This is a letter to the editor in the Mountain Democrat (http://www.mtdemocrat.com) which is the local newspaper in El Dorado County (home of the Rubicon Trail, Barett Lake trail, etc.). READ IT:

Get out of your OHVs and take a look

Editor:
A number of people have written letters lately blasting the closures of public lands to off-highway vehicles. While I have just about zero sympathy for these land destroyers, the various reasons they use to condemn the closures is about as fuzzy as the reasons they use to open every piece of land for their very personal, destructive use. How self-centered, stupid and abusive they are.

Let's start with the complaint that more and more of our public land is being made off limits to their destructive behavior; the reason is quite simple: uncontrolled destruction of the surface of the land, sediment in the streams and rivers and the severe disturbance of the wildlife from the use of motorized machines in the forest.

The soil on the surface of amny places in the Sierra is quite thin. If you don't believe it, get your lazy behind out of your OHV and take a look around. It has taken hundreds of thousands of years to slowly build up this soil base, and one idiot tearing around "having fun" wipes it out in five minutes. Ruts from the pioneer wagons are still visible in many places in the mountains and deserts and they were going 1.5 mph using hooves and human feet for propulsion. Tell us a four-wheel drive going 35 mph on a primitive road does no damage.

Now let's add the noise. Yup, real nice for the rest of us trying to enjoy a bit of peace and quiet in the mountains, and all we can hear are a bunch of Earth-hating OHV clowns ripping along with loud mufflers on a logging road five miles away. Yet OHVers insist that they too enjoy the peace and quiet, it's just they only enjoy it by making terrible noise and ripping up the ground. The hypocrisy is nauseating.

One of the major destructive forces in the mountains is erosion. Wash soil down a stream and it will never go back up. Physics 101, it's called gravity, folks. Logging roads are the No. 1 reason for the major erosion problems in the Sierra. A stream clogged with silt cannot sustain aquatic life. The destruction of the salmon industry in Humboldt County was attributed to clear-cut logging in the 60's and the roads built to do it. If all of the roads in the Sierra were to be opened to the OHVers, as they demand, the destruction would be enormous. Fortunately, the feds saw past the demand to satisfy a few Earth-haters, and booted them out. Good riddance.

So, go drive up and down your own driveway real fast. Spin out and make ruts. It's fun. Run the hose on your front lawn overnight, and shoot mud all over the place the net morning. How American and Republican.

Stop whining, OHVers. Find the energy someday and go walk in the woods. You might enjoy the solitude, lower your blood pressure and lose that beer gut. I just hope some jerk in a jeep doesn't ruin it all for you.

Kevin McNaughton
Pilot Hill

A free pirate4x4.com sticker to the person(s) that write a letter to the editor (and get it published) to make this guy look like the waste of oxygen he is.

Send your editorial in one of the following ways:
Fax - 530-622-7894
email - plakey@mtdemocrat.net
online form - https://secure.townnews.com/ca/placer/letters/

You must supply your full name, address & phone #

"and shoot mud all over the place the net morning. How American and Republican. "

he is so smart he forgot the x in next
:flipoff2:

Crowley Offroad will toss in a sticker too:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=52712

Originally posted by yjtj
"and shoot mud all over the place the net morning. How American and Republican. "

he is so smart he forgot the x in next
:flipoff2:

Umm. I'd like to blame that nimrod from Pilot Hill, but I actually typed his piece of shit letter in by hand...... :barf:

That's how much this guy pissed me off.

Crowdog

Originally posted by Crowdog


Umm. I'd like to blame that nimrod from Pilot Hill, but I actually typed his piece of shit letter in by hand...... :barf:

That's how much this guy pissed me off.

Crowdog

I was gonna type it, but I'm really glad you did instead. :D:D:D:D

i feel for you guys out there on the west coast. we already lost everything here, and before i was old enuff to drive. we have a few spots left mostly orv parks or private land. anyway you have alot more earth loving hippie greenies out there than we do, good for us bad for you. you also have alot more magazine coverage, also good for us bad for you. if the greenies dont know about it they cant bitch about it.

Originally posted by Lance
:eek:
McNaughton, Kevin
Pilot Hill, CA 95664
530-888-7275
:eek:

Please DON'T call him though! :p

Ohhh....absolutely not!:D

i find it amazing how these people bash off-roading. i drive 1.5 hours to work here in dallas everyday and i see by far alot more damage to the environment caused by street rigs. just drive down the road. does he think a paved road that see's thousands or hundreds of thousand cars a day is better for the environment than a trail that sees a couple hundred rigs a week at best? how about if we made 2 maps of the US. one having all the paved roads maked and another showing off-road trails. which does he think is going to greatly out wiegh the other? since the envirinment is the concern lets just take a trip down a paved road and see how many dead animals we find along the road compared to a off-road trail. or lets do the same ride and look for trash instead. wide spread development of the paved highways and constuction of new buildings is what is hurting out environment. not a few (percentage wise) fourwheelers who enjoy hitting the trail on the weekend.

Its kind of ironic, that the same rutted trails he refers to, were made by pioneers trying to escape the same stifeling, self centered regulation that he would like to now shove right down on anyone who doesnt see things through his eyes.
Its typical zealot mentality, that you must conform to his thinking or be eliminated completely.
He is even convinced that it is actually for your own good, to be assymilated to his ideaology.
He's a sick, self riteouse, zealot, fawk.

Originally posted by Lance
:eek:
McNaughton, Kevin
Pilot Hill, CA 95664
530-888-7275
:eek:

Please DON'T call him though! :p


Want an address to go with that??????

Here is Curtis' attempt at a letter (posted in chit chat)

Dear Editor:

In response to Kevin McNaughton’s letter, I have a few points to make.

First off, not all people who fight to keep public lands open to OHV traffic are “land destroyers.” One group in particular, the Pirates of the Rubicon, does an annual clean-up run on the Rubicon to not only haul out trash left behind by 4 wheelers and hikers alike, but repair damage to the trail done by irresponsible people who also partake in our sport. We go out of our way to confront these people, if seen doing damage, and some of us have put our lives at risk by doing so. And finally, during this cleanup run, all the human waste is picked up and hauled out whether left by hikers, bikers or OHV’ers. We’re happy to share the trails with everyone. I don’t know but how do these people come off as “self-centered, stupid and abusive”?

