ATV riders stand up BLM in Utah

Bakersfield wrote:
The infighting is killing us. One day you will wake up and everything will be closed. At that point it really does not matter who caused it; the fact is you did not nothing to prevent it. "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke). Closing public land is pure evil.

Everyone (hikers, motorcycles, horses, ATV, SXS, 4x4, mountain bikes, etc) have an impact on the land. What we need are ideas and solutions:
Perhaps, we require everyone that use public land to take a "Leave no Trace" class.
Perhaps, we need more Rangers to enforce laws on already on the books.
Perhaps, we need to really increase the fines, penalties, jail time and take rides away.
Perhaps, we increase taxes and increase user fees to pay for enforcement.
Perhaps, we increase the CCC program, build new trails, and repair the old ones.
Perhaps, we get the media involved and invite them on a ride-a-long.
Perhaps, we hit up all the manufactures of motor sports and form a PAC.
Perhaps, .... Insert idea here.

Bakersfield:

I’ve agreed with all your posts so far in this thread but I’d differ on a few of the points you’ve brought up.

I feel very strongly that adding more bureaucracy to a system that is already WAY overloaded with it is no answer to the matter at hand and will only result in a quickening of the Police State that is rapidly being erected around us. Look what happened out at the Bundy Ranch.

I would have to think de-funding the BLM would be a real good start or at the very least seriously cutting buck their budget would be a good thing. As for the Forest Service I’d have to think trimming their Law Enforcement budget would be a step in the right direction as well.

The only problem here is that as we saw during the most recent ‘Government Shutdown’ is that these agencies for some strange reason, have become WAY to controlling over the access to their respective administered lands and as a result of that close access during these ‘Shutdowns’ and or budget related issues.

Look what happened to the all parks and campgrounds! My brother went camping in the Mono Basin during the last ‘Shutdown’ only to find all the CG’s and related services locked tight. On his way back over the Sierras on Hwy 120 he was stopped by a FS LEO and was told if he stopped anywhere along the Hwy and got out of his truck he would be ticketed.

Giving these agencies more policing powers will only make things worse! …. their policing powers need to be reigned in, not expanded.

I spoke with the head Ranger of the Plumes NF regarding their MVMP and asked him why he was closing so many roads and trials and his answer was that he did not have the budget to maintain these roads and trails and therefore needed to close them.

I then asked him why not seek help in these maintenance tasks via volunteer work crews and his answer was that was not a viable option and refused to comment any further on the subject matter. Until we can change this type of reasoning we can only expect more closures due to ‘Budget Shortfalls’ and other related issues that may or may not by at the heart of the issue.

I think this closure issue goes beyond just localized environmental damage caused by motorized vehicular traffic and other means of recreational traffic. I’ve become very concerned with the growing threat from radical environmentalism and consider this the biggest threat of all. Until we change the political mentality behind this burgeoning “Eco” threat we can only expect to continue to see more and more land being shut to public access.

So, to fill in the last “perhaps" maybe I’d start with:

Perhaps we all become more politically active.
Perhaps we all speak out when we see Idiots doing stupid things in our Pubic Lands.
Perhaps we all take the time to try to educate these Idiots when we see them doing these stupid things.
Perhaps we all donate a little more to politically sound organizations like the Pacific Legal Foundation
Perhaps we all call our representatives and express our dissatisfaction with the FS and BLM travel management plans.
Perhaps we all call Head Rangers and express our dissatisfaction with their Closure Orders
And Just Perhaps we all ready ourselves for some Civil Disobedience…….