Tu

[dan58]

I know TU isn't the wheeler's best friend right now, but we're doing a whole lot of stereotyping here (just what we try to avoid). This is ONE chapter of TU that has brought on all this baloney with Tellico. Please remember that. Other chapters of TU have no knowledge whatsoever of Tellico. My father is a chapter president, and he'd never heard of such a thing until I talked to him about it. His chapter would never bring up such a stink. Again, this is just a reminder that not ALL of TU is bringing this one the OHV community.

[vetteboy79]

Originally Posted by dan58

Other chapters of TU have no knowledge whatsoever of Tellico. My father is a chapter president, and he'd never heard of such a thing until I talked to him about it. His chapter would never bring up such a stink. Again, this is just a reminder that not ALL of TU is bringing this one the OHV community.

Perhaps they need to do a little bit of 'policing' within themselves, then...

[redman_30_06]

I they simply would work with us instead of against us....

[Kurtuleas]

Dan is totally right.

There is a SMALL contingent of TU people that are pushing this in Tellico.

Remember, on the west coast, a ton of trout fisherman use National Forest roads to reach thier fishing spots.

Out here the fishermen are on OUR side, becuase they do not want to lose access to thier favorite fishing spots if dirt roads are closed.

Basically, TU is shooting itself in the foot here with this battle. If they set a precedent to close routes form just threatening a lawsuit, other enviromental nut jobs will see that and do them same. In turn, it will shut down access to literally millions of miles of streams and rivers.

People in TU need to be told this.

[DAMRON QUEENER]

This chapter probely has meetings once a month or so? Could some of us attend and try to get them to see the "whole" picture?

[Kurtuleas]

We are working on an open letter to TU from the Pirate4x4.com Tellico Task force.

It explains to them what I have outlined in the above post. Once that's done, we need to get it to as many fishermen as possible.

[McCracken]

The problem is you have one person pushing an agenda that is backed by TU because of this one person's history with the organization. That individual, IMO, is Michael R. Smith aka Squeak Smith. The man has been a strong advocate of TU and conservation for years. He's won numerous conservation awards and also been given the Governor's award. He's initiated many projects and finished them with success.

If you go to the Table Rock Chapter of TU then you'll see his handy work. Not saying it's all bad but I didn't ask them to leave their favorite fishing hole and never return in the first place. This POS thinks he's got the upper hand because he's being backed by an organization that has failed to do their homework before signing on. Typically, they agree b/c of the other work he's done but he stepped in a hornet's nest on this one. I don't think they expected the fight we're putting up as Joe Public.

I agree with vetteboy. maybe you should do some policing within the "organization" and the good name of TU will not get smeared.

[bigjerm]

this is actually a good point. When we rode Tellico in late December we were standing around the bottom of SlickRock and someone walked up to our group and asked who had the TU sticker on the back of their Jeep. It turned out to be one of the new guys in our group. They told him he might want to watch out because people are pissed about the closure. The TU member had NO CLUE that TU was trying to close or do anything with Tellico.

[GubNi]

I wonder if we could infiltrate other chapters across the US. Then get other chapters to press on the one causing the problem and get them to drop it? Oh, wait I was dreaming I know it would never happen.

[Kurtuleas]

In essence, TU has already pulled the trigger with the potential lawsuit. The Enviromental Assessment for Tellico has started and that is what they wanted.

Our fight is with the EA, not with TU. It does no good to bash TU. There's good people in TU, and many of them DO wheel. We should have approached them earlier about this, or THEY should have gone to the OHV community first and tried to work something out.

Unfortuantely, they do not realize the precendent they have started. This is NOT just a 4x4 issue, this is a public access issue. Most of the routes being closed in National Forests are NOT OHV trails, but normal, graded dirt roads. Now, the anti's will see that all they have to do is THREATEN the FS with a lawsuit to get what they want.

In other National Forests, hunters and fisherman are on the pro-access side, not the anti-recreationists side, becuase they do not want to lose access to the forest.

Check out THIS video:

http://www.trailsintrouble.org/

[McCracken]

Well, let's just say I got shut down and that's all I'm going to say here.

Obviously, it's like talking to a bunch of middle schoolers. Say something different from what they want to hear and they change the rules so you can't be heard.