As for your first complaint, you take on the exact group we try to take on. We are after those who go on to these areas and use “destructive behaviors” and those who are “uncontrolled.” In other words, our numbers are just as high as the rest of the public for wanting to protect our natural resources from the idiots who go out and terrorize the planet and the creatures by ripping through the forests in an uncontrolled manner.

Yes the soil surface is extremely thin in most of the Sierra. That is why responsible OHV users remain ON the existing trails and/or roads. Again it is the few of our group who do not follow rules. Some have been caught and turned into the forest service, some have been made to come and help repair the damage they’ve done, etc, etc. However, the best this done so far was by the Friends of the Rubicon last year. We worked with Placer County to repair the road on the Tahoe side of the Rubicon. You should take a trip up there and really open your eyes to see how hard we’ve worked up there to repair damage done to the trail and to shore up some natural erosion. And, remember the work was done for free by the very people you claim care nothing about our environment.

Okay. I too hate the loud exhaust, especially the dirt bikes. However, I am willing to bite my tongue because I know we must all share these lands. However, rock crawling, the part of the OVH crowd we represent does not aim to tear up the land. There are very few places we specifically go to use the extremely large and plentiful granite slabs and boulders to enjoy our sport. Theses areas are few and far between, but they are clearly marked. Anyone hiking to one of these areas looking for a nice quiet experience, is just not paying attention. Anyway, most of the OHVers I know do not have extremely loud exhaust or stereos and such. Noise levels get much worse on any weekend at a city or county park when children with cars blow there bass so loud I eventually end up feeling nauseous because the sound waves have turned everything in my stomach into a mass of quivering goo.

Sorry, but logging roads are not the number one reason for erosion in the Sierra. Recent studies suggest the major problems facing the Lake Tahoe Basin and the American River Canyon Water Shed is simply overpopulation. Perhaps if you, sir, were willing to live in the Sacramento Valley and returned your land to its natural state, some of the erosion problems would be solved. See how uneducated that sounds?

What I am getting at is that you need to get to know us. You need to see the lengths we go to to keep people within certain bounds. Once you’ve done that, you can cast all the stones you want. You are simply seeing the people who are weekend warriors and do not know OHV etiqute. We are teaching them and of course it is a slow process.

As for energy, I am disabled. I used to hike extensively in the Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks. However, an illness keeps me from being able to enjoy nature away from the big cities. Is it the same as hiking? Well, no. But, it’s the best and closest I can do to get out there like I always used to. And, my blood pressure is fine, and my beer gut is disappearing.

Oh, and by the way I am a Democrat and voted for Gore. See you can’t paint us all with a wide brush.

Curtis Medrano-Machlan
Orland, CA

i can rest assured he doesnt write with a pencil on paper, or live in a wood framed house, with wood furniture. i'm sure he never uses paper plates , napkins, paper towels or toilet paper either.

That is an eloquent responce by Curtis. :beer: :beer:



Eric

get em curtis. I'll put my college education to use and tear into him...then tell him I'm 16 so he feels like an ass :D

what a fuck i can't believe he said all that sh!t. I only hit 35+ in the bowl :D

I feel so sorry for you guys in CA. To many greenies with money running their mouths off. I love that they call dirt, silt. Errosion happens naturally it's caused by weather, snow and rain. Most of us just ride the marked trails, that have been around yes many years. I wonder how he thinks many of the cities on the west coast were formed, logging that's right. These guys have to trash talk about us AND make it a political statement, how convenient. It's guys like this that give Dem's a bad rep. Maybe if they helped to create an OHV they would understand the efforts that many volunteers take to make sure damage doesn't occur with the streams and such. I live in TN and visit Tellico (which has it's own trout fish-hatchery) often and just let me say I'm glad that the trailheads start in NC or there probably wouldn't be a Tellico right now! Nashville has a strong Dem. influence over the whole state, hell Gore claims us as his home state (he lost this state in the election by the way, and yes I didn't vote for him). We have a lot of great places to ride here but that's because the land owners are more excepting of what we do. The local clubs do anything they can to help maintain trails, if it wasn't for SFWDA, Tellico WOULD be shut down, it's volunteers do the majority of the maintence work to keep it open. I see a big war coming for OHV'ers, we need to start getting sponsors like BFG and Goodyear , Skyjacker, and any other companies that profit from off-roading to help buy private land so we can do as we please and not have to lesson to the petty whining of politicans trying to get more votes by blasting us!

a little something I whipped up in the last hour or so...I was tired ad am waiting till tomm. to submit it, so please let me know if theres anything else, or any typos, any comments -good or bad whatever...just let me know before I submit it...



Dear Editor,

Upon reading Kevin McNaughton’s greatly exaggerated one sided letter, I would appreciate the chance to say a few words.

Mr. McNaughton, I would strongly urge you to get your facts straight before you go out spewing your typical “anti-OHV” nonsense . The overwhelming majority of OHV enthusiasts are quite considerate of the environment, in fact they leave it better than they found it!. To use the less than one percent that are not responsible and dub them “land destroyers” (as you so colorfully put it to evoke sympathy from your readers for your less than factual, bogus rhetoric), is about as logical as me using the extremist tactics of such renegade groups as Earth First (EF), Earth Liberation Front (ELF), and Animal Liberation Front (ALF) as the general consensus and public image for environmentalists such as yourself. For anyone who doesn’t know, these groups use “no holds barred” tactics - such as equipment sabotaging, tree spiking, arson, crop damage, road blocking and even attempting bodily harm to workers, Forest Service Personnel, and Law Enforcement officers – under the guise of saving the planet. These people are not the representation of a true environmentalist, just as the “land destroyers” (your term) you singled out are not a representation of the OHV community.

In fact, we (the OHV community) spend countless hours planning and executing organized cleanup runs, trail maintenance projects, outdoor recreation trips for the disabled and less fortunate, and charity runs for such organizations as the MDA. I would urge you to contact the County of Placer, as well as the Lahonton Water District, the BLM, the USFS, the MDA, and countless local land use agencies and charities across the state (and the nation for that matter, although it appears you don’t get out much by your closed minded statements and one sided slurs) and ask them about the countless VOLUNTEERS that have put in COUNTLESS HOURS helping out when the need arises. I personally have driven in excess of 10 hours to sleep for a few hours in the front seat of an Acura, and then tirelessly dig, form, and rock line erosion control ditches for ten hours, then catch a shower and a few hours sleep before driving home again. Why would someone who is “self-centered, abusive, and stupid” do this? Since you obviously do not have the answer, I’ll help you out.

