You said it. This thread like many others about the con are sad and depressing. I try to follow and keep in the now but my brain housing group does not track all the banter back and forth about this crap, it's too political for me. I just do my part when I go and pick up trash and cig butts along the way, I can't get involved in all this nonsense, not that I don't appreciate those who do volunteer their free time, and I thank you.
Not to try to make less of anything you are doing out there to keep it clean, but.....the things that made the Rubicon a political hot potato are not cig butts and trash. While for the most part wheelers actually take care of their camps better than most. (Something I have learned from my experiences, we really do!).
The reason for all the hoopla is erosion, oil spills and human waste. Each wheeler on the trail, while out there in the dry season, has no real impact on erosion. Water is needed for that equation. The other two can be attacked and taken care of. I have personally witnessed many times, wheelers that stop, get out and whip out their spill kits to clean up someone else's mess. The same for those that are cleaning up after themselves. I say that I think the education is working!!
As for the human waste issue, people can be pretty disgusting and not take care of business. Fact! Some people, like the club Pirates of the Rubicon, go out each year and take care of it for those that can or will not. Without that type of cleanup, the political folks will have a reason to complain. Kudos to all those that do that nasty work!! Education is working there too!! In fact Cal4 took that yellow bandana campaign Statewide last year. Everybody poops! I have seen it in the streets of Sacramento.
Back to erosion. Because spills and poop are so easy to take care of, just clean up and get more people to take that responsibility, that leaves erosion. The claim is that sediment is reaching or contaminating the Waters of the State. Much more difficult to just take care of. El Dorado County for the good of taking care of the business of erosion on the Rubicon has dedicated OHV funding to stabilizing areas that have erosion and the potential for erosion. While going in to a debate about details of that can go on forever, this project is a short term project in that the heavy equipment will be out there for a short period of time. Short being the couple years already and maybe one more.
After that, there will be some ongoing maintenance and monitoring.
Here is where if we are to lose motorized access, we stand to lose the trail. Thank God the County stepped up and made the effort to keep this trail open AS a motorized trail. Because of Rubicon Trail Foundation and the FOTR folks that started it, the intent is to keep it open year round.
Here is where each trail user has the responsibility to do their part to keep the trail open. This years campaign is a green bandana that represents sedimentation issues. So, in essence we have just begun the education on this issue. FOTR will have the responsibility to get out there each summer and maintain what the County started. Also, RTF will have the political responsibility to see that the monitoring required by the County happens as it is supposed to.
The bottom line here is that the work, the volunteering, the education has to keep on going forever. If we want to keep the trail open for future generations it is an absolute requirement that these things be done. They may be done grudgingly, or with muttered explicitives SP?, but they have to happen if the trail is to be kept open.
I firmly believe that the trail will have its reputation intact for years to come as a place to go where the wheeling is good and the scenery is the best in the world. It will take hard work to get it done and is something very doable.
Thanks for making the effort to keep the trail clean. I hope to see you there in the future with a shovel or a wag bag helping to keep,the trail open!! I will be there.
Sent from my cool iPad I won at the Rock Zombie rig wash!