Check out the article in Moonshine Ink linked in the title. I can't believe those boogerheads don't understand. I wrote some articles for the Foundation For North American Wild Sheep a few years ago. The only reason that industry is so successfull politically is because of the money the throw at it and the taxes on hunting gear that go towards its regulation. Think of a 10% tax on MTB parts and how much we spend and how far that would go (and how much some of us save on gas not driving every day).
Good article, but clearly those guys still don't get it. I may be wrong, I know that I don't do enough to make it better.
-M
(edit: What I meant by that last statement is that while a good portion of that article talked about successes in trailbuilding within the system it seems strange that the comments would focus on going back out and building more bootleg trails that are just going to be torn down again.)
Further discussion: Is a wood ladder-drop in the national forrest any different than one in your back yard in town? Are constructed features, other than those necessary for building good trails, adding to or taking away from the natural environment we go out there to enjoy? i.e. peavine dirt, rim trail dirt, holeintheground rocks... Two-by-fours?
Thursday, December 07, 2006
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8 comments:
well, that sucks. what a loss the velociped community has sustained! and built entirely with volunteer labor, tools, and backs. was there any interest or effort by the USFS to reconcile the presence of the trail, say, grandfather it in? ask that areas too prone to erosion be redesigned, etc. but leave liability up the users? they, we, have a major asset with interesting, fun, challenging trails. deconstructing "illicit trails" seems like a knee jerk response and only going to cultivate animosity.
off of my soap box now. over to Sierra Small Engines to buy a McCloud.
Japhy rider
ps- if it's any consolation, the folks out in Ely have learned to get along, co-operate and build trail. can't wait to check it out
http://elynews.com/articles/2006/11/17/news/news01.txt
I'm not cool with unpermitted, unsupervised, and unregulated development of public land by private parties.
Hay McLoud! Get Offa My Ewe!
-M
ahem, just enjoying the fruits of their labor then? all the stuff you ride on Peavine, with the exception of the new trails in Evans and a few reroutes in Keystone, were "visitor made." i'm not cool with poorly made trails, or overusing stuff. then again, when something like that bugs me, i try to put a little effort into making it better.
it'd be good to hear what out other contributors think. Tonga, Olaf, Grizz, Restless... or are those guys AWOL?
I think they're just lazy.
I see a difference between a dirt trail and big wooden constructions. As does the Forest Service. Building those features takes it to another level. That article explained fairly well that done right it'll be much better for everyone.
Did you read the article in Dirt Rag about that FR Park in Florida?
I wonder what's going on with that trail above Ballardini...
-M
ps I think they only took out the constructed features @ Lloyds.
-M
I wonder if we can get the FS to remove the abandoned cars on peavine by building ramps over them.
-M
well, guys, my take on this would be that there is no difference between public users on public lands, and you can't just let folks build golf courses anywhere they want in the woods. now, piling rocks and sticks are one thing, but importing stuff from outside the forest and nailing it together is sorta like littering in my book. that said, i think there should be places for special interest groups to do things more constructive then get knocked up and smoke crack, like skate, freeride or shoot guns. just my 2 cents, i have puched some big rocks together with mc d. steve.
yep, there does seem to be a difference tween "play it as it lies" and building features for the sake of making a challenging trick. wait, i can't post pics in here. i'll just have to chime in with a real post...
J. rider
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