We do these things because we care! We are ENVIRONMENTALISTS! As hard as you may find this to believe, this is OUR planet too. We know that and we respect that. We are a lot farther from “self-centered” than you have presented yourself. We modify our vehicles to handle rough terrain without breaking, but more importantly to maintain tire contact with the ground – thus maintaining traction and minimizing impact. We consistently carryout MORE waste than we carry in. I typically find more trash and garbage from inexperienced hikers, than from OHVers. All of the trails we use are approved routes by the USFS, the BLM, and/or any local agencies. For some reason, because we choose to recreate using our vehicles, and you do not, you think you are better than us. You think you know what is best and you know what types of activities describe our group. I hope everyone that reads this can see that you are extremely biased and have no idea what you are talking about. I hope they will also take the time to find out the facts from multiple perspectives on an issue before forming biased one sided opinion, such as the one you have clearly demonstrated.

Since you like Physics so much, try this on for size. A properly driven four wheel drive vehicle has LESS impact on the ground/per person than a hiker. Here’s why:

For this example, we’ll use a person’s weight to be 150 pounds (since we all have beer guts like you pointed out), and a size 10 shoe with a good pair of hiking boots. For the vehicles we’ll call vehicle weight 5000 pounds (which is outrageously high, but is also to your benefit), the average tire size of 35x12.50x15 with 12psi of air in each of the four tires. (All of these can vary greatly, but I think these are more than fair averages.)

Every time the hiker lifts a foot to take a step, the remaining foot on the ground has a contact patch of approximately 14 square inches – this equates to ~ 10.75 pounds per square inch per hiker.

In the next example we have a 5000 pound “earth destroying jeep” (your carefully chosen words again), with four tires @ 12psi. The average contact patch of a properly aired down 35x12.50 tire @12psi is ~ 16x13 inches, or 208 square inches. Now there are four tires, so that’s a total of 832 square inches of contact area with the ground. Let’s divide this into the vehicle weight of 5000 pounds. We get ~ 6 pounds per square inch for a single driver. Now everyone knows the first rule of OHVing is “NEVER go alone”. So lets throw in a couple of buddies and their gear @ 200/person. So now we have 5400/832 gets us 6.5 pounds per square inch. That’s a little less than half than that of a hiker….but wait that’s for 3 people! This gives us approximately 2.2 pounds per square inch per person – almost 1/5 the impact of a hiker!

So there you have your physics, 3 people hiking into the forest have the potential to create almost 5 TIMES the erosion on the trail as a properly equipped and responsibly driven “land destroying jeep” carrying those same 3 people.


Just for the record, I am not a Democrat, nor am I a Republican - but I AM 100% AMERICAN and slightly irritated by your frivolous attempt to distort the facts and take away my family’s freedom to visit OUR Public Lands in the continually responsible manner we have always exercised.

Sincerely,
Peter S. Di Primo

(please do not publish address or phone number – city and state are ok to publish)
xxxx xxxxxxx xxxx
Simi Valley Ca xxxxx
xxx-xxx-xxxx


:usa:

ya, tell these fawkin eco-nazi's what time it is

I would like to thank the more eloquent members of our sport for their assistance in this matter.:usa:

thanks guys for spending time to write the paper and i hope the mountain demecrate publishes the letters.

cliff

Ummm. I think dirt running downstream is called nature. What does he think we are going to run out of dirt because all the dirt falls off the end of the world. Hello the word is round you fucking stupid ass.

I am not submitting this but I was bored so I wrote it.:


In a recent letter, a Mr. Kevin McNaughton expressed his concern over the damage caused the enviroment by OHVs. While I understand his concerns over the potential damage, it is clear to me that Mr. McNaughton primary concern is that the existance of OHVs is making his personal experience in state lands less plesant.

While he sites some instances of envirmental damage it is clear that he main concern was that he could hear OHVs while he was in the mountains. This I believe is the heart of the issue. For all the damage caused by OHVs will never amount to even a small fraction a percent of the enviromental damage caused by commerical and personal interests.

Enviromental damage is a by product of every activity. We, as a society, must realize that everything we do has an impact on the earth on which we all live. Whether it is using water to shower, using products made from trees, or using electricity, directly or indirectly each of these activities has a substantial enviromental impact.

OHVs have been targeted as a visible cause of enviromental impact but in actuality they are targeted as a sign of an interest that runs counter to the APPEARANCE of enviromental friendliness.
There is no substantiated evidence that shows OHVs have ever caused a signifigent negative impact to the enviroment. In the grand scheme of things some extra vehicles traveling over small tracks in large areas that have been traveled thousands of times before is of little consequence to our great mother earth. OHVs do not clear cut forrests, they don't dump toxic waste, and they consume nearly no resources. The largest OHV problem seems to be that people like Mr. McNaughton are offended by their presence and will do whatever is possible, including siting irrelavant commercial enviromental damage data, to eliminate that presence. It is time to stop the enviromental histeria and focus the debate on the real issues.

Everything that has been writen here is good. Someone may want to add that most of our vehicles have to pass the smog checks that theirs do. Another interesting stat would be how many 4x4s are running on natural gas? just some ammo guys :D

To Whom It May Concern:
Letters that present such a clearly one sided view really concern responsible four wheelers. In Mr. McNaughton's letter, we're labeled such things as 'Earth-Haters', 'jerks', and accused of being un-healthy because we use vehicles off road versus our own two feet. I'm amazed that people can be so narrow minded and not only have such a poor grasp on reality but compose these opinions in a letter and send them to newspapers.

Responsible four wheelers enjoy the outdoors as much as anyone else, maybe even more so. The organize cleanups, preach 'Tread Lightly', and go camping just like hiker's do. It's even been said that these 'Earth-Haters' do a better job of packing out what they pack in.

Rather than take low shots at people like Mr. McNaughton, I encourage them to go fourwheeling or at least on a cleanup run just to see what it's all about. We do not promote the needless destruction of the land, nor do we desire to create a negative affect on the lands we use. We're simply there (with machines) to enjoy the outdoors. Seems like our pursuit of happiness is secondary to Mr. McNaughton...how American.

Best regards,
Bryan Rygiel

I vote for Peter's response. I have a hard time letting Curtis speak for me :flipoff2:

Peter, you're the MAN. And that's why he's the P4x4 LU Moderator, ladies and gentlemen.... He can lay the Enviro-Smack DOWN! :D

Keep 'em coming people!

