorized recreation.
5-Areas off limits need to be fully and properly signed, ideally with directions to the closest open riding area included. Most undeveloped areas have many points of egress and they all need to be signed if enforcement is to be possible.
6-Unintended, or non-destructive first time violations need to be handled with an eye to education. Repeated violations, vandalism, etc needs to be punished severely enough to send a strong message.
In closing, we must EXPAND the number of areas and acres open to motorized recreation. OHV and ATV use is popular and growing as is our population. Hikers, bikers, and other non-motorized users need to understand that they are going to have to share much of the public land with motorized users. Those unable to share, should limit their recreation time to the already existing MASSIVE amounts of land off limits to motorized use such as national parks, wilderness areas, and the like.
reddevil
'93 Cherokee
- Location
- Springville
"OHV recreation is also a great missionary tool for introducing people to the LDS faith."
So if you close land you might be closing the doors to Heaven! Can you live with that? I know I can't...
So if you close land you might be closing the doors to Heaven! Can you live with that? I know I can't...
- Location
- Bountiful, land of rocks
Rock Hound!
ROK JNKY
- Location
- Ogden