And today with the declaration of the San Gabriel National Monument 350,000 acres get locked up. Due process is ignored and hunters, who are the single most responsible group in regards to habitat restoration, are locked out. Fire suppression will be minimized and armchair conservationists can high five each other on their I-Phones and think they've done a good thing.
Next up is the Carrizo Plains. If you ever want to see it again you better hurry up and/or speak up because it's well on it's way to being declared a wilderness. And the fences get tighter.
Dan, there is no sense of stewardship anymore. Rangers used to have housing and live in the forests. You could get to know them and they knew everything that was happening in their forests. You got a sense that they cared. They are transient now. They stay in a position for 2 or 3 years and move on. The system cares more about itself than the forests and it shows.
What you are proposing is much like the 'Adventure Pass' (love that disingenuous name). I'm not current on it's status but I believe they have lost some lawsuits with that one. It's discriminatory as was the beach that was just un-gated, another lawsuit won by the people. I don't know what you experience but I don't see rangers in the woods. I've lived next to the Stan for 9 years now, walk my dogs daily and hunt every day I can muster in season and have seen rangers in the woods 5 times, DFG twice.
I think we both realize the system is broken and what you're proposing does indeed deal with a root cause- too many people using too few resources. But gating vast areas off is exacerbating the situation. I think it's great you would issue me a 'geezer pass' but the rangers aren't out there looking and the money isn't going to it's intended purpose.
Glad you had the opportunity to enjoy Washington. I'll be looking for the trip report. I'll bet the people you met just had the time to care about things. Keep the dialog going, without it we might never find a solution.