SMAAACKKKK!!!! Well written, Petey. I'm still not fully awake, but I only found this one typo:We do these things because we care! We are ENVIRONMENTALISTS! As hard as you may find this to believe, this is OUR planet to The "to" at the end of the sentence should be spelled "too." :flipoff2:

good catch Mike, got it fixed on the original :)

anymore typo's or comments??



Thanks for the props guys, but I'm just trying to do my part to help out. If we all do a bit then it will be soooooooooo much easier to keep our trails open. :D

I too have a hard time agreeing with Curtis (I even tried in the cow thread ;)) but we usually agree on L/U issues.... So is anyone else going to give it a shot or do the few of us have to support the 11K members of this board and the countless other wheelers out there? If they get 1000 letters al along the same lines, they might look into the extreme greens some more and do some FOX style reporting, you know using facts and stuff.... get writing you loosers :flipoff2:


:usa:

I find it odd that folks like this guy don't see the big picture. Besides the obvious bias (hey we are too I guess), he's missing some BIG points about basic conservation.

For instance, what about these logging roads? Who else uses them? How 'bout the FIRE DEPARTMENT?!? Millions of acres have burned due to poor/no access, and millions of acres have been saved by selective logging and access to quickly put out fires.

A great resource for you guys is our very own UFWDA. If you ain't a member, you got no right to bitch when shit gets closed down. Scott Riebel is the Director for Environmental Affairs for UFWDA, and sends out emails frequently regarding our sport. Here's an excerpt from one of his recent emails regarding Sen. Boxer's plan to create more wilderness: (written by EDMOND JACOBY of the Mountain Democrat)

"Among the problems identified at those earlier meetings and which the bill does not appear to address is that of forest fire prevention and suppression. Wilderness areas normally may not be cleared of fire fuels, fallen trees and brush in particular but also including dense timber growth. The consequence is that, over time, the likelihood of a severe forest fire rises, and without trails or mechanized access firefighters are at a disadvantage extinguishing such fires, according to forestry sources."

I encourage you to get on Scott's mailing list. YEah, it means more emails in your box, but it behooves you to keep up w/this shit. Email him at RenegadeCJ@earthlink.net and ask him to put you on the list.

Off soap box. :D

What's up with the part in the eco-idiots letter about 4x4's
siltting up streams??????? Has this moron ever been up in the
mountains and seen a stream right after a natural thunderstorm??
I doubt it, cause if he had seen it he'd know dirt being washed
into a stream is a natural event. I've seen mountain streams flowing
chocolate brown after a thunderstorm. Far more siltting than
any 4x4 could ever cause.

I reran the figures this mornig after waking up a bit and found out why they didnt seem quite right last night...I forgot that the figure was for 3 PEOPLE, I edited my original letter in yellow so let me know if it's ok or if I miscalculated something before I submit it

Thanks again,
PSD


:usa:

:mad3:

Wow, on the original letter, that guy is a goat roper, where do these people get their info, and how in hell does a paper print it before verifying the data.

Lance, if they dont want to publish a letter in response, you might let them know yer gonna flame them on the web because they have no desire to give equal press to the oposition. Or that they are not interested in the truth, but only in manufacturing drama to sell papers.


Depdog:usa:

I submitted a letter to mt democrat before i saw this but look for a response from Aaron Beckstead :flipoff2:

Originally posted by Depdog
:mad3:

Wow, on the original letter, that guy is a goat roper, where do these people get their info, and how in hell does a paper print it before verifying the data. Depdog:usa:

The letter was a "Letters to the Editor" submission. This is con-
sidered an editorial and hence doesn't have to meet any factual
standards. It's just the writers "opinion". Doesn't have anything
to do with the truth.

Mr. McNaughton.

Ignorance is curable, stupidity is forever. Assuming you are simply ignorant of our (OHV's around the globe) postion, I would like to convince you of the BENIFITS of OHV's to the envionment and society.
The points you raise about erosion and ground impact are valid, but the comparisons you draw are not. The average Constoga wagon weighed between 4,000-6,000+ lbs, and had hard steel tires about 4 inches wide. A trail-ready OHV weighs between 3,000-5,000 lbs, and has rubber tires 10-14 inches wide. The average hiker has more environmental impact than my Scout.
You do us a great disservice by judging our behaviour on the behaviour of a few. Take a weekend sometime, and drive out to the Rubicon. Take a look at the preparations we make, to ensure we do no harm, and fix harm done by other's. I pack a couple garabage bags every time I go out, and I've picked up after a couple backpackers. Would you like to be judged by a hiker who left a steady trail of granola wrappers and cigarette butts???
The number of man-hours that the off-road comunity puts in each year to clean and repair trails is absolutly astounding. When was the last time you saw a hiking club get together for the strict purpose of cleaning up a couple of square miles of ground???
Finally, it seems almost everyone discounts how we benifit society. The best example of this I know of is the Fremont WY, county Search and Rescue team. Nearly the entire team is made of four-wheel enthusiasts, and no one will argue the teams contribution to the safety of oudoorsmen in western Wyoming.
Another example is the cooperation between off-road enthusiasts and short wave radio operators in Colorado. The Colorado Connection operates a string of short wave repeaters up and down the mountains of CO. These repeaters give radio coverage for nearly half the state, in very rugged terrain. The very nature of the repeaters require that they be placed in remote and hard to access areas. Repairing and constructing the repeaters, which are used by law enforcement, fire fighters, S&R teams, OHV drivers, and short wave enthusiast alike, requires access to these areas, either by air or ground. I was talking this last summer to Bill Thebert, a 4x4 owner and the driving force behind this project, who said "I couldn't fix a repeater to save my life, but I can drive a 9 (a trail of extreme difficulty) and take someone up there who can." Hmm, a man willing to take a day from his busy scheduale, drive 150 miles one way, 20 of those miles nearly unpassable, just to deliver a repairman and a handful of transistors. Sounds self-centered and abusive to me.

Matt O'Bryan
Rapid City South Dakota
(605)-719-9197

What do you guys think? worth submitting??

Yellowsub1962:

So according to your figures. The reason the pioneer tracks are still there is because of the skinny wagon wheels and the people walking. Now if it were not for pioneers. This man would possibly not exist let alone have something to bitch about.

I just love the fact that people like this complaine daily about OHVer's. But do they take into consideration the amount of paper that is wasted daily by credit card companys in the mail.

