Crowdog
07-08-2002, 12:51 PM
From www.theunion.com
June 18, 2002
Resist wilderness lobby
Kimberly L. Sherwood, Michael Callaghan
The Castle Peak, Grouse Lakes Basin areas have been included in U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer's Wilderness Bill, theoretically to save and protect it for future generations.
What you will not hear is that there is no damage being done to these areas by mountain bikers or snowmobiles, and those semi-wilderness areas are currently protected by thousands of laws, rules and regulations that will preserve these areas in their current natural state forever, without full wilderness status.
The wilderness lobby also agreed in 1984 to stop inventorying public lands for conversion to ultra restrictive wilderness status - a promise they refuse to keep.
USFS survey shows quite clearly less than 2 percent of recreation forest users go to wilderness areas. Over 98 percent choose to recreate in non-wilderness areas.
I think it is totally unfair to close these areas to mountain bikers and snowmobiles, especially with the current level of protection these "crown jewels" already enjoy.
These areas will be saved in their current status forever. The logging, mining, and dirt bike activity the wilderness lobby implies will happen is pure propaganda.
Please help resist the wilderness lobby.
Keep Castle Peak and Grouse Lakes Basin open.
Kimberly L. Sherwood, Michael Callaghan
Truckee
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June 19, 2002
Don't shut everything down
David Hughes
OK. This is getting out of hand. I keep hearing people say we need to support a "Wilderness Bill" to create Wilderness Areas in the state of California. How do we create wilderness.
We don't. It was created before we got here. In many areas it still exists but many people don't know about it because a road doesn't lead to a trailhead with a nice big parking lot and a system of existing trails with signs and maps telling you how to get there. That would be a recreation area where many different walks and rides of life would meet to enjoy the "Great Outdoors."
Many of these trail systems are designated with different user groups in mind. "Multi-use" trails. These are the best kind. I personally like to see all the different user groups sharing our "manmade" resources. But now it seems that everybody does not share the same feelings. Some Wilderness groups think that trails should be for hikers only, while other user groups think that if we designate a region as a "wilderness area" they can stop logging.
Both bad ideas. If we close down trails that were already open to many user groups so only hikers can enjoy the area, then we have created segregation among taxpaying citizens of our state and our country. And if we try to stop logging in these proposed areas, we will only see more logging in the unseen "wilderness" that does exist in not only our state but other states as well.
The answer is not to shut everything down and take away people's rights, but instead we need to continue in our constant struggle to try to do what is best for Mankind by learning from our mistakes in the past and try harder to preserve what we already have both as real "wilderness" and also real "recreation." P.S. I like poached eggs for breakfast. I would hate to have to add poached trail to my diet.
David Hughes
Grass Valley
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June 21, 2002
Wilderness does not equate recreation
Lee Moss
I have noted that many people think that their favorite campsite, fishing hole or mountain bike area would be protected forever by formal wilderness designation. This is not true. Even though many proposed wilderness areas do not meet wilderness criteria and contain roads and trails accessible by motorized and mechanized means, these will be closed to all but a small group of physically fit hikers and skiers. The vast majority of Americans who use an SUV, OHV, snowmobile or mountain bike to access their favorite spots in the mountains will have the gate slammed in their face if these areas are formally designated as wilderness.
No mechanical or motorized devices are allowed in designated wilderness, ever. Not even for safety or rescue. So, before you join the wilderness lobby to allegedly "save and protect" better check to see if access to your favorite area is in jeopardy.
Lee Moss
Kings Beach
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June 21, 2002
Don't curtail recreation
Rick Kalb
As a father and outdoor enthusiast, I support the right of Nevada County residents to responsibly recreate in our own backyard. Unfortunately, Sen. Barbara Boxer has proposed sweeping federal wilderness restrictions that deny current forms of recreation on tens of thousands of acres in Nevada County. Part of what makes this area so wonderful is our proximity to gorgeous areas like Castle Peak and Grouse Ridge. My family and I can literally just drive up the road to camp, hike and experience firsthand the natural splendor of the High Country. Also, I can bring my mountain bike to these areas to get a healthy workout. Yet, proposed federal restrictions could require permits for these activities, restrict them or prohibit them altogether. Such federal restrictions need to support and promote local recreation opportunities, not curtail or eliminate them.
