Re: Please Clarify...
Posted by hank jr on May 20, 2002 at 20:16:38:
In Reply to: Re: Please Clarify... posted by curt on May 20, 2002 at 01:50:37:
Curt,
You bring up some very good points- I am sure you are a very intelligent man. However, I feel as though ther is room in California for every one to partake in the activities they enjoy. Take for instance, Death Valley. There is a scarce few hundred miles of road in a 3.3 million acre park which is 95 percent wilderness. I have gone to many beautiful, remote places and seen no other people and no roads, dirt or paved. I understand your concerns regarding
The issue is much larger than Surprise Canyon- it is about the freedom of the entire American west. Why was the most ardent oppposer of the desert protection act a Senator from Wyoming? Because he did not wish to see a precedent of public land use being restricted by the federal government.
The 25 million acres of California desert managed by the BLM has hardly been influenced by humans, inevitably, one can mostly likely find thousands, perhaps millions, of acres of land without any humans in a ten mile radius. Also, the loss of old growth forest needs to be put into perspective. Old growth forests are lost everywhere in the world (i.e. Yellowstone National Park) due to fires and other causes. At some point, every forest was new trees.
I am sure organizations like the Sierra Club mean well. But, I believe their is room in California for all types of recreation, be it four wheeling, backpacking, jet skiing, boating, trail riding, mountain biking, etc. I think a lot more environmental preservation could be acccomplished, if groups like the Sierra Club accepted off roading as a fact of life, and worked with groups like "Tread Lightly" to preserve areas of common interest.