I'm sorry the last thing is just something that irritates me.:mad:

Originally posted by James K
Yellowsub1962:

So according to your figures. The reason the pioneer tracks are still there is because of the skinny wagon wheels and the people walking. Now if it were not for pioneers. This man would possibly not exist let alone have something to bitch about.


I'm not sure of your point on this, but yes those tracks are there because of the skinny wheels, the hard steel and wood they were made of, and the fact that there were only a few routes in existence leading to overuse and to the "scaring" that is still evident today.

This brings up another point that someone may want to elaborate on - less availible routes for an ever increasing amount of people will lead to over use of the currently availible routes and greater negative environmental impact.


:usa:

"Comments Made By Hikers To The Forest Service

The following are actual comments left last year on Forest Service
registration sheets and comment cards by backpackers completing wilderness
camping trips.

* A small deer came into my camp and stole my bag of pickles. Is there a way I can get reimbursed? Please call.
* Escalators would help on steep uphill sections.
* Instead of a permit system of regulations, the FS needs to reduce worldwide population growth to limit the number of visitors to wilderness.
* Trails need to be wider so people can walk while holding hands.
* Ban walking sticks in wilderness. Hikers that carry sticks are more likely to chase animals.
* All the mile markers are missing this year.
* Found a smoldering cigarette left by a horse.
* Trails need to be reconstructed. Please avoid building trails that go uphill.
* Too many bugs, leeches and spiders and spider webs. Please spray the wilderness to rid the area of these pests.
* Please pave the trails so they can be plowed of snow in the winter.
* Chair lifts need to be in some places so that we can get to wonderful views without having to hike to them.
* The coyotes made too much noise last night and kept me awake. Please eradicate these annoying creatures.
*Reflectors need to be placed on trees every 50 ft so people can hike at night with flashlights.
* Need more signs to keep area pristine.
* A McDonalds would be nice at the traail head.
* The places where trails do not exist are not well marked.
* Too many rocks in the mountains."

MICK - run your letter through a spell check program and send it :) AND all the others that posted letters -spell check um and sendum, these are editorials, just don't name call (blatently anyway;)) and you should be good...


:usa:

My letter to the ed just went out....

Mr. McNaughton,

How arrogant you are. It seem's you feel your's is the only and rightous way. You seem to feel that everyone that does not believe the way you do is an Earth hating Republican. You are not only arrogant but ignorant.
You are so typical of the current breed of emotional hypocrits trying to force your misguided ideals on the masses. You use half truths, inuendo, Bambi eyed emotion and lies to try and gain support. I think your problem is that it's not working.
I love the Rubicon trail. I try to make the drive down at least once a year. And I take care of what I use. But unlike you and your ilk I realize, and believe there is room for everyone. There are hundred's of thousands of acres of the Sierra's in Californian and the Cascades here in Washington that are unaccessable to OHV's. Your welcome to them, persue that which you enjoy, because unlike you, some of us believe we all have right's to public property. However, and this is my final question to you and your ilk, "Why do you feel it necessary to limit my legal access to a paltry 25 mile's of trail when you have gotten so many millions of acres already restricted to your narrow view of recreation?"

Roger Bell
32221 76th. Ave. NW
Stanwood, WA 98292
360.629.3688

Dear Editor:

I am writing in response to the malicious letter written by Mr. Kevin McNaughton. In his one sided letter; he called ohv user destroyers of the environment. He said we had beer guts, were over weight, and destroyed the earth. I find these kind of remarks very abusive. First of all, I don’t drink alcohol and don’t have a beer gut. I also enjoy the out doors very much and take care of it. I am not overweight either. And I take very good care of the environment.

Although there may be a very small percentage of ohv users that harm the land, the rest of us are constantly cleaning up after inexperienced hikers and “losers” who dump trash on public land. Our clubs are constantly going on trail rides to do clean ups. We donate millions of dollars to help keep our lands beautiful. Many ohv users use propane and natural gas engines to help keep the air cleaner. These same “land destroying vehicles” have to pass smog test to drive on the highways. These vehicles are kept in top shape so they won’t break on the roads.

The environmental impact from our hobby is not as hard on the environment as all the people who drive on the pavement. I drive down the highway all the time and see a lot of dead animals hit by cars. Just think of all the pollution left behind because you are trying to do 80 miles per hour so you can get to work on time. The pavement ruins the water flows. Now you tell me you’re an environmentalist. You use all our glorious means of transportation.

Don’t get me wrong there are some good environmentalist out there. But, a lot of them are out there for their own causes and not the causes of the earth. I live in Montana, and we have a group of “environmentalist” here. These “greenies”, as they call themselves, thing that saving the environment means they can get together in the woods and smoke drugs and drink alcohol. These “environmentalists” destroy campgrounds, litter everywhere, and try to out wit law enforcement in their cause to save mother earth. This leaves me wondering what good are they doing?

I think we need to be open minded. I as an ohv user am very careful how I operate my vehicle. I will not hesitate to tell someone when I think that they are destroying the land. It’s a few bad eggs that destroy the privileges of many. This is America! We should be allowed to do what we like. We have privileges. Let’s keep those privileges and not take away the privileges of the responsible.

Thanks

Ross Hildebrandt
Billings, MT 59102


:flipoff2:

eco nazies piss me off!:mad3: :flipoff: :mad3:

I think my point was that this man just needs something to bitch about to justify his life. And by tearing other people down and making them look like these horrible distructive force he will get the sympathy he is looking for.

Sorry I have a hard time typing what i mean.

James, I kinda though that's what you meant, but I also read it a different way the second time I read it... glad you clarified ;)



keep the letters comming guys :)


:usa:

Dear editor,

This is in reponse to the commentary of Kevin McNaughton.

As an avid outdoor enthusiast and environmentalist, I was shocked at the ridiculous comments made by this gentleman. It is quite honestly a mistake to generalize a group of people (OHV users) into groups such as "land destroyers", "earth-hating OHVers", etc. These statements are not only false, but hurtful in there intentions as well.
I will be the first one to stand up in opposition to OHV users, or anyone else who does not obey laws and regulations. They should be punished, but to group all OHV users as such is completely false, and ridiculous.
The majority of OHV users are ENVIRONMENTALISTS! We love the environment just as much as you do, we just don't have the same views as to how we enjoy the outdoors.
The main point here being that more damage is being done everyday on our city highways, freeways, etc. then is being done anywhere else, and I truly believe that if you were an "environmentalist" you would be out there trying to address these issues rather then just pointing fingers at a small group.
OHV's have become an easy target for environmentalist groups because of the the few bad apples we have, but if you took the time to learn of the values and ethics of our group as a whole you would see that our purpose and cause is just. Get the facts straight before you start pointing fingers.