Rick Kalb
Nevada City
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June 18, 2002
Resist wilderness lobby
Kimberly L. Sherwood, Michael Callaghan
The Castle Peak, Grouse Lakes Basin areas have been included in U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer's Wilderness Bill, theoretically to save and protect it for future generations.
What you will not hear is that there is no damage being done to these areas by mountain bikers or snowmobiles, and those semi-wilderness areas are currently protected by thousands of laws, rules and regulations that will preserve these areas in their current natural state forever, without full wilderness status.
The wilderness lobby also agreed in 1984 to stop inventorying public lands for conversion to ultra restrictive wilderness status - a promise they refuse to keep.
USFS survey shows quite clearly less than 2 percent of recreation forest users go to wilderness areas. Over 98 percent choose to recreate in non-wilderness areas.
I think it is totally unfair to close these areas to mountain bikers and snowmobiles, especially with the current level of protection these "crown jewels" already enjoy.
These areas will be saved in their current status forever. The logging, mining, and dirt bike activity the wilderness lobby implies will happen is pure propaganda.
Please help resist the wilderness lobby.
Keep Castle Peak and Grouse Lakes Basin open.
Kimberly L. Sherwood, Michael Callaghan
Truckee
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 19, 2002
Don't shut everything down
David Hughes
OK. This is getting out of hand. I keep hearing people say we need to support a "Wilderness Bill" to create Wilderness Areas in the state of California. How do we create wilderness.
We don't. It was created before we got here. In many areas it still exists but many people don't know about it because a road doesn't lead to a trailhead with a nice big parking lot and a system of existing trails with signs and maps telling you how to get there. That would be a recreation area where many different walks and rides of life would meet to enjoy the "Great Outdoors."
Many of these trail systems are designated with different user groups in mind. "Multi-use" trails. These are the best kind. I personally like to see all the different user groups sharing our "manmade" resources. But now it seems that everybody does not share the same feelings. Some Wilderness groups think that trails should be for hikers only, while other user groups think that if we designate a region as a "wilderness area" they can stop logging.
Both bad ideas. If we close down trails that were already open to many user groups so only hikers can enjoy the area, then we have created segregation among taxpaying citizens of our state and our country. And if we try to stop logging in these proposed areas, we will only see more logging in the unseen "wilderness" that does exist in not only our state but other states as well.
The answer is not to shut everything down and take away people's rights, but instead we need to continue in our constant struggle to try to do what is best for Mankind by learning from our mistakes in the past and try harder to preserve what we already have both as real "wilderness" and also real "recreation." P.S. I like poached eggs for breakfast. I would hate to have to add poached trail to my diet.
David Hughes
Grass Valley
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 21, 2002
Wilderness does not equate recreation
Lee Moss
I have noted that many people think that their favorite campsite, fishing hole or mountain bike area would be protected forever by formal wilderness designation. This is not true. Even though many proposed wilderness areas do not meet wilderness criteria and contain roads and trails accessible by motorized and mechanized means, these will be closed to all but a small group of physically fit hikers and skiers. The vast majority of Americans who use an SUV, OHV, snowmobile or mountain bike to access their favorite spots in the mountains will have the gate slammed in their face if these areas are formally designated as wilderness.
No mechanical or motorized devices are allowed in designated wilderness, ever. Not even for safety or rescue. So, before you join the wilderness lobby to allegedly "save and protect" better check to see if access to your favorite area is in jeopardy.
Lee Moss
Kings Beach
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 21, 2002
Don't curtail recreation
Rick Kalb
As a father and outdoor enthusiast, I support the right of Nevada County residents to responsibly recreate in our own backyard. Unfortunately, Sen. Barbara Boxer has proposed sweeping federal wilderness restrictions that deny current forms of recreation on tens of thousands of acres in Nevada County. Part of what makes this area so wonderful is our proximity to gorgeous areas like Castle Peak and Grouse Ridge. My family and I can literally just drive up the road to camp, hike and experience firsthand the natural splendor of the High Country. Also, I can bring my mountain bike to these areas to get a healthy workout. Yet, proposed federal restrictions could require permits for these activities, restrict them or prohibit them altogether. Such federal restrictions need to support and promote local recreation opportunities, not curtail or eliminate them.
Rick Kalb
Nevada City
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