If you're passionate about protecting public lands and roads for outdoor recreationalits and four-wheelers, here are some points from
Bob Telepak that you might want to include in your letters to local, state, and federal representatives:
- Access to our public lands is what everyone needs to use and enjoy them. Without access, these lands may as well be in another country.
- Roads are a valid access for the majority of citizens. Without them, only the extremely capable hikers with lots of time can use/enjoy our public lands.
- The very young, the old, and the disabled are definitely being discriminated against when their access by roads is taken away. Road-less equals access-less for the majority of citizens. This is just as bad a form of discrimination as gender, religion, or ethnicity.
- You are an environmentalist too! The extreme-environmental groups like the Sierra Club, SUWA, UWC, Forest Guardians, Earth First, etc, etc like to claim that they stand on the "higher moral ground". Their cause is more noble than ours. They are "saving" the land, while we are despoiling it as we drive over it. As you well know, this is simply not true. We care about the land just as much as they do - but are open-minded enough to allow access to all, not just an elitist group. You need to point this out to the politicians/bureaucrats.
- OHV use is just as valid a form of recreation on our public lands as hiking. Please use the term OHV, not ORV. We really don't want to go off the roads. We DO subscribe strongly to the principle of "Tread Lightly".
- You are in favor of Wilderness areas, but not the bloated and excessive plans proposed by the Wilderness Activists.
- Closing areas and roads is actually NON-management. The charter of the BLM, Forest Service, and National Park Service is to manage our public lands, not to lock us out from them.
- Rangers and "planners" make many road closures rather arbitrarily. This robs the citizens of any voice in the planning or implementation.