Keith Ratzburg
San Francisco, CA

prime example of a liberal! fawkin treehuggers

Yellowsub - FUKINEH on your letter! :D

Impressive and eloquent and at the same time, sarcastic and informative! I love it! :D

Keep up the good work - everyone! This asshole needs to shut the hell up! :flipoff:

Someone please correct if i'm wrong. But I thought the news paper would only publish editorals from people within the county?

I hope they will accept letters from anywhere so we can :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: them :D

Originally posted by Danger Ranger
Someone please correct if i'm wrong. But I thought the news paper would only publish editorals from people within the county?

I hope they will accept letters from anywhere so we can :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: them :D

Newspaper's usually give preference to locals, but a good letter can be printed by out of towners.

I have had editorials printed in the Imperial Valley Press & Santa Maria Times and I live up north.

Crowdog

Originally posted by Crowdog


Newspaper's usually give preference to locals, but a good letter can be printed by out of towners.

I have had editorials printed in the Imperial Valley Press & Santa Maria Times and I live up north.

Crowdog

Good :D Bomb's away...................... :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke:

DOWN HERE IN CHILE WE HAVE THE SAME STUPIDS

SORRY GUYS, I NEED TO SAY IT :

FAWKIN :rainbow: :rainbow: :flipoff2: :flipoff2: :flipoff2:

ANYWAY, I'M TOO FAR TO SEND A LETTER......

Originally posted by SVARAS

ANYWAY, I'M TOO FAR TO SEND A LETTER......

you have internet access, but no postal or letter carrier service??


:rolleyes: as hard as I find that to believe, you're in luck, because there were several ways given to contact the paper via the internet!! Think of the impact your editorial would have coming from an entirely different country than the origin paper...

the reason you have these people down there is the the same reason we have them up here... no one steps up and tells the real story. I'm tired of them, and so are a lot of other people, so I suggest you try to do something about yours before they get out of control like ours. Learn from our mistakes, don't duplicate them...


:usa:

How about some letters to the editor on a few different subjects that also need to be addressed:

El Dorado Forest lawsuit
Boxer's Wilderness bill
Reforming the Endangered Species Act
Oceano Dunes lawsuit

If you get it printed in the Los Angeles Times or San Francisco Chronicle, I'll send you a T-shirt (http://www.crowley-offroad.com/T-Shirts.htm) or a Sticker (http://www.crowley-offroad.com/stickers.htm) of your choice. If you get it printed in any other paper, I'll send you a Sierra Club Kiss My Axle! or Had God not driven Man from the Garden of Eden, the Sierra Club would have sticker.

Help educate the sheeple out there. People may glance at the headlines, but they will READ the letters to the editor...

Crowdog

Here is a copy of my letter that was sent to that enviro-nazi tree hugger newspaper. When I read that letter I almost bought a plane ticket out there from Pennsylvania, wonder if they'll publish a letter from all the way out here? well, anyhow it's self centered egotistical idiots like that that give our sport a bad name. any heres the letter and to kenny baby:flipoff2:
How wrong you are sir. Most 4x4 drivers use the land as you do, for peace and quite and to enjoy, not to hate and destroy it. Now granted there are some in our sport who think they can go and destroy everything, but rest assured, most offroaders care about the land as much, if not more than you do. Look at most 4x4 club sites and you will see a majority of them do trail and road cleanups and belong to orginizations such as tread lightly, whose primary goal is to not damage the environment, to help it coexist with the 4x4 community in general. All of this is done for free by the very people you claim help destroy the land. As for offroaders contributing to erosion, most farms put at best one ton of soil in the water system a year on average and sometimes it's worse. So by your logic we should ban farming because it too contributes to erosion? I would hope that you would stop hating poeple just because they enjoy something that is in obvious contradiction to what you enjoy. I would also hope that you would realize that, yes four wheeling is a hobby to most of us, it also acts as an excuse to be around family and friends and have a good time while exploring what nature has created for us to enjoy. Also, while, yes, I am peronally a registered Republican, Some of my friends are democrat and they enjoy wheeling as much as I do. So, for future reference, before you make gross generalizations please do some research and please relaize that just because we take part in off roading that we are all not earth haters bond on destroying the land

Originally posted by beerisgood
Here is a copy of my letter that was sent to that enviro-nazi tree hugger newspaper.

Actually, the Mt. Demo has printed three of my letters (one of them twice for some reason).

Here is one of them:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=48163

And they have run several articles regarding Boxer's Wilderness plan that seem to me to be slightly slanted to our side.
http://www.crowley-offroad.com/boxer_bill_would_set_aside_3800.htm
http://www.crowley-offroad.com/Snitz/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=556
http://www.crowley-offroad.com/boxer_wants_caples_creek_wilderness.htm

Crowdog

TOP... come awn you loosers!!

less than 20 letters http://www.pirate4x4.com/ubb/icons/icon13.gif




:usa:

Tear it up. My grammar sux:D

Dear Editor,


I am writing in response to Kevin McNaughton's letter. As an avid outdoor enthusiast, and OHVer, I find his letter to be filled with fallacies, and generalizations. His verbal attacks upon OHV users seem only to be a means to insight a unfavorable reaction from the OHV community. It also enlightens me to the lack of knowledge he has of about OHV enthusiasts. I find that this would be a good opportunity for me to educate Kevin, and others who share his views, about the OHV community.

For the sake of argument I will assume the average, self proclaimed "environmentalist", is about on par with Kevin, and his false views upon the OHV community. I find it quite humorous that we (OHV community) all have high blood pressure, and have a "beer gut." Essentially that is saying most of the country has high blood pressure and a beer gut. I say this because the OHV community is a complete cross section of Americans. I went on a trail ride last year, with a group of families, and our trail leader was a Dr. of medicine. As I recall no profanity, littering, and straying from the trail was allowed. We even came back with trash from the trail, which is normal behavior from the OHV community. The OHV community consists of all walks of Americans, from High School students, blue and white collar workers, to retired people enjoying the American wilderness in the manner they most enjoy. Plain and simple your neighbor, co-worker, the guy at the coffee shop could be an OHV enthusiasts, would you call them a "Earth-hater", "land destroyer" or finally "self-centered?"