Weak wilhelm. Weak.

and to think we were being civilized and providing insight to our side of things so people could make a truly informed decision. Evidentally, they got skeered we might convert them to............ not setting a precedent that will impact all the national forests. What they fail to realize is that with doing this, any lawyer in the US or special interest group can use this to get whatever they want (IF they succeed) from the FS. That means no motorized recreation for all their fishing buddies out west.

You guys remind of that movie Twister. The whole time there's 2 teams battling to get the same thing when in the end one group's bullheadedness takes them beyond seeing what the real danger is and they finally get taken out by their own hand. It's not about Tellico dumbasses. You're screwing the whole nation.

[McCracken]

Originally Posted by GubNi

I wonder if we could infiltrate other chapters across the US. Then get other chapters to press on the one causing the problem and get them to drop it? Oh, wait I was dreaming I know it would never happen.

btw, they used that quote over there. that means we have lurkers.

[s10er8]

I'll say it again.. we are more concerned about the livelyhood of those trout than they are. Our concerns are real, their actions are agenda driven

If SFWDA association did not care, why have they spent SO MUCH time and money on maintaining Upper Tellico ORV and look at what TU is doing for the place.

If anyone has proof that TU has tried to control any erosion that they are claiming is harming the native trout, SHOW IT NOW! Now is your chance to speak up.

[GSW]

Debate and/or discussion doesn't seem to be their style.


The reality is that there is a lot of misinformation being passed along as gospel and the guppies are swallowing it whole. We all need to do our part to correct these mistakes, misunderstandings and outright fabrications. It would be nice if a friendly discourse could occur along the way, but what can you do?

The Forest Service lacks the funding and resources to properly maintain the trails and the threat of a lawsuit only makes their job more difficult. A once united group of outdoor users is now fractured and who knows how ugly it will eventually become. Way to think it through TU/PEER/WildSouth etal.

[big mudder]

The TU member had NO CLUE that TU was trying to close or do anything with Tellico.

All the members in TN that I have talked to had'nt heard of it.

btw, they used that quote over there. that means we have lurkers.

Over where??? PM me a link I want to do some lurkin myself.

[BigGreenMonster]

pm shit... post that junk up so we all can lurk

[s10er8]

Originally Posted by BigGreenMonster

pm shit... post that junk up so we all can lurk

x2 Ive looked and cant find it

[s10er8]

tu.org

[s10er8]

nah. maybe http://wnctrout.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl

[big mudder]

You have to rgeister there.

[redman_30_06]

The thread has been deleted.

[yjwith60s]

The only fisher people I see there are the 5 thousand people who block the blacktop from tellico plains side on thursday and follow the hatchery release like a bunch of starving people who havent had fish in years. I have never seen anyone upstream from the hatchery. As i have said before I used to go every 2 weeks and its 10hrs one way, the people are the greatest anywhere and I even bought property to build on to retire, which I have sold. I new the seaonal closings were not good. I am awaiting word on when the good trails will reopen and will start going again. Notice tu just theatened and shit got closed, we have filed and nothing. Its not hard to see where the forest supervisor stands. I dont want to work with anybody who operates like tu. If all the chapters dont know thats bs they are spending tu money and im sure it has to be accounted for and reasons given. minor members may not know due to some of them being wheelers as well but whatever. I will continue to give to southern and hope it gets fixed. And as far as tu lurking "Quit eating all the fish, catch and release dumbasses". Not trying to comeaccross as a dick, but I have tears in my eyes and feel like I lost a family member.

[bigjerm]

went camping this weekend with some folks. One of the guys was a TU member, even had the TU tag on his Jeep and so did his dad who has been an active member for years. Yep neither had a clue of the Tellico issues.

[CronusTRD]

You know, someone should approach whoever is the head of TU and see if he is even aware of this. I doubt he would take kindly to lawsuits being attached to his organization and could probably squash it from within. It's like me filing a lawsuit on behalf of Pirate4x4.com.

[BigGreenMonster]

Originally Posted by CronusTRD

You know, someone should approach whoever is the head of TU and see if he is even aware of this. I doubt he would take kindly to lawsuits being attached to his organization and could probably squash it from within. It's like me filing a lawsuit on behalf of Pirate4x4.com.

that ball is too far set in motion now. if the head of tu does not know about this then his head should be rolling.