GaryTJ
Well-Known Member
forwarded...
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An open letter to the 4x4 Community:
Dear friends,
I’d like to ask for your help in solving a problem. For many years, the Washington 4x4 community has enjoyed a reputation as a pretty responsible group of users. When talking with concerned individuals, both inside and outside the Forest Service, I have been proud to defend 4x4 enthusiasts as folks of integrity who don’t cause us many problems because they respect the rules, and when they see a problem, work together with us to get it solved.
That reputation is now cracking.
Some events this past summer by (presumably) a few individuals are causing many people to revise their opinion of the 4x4 community as a whole. I’m speaking specifically about a rapidly growing number of new user trails. During this summer, almost every week, we have found new 4x4 trails. Some are long-dormant routes that have been opened up, but others are brand-spanking-new trails. We have found trails- some as long as 3 miles- on the land in October that were not there in July, and at least one (that we know about) was built in an area already closed to cross-country travel (the Manastash). Many of these involve the breaching of closed roads. Most of these are well-thought-out 4x4 trails, not just the result of some no-nothing renegade plowing through the woods. It appears that some individuals are creating these new trails as fast as possible, probably in order to have them included in the travel analysis process. And, I’m sorry to say, the vast majority are indeed 4x4 trails; none of the other user communities are building trails at anywhere near this rate.
Now it’s bad enough that we, the Forest Service ORV managers, are finding these new trails; but I am also hearing about them from members of the environmental community and our own specialists. As you may guess, it’s harder and harder for me to explain that this is the work of a small group ruining it for everyone (a familiar refrain) and that they should not judge the entire ORV community by this. Many people have leaped to the conclusion that all 4x4 enthusiasts are a bunch of renegades, which will make it harder than ever to forge some kind of consensus in regards to adding new trails to the system.
The bottom line is this: The folks that are building these new trails are doing long-term damage to the sport of four-wheeling. And this saddens and concerns me because there are so many individuals in this sport that truly are great to work with, and their reputation is being dragged down by this group of renegades. So I am appealing to all responsible 4x4 enthusiasts to talk to the people behind all this trail construction - I expect you can probably find out who they are through the grapevine - and ask them to knock it off. You might politely explain to them that they’ve done way more harm to the sport than good, and that now would be a good time to cut their losses.
I do want to reiterate that, from all of us here in Cle Elum trails program, we have really appreciated working with the many good people of integrity in the 4x4 community. We truly value all the good work you’ve accomplished and the good times we’ve shared, and we look forward to continuing that. I hope you can help us get this problem under control, so that this small group of renegades will not continue to drag down the reputation of the whole sport. Thanks.
/s/ Tim Foss
Trails, Wilderness, and ORV Manager
Cle Elum Ranger District
*****************************************************
An open letter to the 4x4 Community:
Dear friends,
I’d like to ask for your help in solving a problem. For many years, the Washington 4x4 community has enjoyed a reputation as a pretty responsible group of users. When talking with concerned individuals, both inside and outside the Forest Service, I have been proud to defend 4x4 enthusiasts as folks of integrity who don’t cause us many problems because they respect the rules, and when they see a problem, work together with us to get it solved.
That reputation is now cracking.
Some events this past summer by (presumably) a few individuals are causing many people to revise their opinion of the 4x4 community as a whole. I’m speaking specifically about a rapidly growing number of new user trails. During this summer, almost every week, we have found new 4x4 trails. Some are long-dormant routes that have been opened up, but others are brand-spanking-new trails. We have found trails- some as long as 3 miles- on the land in October that were not there in July, and at least one (that we know about) was built in an area already closed to cross-country travel (the Manastash). Many of these involve the breaching of closed roads. Most of these are well-thought-out 4x4 trails, not just the result of some no-nothing renegade plowing through the woods. It appears that some individuals are creating these new trails as fast as possible, probably in order to have them included in the travel analysis process. And, I’m sorry to say, the vast majority are indeed 4x4 trails; none of the other user communities are building trails at anywhere near this rate.
Now it’s bad enough that we, the Forest Service ORV managers, are finding these new trails; but I am also hearing about them from members of the environmental community and our own specialists. As you may guess, it’s harder and harder for me to explain that this is the work of a small group ruining it for everyone (a familiar refrain) and that they should not judge the entire ORV community by this. Many people have leaped to the conclusion that all 4x4 enthusiasts are a bunch of renegades, which will make it harder than ever to forge some kind of consensus in regards to adding new trails to the system.
The bottom line is this: The folks that are building these new trails are doing long-term damage to the sport of four-wheeling. And this saddens and concerns me because there are so many individuals in this sport that truly are great to work with, and their reputation is being dragged down by this group of renegades. So I am appealing to all responsible 4x4 enthusiasts to talk to the people behind all this trail construction - I expect you can probably find out who they are through the grapevine - and ask them to knock it off. You might politely explain to them that they’ve done way more harm to the sport than good, and that now would be a good time to cut their losses.
I do want to reiterate that, from all of us here in Cle Elum trails program, we have really appreciated working with the many good people of integrity in the 4x4 community. We truly value all the good work you’ve accomplished and the good times we’ve shared, and we look forward to continuing that. I hope you can help us get this problem under control, so that this small group of renegades will not continue to drag down the reputation of the whole sport. Thanks.
/s/ Tim Foss
Trails, Wilderness, and ORV Manager
Cle Elum Ranger District