As for the "Earth-haters" comment. It would be humorous, if not so appaling in it's ignorance. We (OHV community) are the ones fighting to keep land open so everyone can enjoy the beauty of the Earth, specifically America's beauty. We spend most every weekend enjoying the outdoors, we go to work all week to allow us to have the funds to spend time in remote places enjoying the scenery, to call us Earth-haters is 100% incorrect. We love the outdoors, and we will fight to keep the outdoors open with a resolve the "Environmentalists" have yet to face. The "Environmentalists" keep presenting their fallicies, and attacks, it will on further destroy their crediblity.


Regards

Austin Dando

XXXXXXXXXXXX
Minnetonka, MN 55305

XXX-XXX-XXXX

(please do not publish address or phone number)

Alright guys!

The Mt. Demo printed several of your editorials.

If you guys want your sticker from Crowley Offroad, drop me an email and we can arrange shipment. Here are the names from Wednesday's paper:


Aaron Beckstead - Garden Valley
Curtis Medrano-Machlan - Orland
Keith Ratzburg - San Francisco
H. Bratch - Chico
Paul Duer - Placerville


Crowdog

Originally posted by Crowdog
Alright guys!

The Mt. Demo printed several of your editorials.

If you guys want your sticker from Crowley Offroad, drop me an email and we can arrange shipment. Here are the names from Wednesday's paper:


Aaron Beckstead - Garden Valley


Crowdog

That's me :D

guess they didn't like Peter's letter though :(

Originally posted by Danger Ranger


That's me :D



Aaron:

Great letter!

Take a look at the stickers at http://www.crowley-offroad.com/stickers.htm . Let me know if you want the Kiss My Axle or Garden of Eden sticker.

Just email me with your address, and choice.

Crowdog

Originally posted by Danger Ranger
I guess they didn't like Peter's letter though :(


I'm honestly not expecting them to print it, but I didn't send it in till yesterday afternoon...I was waiting for comments and proofing before I sent it... so we'll see, were you guys contacted prior to them printing them?


Keep up the good work guys.... and congrats to those that got their letters printed :beer:


:usa:

Originally posted by Yellowsub1962
were you guys contacted prior to them printing them?


The Mt. Democrat doesn't call to verify authorship like other papers.

Jon

Originally posted by Crowdog
Alright guys!

The Mt. Demo printed several of your editorials.

If you guys want your sticker from Crowley Offroad, drop me an email and we can arrange shipment. Here are the names from Wednesday's paper:


Aaron Beckstead - Garden Valley
Curtis Medrano-Machlan - Orland
Keith Ratzburg - San Francisco
H. Bratch - Chico
Paul Duer - Placerville


Crowdog

Right awn guys! I owe you all a sticker when I get them. PM me your addresses and I will hook you up when I get them. Crowdog, what day/issue did the letters appear in?

Originally posted by Lance


Right awn guys! I owe you all a sticker when I get them. PM me your addresses and I will hook you up when I get them. Crowdog, what day/issue did the letters appear in?

They were all in today's (Wednesday) Mt. Demo.

Jon

Originally posted by LAME
Tear it up. My grammar sux:D

Dear Editor,


I am writing in response to Kevin McNaughton's letter. As an avid outdoor enthusiast, and OHVer, I find his letter to be filled with fallacies, and generalizations. His verbal attacks upon OHV users seem only to be a means to insight a unfavorable reaction from the OHV community. It also enlightens me to the lack of knowledge he has of about OHV enthusiasts. I find that this would be a good opportunity for me to educate Kevin, and others who share his views, about the OHV community.

For the sake of argument I will assume the average, self proclaimed "environmentalist", is about on par with Kevin, and his false views upon the OHV community. I find it quite humorous that we (OHV community) all have high blood pressure, and have a "beer gut." Essentially that is saying most of the country has high blood pressure and a beer gut. I say this because the OHV community is a complete cross section of Americans. I went on a trail ride last year, with a group of families, and our trail leader was a Dr. of medicine. As I recall, no profanity, no littering, and no straying from the trail was allowed. We even came back with trash from the trail than we started with, which is normal behavior from the OHV community. The OHV community consists of all walks of Americans, from High School students, blue and white collar workers, to retired people enjoying the American wilderness in the manner they most enjoy. Plain and simple your neighbor, co-worker, the guy at the coffee shop could be an OHV enthusiasts, would you call them a "Earth-hater", "land destroyer" or finally "self-centered?"

As for the "Earth-haters" comment. It would be humorous, if not so appaling in it's ignorance. We (OHV community) are the ones fighting to keep land open so everyone can enjoy the beauty of the Earth, specifically America's beauty. We spend most every weekend enjoying the outdoors, we go to work all week to allow us to have the funds to spend time in remote places enjoying the scenery, to call us Earth-haters is 100% incorrect. We love the outdoors, and we will fight to keep the outdoors open with a resolve the "Environmentalists" have yet to face. If(?)The "Environmentalists" keep presenting their fallicies, and attacks, it will only(?) further destroy their crediblity.




Lame, looks good! I offered a few suggestions in yellow if you want them... either way, spell check it and send it


:usa:

rob10x, those comments made by hikers are freakin hilarious!!

however, that doesn't say that hikers DIDN'T complain about OHV users, its just for entertainment. I'm not taking sides, just being a ass and pointing out the obvious.

I think that the response from everyone is great. I'm sending a letter in myself... If anything, there should be an article written on the enormous response to such an issue. That would show the average person that we care about keeping the outdoors clean.

Originally posted by Crowdog
Alright guys!

The Mt. Demo printed several of your editorials.

If you guys want your sticker from Crowley Offroad, drop me an email and we can arrange shipment. Here are the names from Wednesday's paper:


Aaron Beckstead - Garden Valley
Curtis Medrano-Machlan - Orland
Keith Ratzburg - San Francisco
H. Bratch - Chico
Paul Duer - Placerville


Crowdog

Great going guys got the paper while I was in the Doctors office and it maid my day

Mt. Demo printed another of my editorials on Thursday:


Recipe for disaster

Editor:
After reading your story "Designation still not known after meeting", I am even more concerned with Senator Boxer's plan to designate more Wilderness Areas in California.

