I am doing a project for my Recreation class and I need to talk about How Vehicels Affect the environment this could be 4X4's or snowmobile or any other OHRV> I need to find some sites with info. I need to very well versed on this so any sugestions or opinions or help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot

Can anyone help? Some one has to have information. I know there are a lot of people on this board who fight to preserve our land and respect our rights as Off Road Enthusiasts

'Tread Lightly' is the group you want.click here! (http://www.treadlightly.org/)


http://www.treadlightly.org/images/logo1.gif

[ 10-16-2001: Message edited by: Cutter ]

check the land use section lots of links there here is a post with a lot of them http://www.pirate4x4.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=12&t=000135

Matt

Also check the Blue Ribbon Coalition, CA4WDC, AS4WDC, any local clubs, etc.

Originally posted by Cutter:
<STRONG>'Tread Lightly' is the group you want.click here! (http://www.treadlightly.org/)


http://www.treadlightly.org/images/logo1.gif

[ 10-16-2001: Message edited by: Cutter ]</STRONG>

Not that we don't subscribe to the "Tread Lightly" theory, BECAUSE WE DO!!!! Right guys and gals?

I should of said 'here's a site with some info'. I've been a member for 14 years and treading lightly is a habit now. I've found that pretty much all hard-core wheelers follow the tread lightly beliefs, they(we) more than anyone want the few areas we have to stay open. I just thought that they're site would be more what he was looking for, seeing how they deal with all outdoor activity ie. bikes and snowmobiles, etc. And there's a ton o' stuff on they're site. Print it out, turn it in, get an A <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

I don't know where to find it, but supposedly there is a positive report that was done after a study of Turkey Bay at Land Between the Lakes OHV park.

There was a water quality study done at Tellico. I read it in SFWDA's Trail Mix. The last year of the study the FS and Southern did the trail maintenance that had been planned for years and water quality improved over 400%. I don't know where a copy is online, but you could hit up David Borum (Legslative Chariman, email is at sfwda.org), he might know were to find an electronic copy.

Robert

One thing you need to be cautious of when reading "studies" on the internet is that many studies are done with a desired end result (usually to prove harmful effects). There is a widly circulated study on OHV affects on wildlife. It studied reactions of a Kangaroo Rat (I believe) to noise. The rats were kept in small cages with a speaker put in it. Sound levels were increased to a level equilivant to an unmuffled 2 cycle motor upclose. The rat's natual response is to flee. As they couldn't in the cages, they basically suffered nerveous breakdowns. Lots of problems with this as you can see. Unrealistic conditions placed on the rats (they naturally flee sounds, but were prohibited from doing so) and sound levels that were unrealistic.

This is the case of many "studies". I sat in a lecture by a NASA scientist here in Huntsville where he showed many of the fallacies of the studies presented by the media hyping global warming and acid rain. In one case, a study was comissioned and determined negative affects, A second study was commissioned within a year. It also determined negative affects, a third study was comissioned and the scientist preforming it was reported as having said that evidently the previous studies didn't give the desired response, so he set out to prove a positive affect and did so. His was the study that was splashed across headlines.

Robert