These continual land closures are really a recipe for disaster. We are squeezing more and more recreation in the form of mountain biking, horseback riding and off highway vehicle's into smaller and smaller areas. Public land should be available for all of us to use, not a minority of elitists. What the general public does not fully understand is that the primary effect of Wilderness designation is the reduction of access especially for recreation (the "no mechanized transport" rule of the Wilderness Designation Act, prevents even bicycle access).
This most extreme of land designation should not be taken lightly. Wilderness has real, long-term consequences for California. Please contact your representatives and ask that they oppose any new Wilderness Area designations and also sign the online petition to oppose Boxer's plan at: www.petitiononline.com/boxer/petition.html .

Jon Crowley, Jr.
Shingle Springs, CA


I guess that I will take one of those Garden of Eden stickers.
:D

And how about one of those Pirate4x4 stickers too?

Crowdog

Here is a recent report I wrote for a class about land closures. I don't know if it will help at all but it may spark some ideas.

Andrew Kneeland
Intro To Rec
Oct 17, 2001

OHRV IN PARKS AND FORESTS

A very prominent issue in today’s society is the dilemma of how we use our parks and forest land. Some people think that it is in the best interest of the population and environment to completely shut down all parks and forest land to people who drive motorized vehicles in them. These vehicles are generally classified as OHRV (Off Highway Recreational Vehicles) and cater to a wide variety of interests. Some examples of OHRV’s consist of Snowmobiles, ATV’s, Jeeps, Dune Buggies, Dirt Bikes, and Jet Ski’s. The people who operate OHRV’s consist of the opposing side to the land closures . These people feel that they have a right to use the land to their own interests as well as any one else. So what this debate comes down to is, should OHRV’s be allowed in parks and forests.
One of the most promenite topics is the Banning of Motorized Vehicles in Yellowstone National Park. The Ban mainly applies to the snowmobiling community because during the winter there is an extremely vast trail network located inside the park. These trails don’t just lead to areas within the park they also connect to a much larger trail network outside of the park. On April 27, 2000 the National Park Service announced that 27 national parks will be closed to snowmobiling. This ban especially affected Yellowstone because it shut down the majority of the trail network in the state. The ban on snowmobiles was created because of the increasing noise and emissions issues that the parks have to deal with because of the growing popularity of the sport. As a result of the ban snowmobile manufacturers filed a lawsuit against the National Park Service on December 6, 2000. The lawsuit stated that “The federal government’s decision is badly flawed. There is no basis in fact or law to totally eliminate snowmobile use. Hundreds of thousands of cars, trucks and RV’s flow through these parks every summer and the wildlife has suffered no ill effects. Snowmobilers use the exact same roads automobiles use – except in far smaller numbers – and they have the same non-effect on wildlife.” While extremist groups argue that snowmobiles are polluting the parks with their emissions and sound; snowmobiles have always passed air quality standards and that just seemed to get looked over. But a national survey came to the conclusion that 78% of Americans believed that snowmobiles should be allowed in national parks. The manufactures in return addressed that they had willingly come out with new cleaner and quieter four stroke motors for select models. These new snowmobiles are the solution to the problem but the radical groups weren’t happy with any compromise. They wanted snowmobiles out of parks and that was the end of it. It didn’t matter that manufactures were more than willing to work with them to come up with a reasonable solution. After more than a year of debate over banning snowmobiles from Yellowstone the National government finally voted it down and said that a better solution could be created. So as of right now Manufactures and Eco groups and government officials are in the process of creating some reasonable regulations.
Another controversial topic is to allow off-road vehicles in the forests and parks. Groups like the Sierra Club and the California Wilderness Coalition are two of the primary groups advocating for the land closure. Last year the C.W.C. issues a report that was extremely unfavorable to the entire off-road community. The report stated that a variety of backcountry areas in California have been destroyed because of off-road vehicles. Environmental Groups best way of getting their information out is to publish all sorts of reports but unfortunately they only depict a one sided view. They view the off-road community as a bunch of reckless lawless hooligans. They feel that the vehicles destroy the environment by assisting in erosion and pollution. The truth of the matter is that the majority of off-roaders are in organized clubs that care a great deal for the community and the environment. There are so many clubs that do trail maintenance every month and they are all over looked for the slanderous image of reckless lawless citizens. A very small minority of people who drive off the designated trails and consume alcohol while driving created this image. These few people have caused Eco groups to rally against them and force the closure of public and private land. The purpose of public land is so that all people can enjoy it how they best see fit. The off-road community is now being limited to when and where they are allowed to pursue their recreational enjoyment. This is truly tragic because one of the best ways to explore the great backcountry of our nation is to drive out to those remote and pristine areas. Such beautiful places can be reached by driving down a trail deep into the heart of the forests. There are ponds, lakes, cliffs, trees and wild life that can be enjoyed from the trail side but people need to be able to get out to them.
So in conclusion a wide variety of land closures have occurred because of a false image of the OHRV community. Eco groups and irresponsible people have painted a reckless image and continue to try and shut down land from the public to use for their personal enjoyment. Before such extreme action is taken people need to see both sides of the story and not just the side that is the easiest and most prominent.

Here are a few articles is some of the big papers. Write an editorial to counter Boxer's Wilderness Plan and get it published, I'll send you a Sierra Club Sticker (http://www.crowley-offroad.com/stickers.htm) .

Orange County Register
http://www.ocregister.com/sitearchives/2002/5/11/local/wilderness00511cci1.shtml

LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-000033339may11.story

San Diego Union-Tribune
http://www.uniontrib.com/news/uniontrib/sat/news/news_1n11wild.html

Sacramento Bee
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/environment/story/2632277p-3253539c.html

San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/05/11/BA106854.DTL

Crowdog

I remember seeing a Sierra Club video several years ago, and the thing that still sticks in my mind was the comment that they had made the decision in the '70s that the battle for public opinion was the most important battle they would wage. The same can be said for us. It doesn't matter how many court cases we win, if the public is not on our side we will lose. Our local paper (Ventura County Star) limits us to one letter per month, and that's the only thing that keeps me from writing more. They had this comment in their "Notes From Pa Ventura" column they run every Saturday - To off-roaders
The California Coastal Commission refused to ban off-road vehicles from the sand dunes near Pismo Beach, so it's still legal to play with your noisy toys there.

Several of our club members have written in response to that. To let that kind of comment go undefended simply adds to the mis-perception of off-roaders as loud, noisy, uncontrolled plunderers of the earth.
One of the things I'm hoping to do in the near future is take advantage of the local community access channel and their equipment to put together a 30 minute "documentary" of off-roading and the fight to keep lands open to everyone.