Now that the Rain Season has started

KarlVP · Sep 18, 2006

Copied from EWOR board.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee/cle-elum-orv/mudding.html
Quote:Cle Elum Ranger District
MUDDING

NOTE on MUDDING:

Mudding is illegal and will be treated with ZERO TOLERANCE on National Forest lands. Mudding can be defined as driving vehicles through wet areas of the forest, with the intent to see how much mud can be thrown up onto the vehicle, or how large a mud hole can be created before vehicles can no longer drive through without becoming stuck. Mudding damages soils, water quality, vegetation, aquatic, and non-aquatic life. Mudding gives off-road vehicle users who recreate responsibly a bad rap. It causes more closures to public and private lands, which impacts all kinds of recreation.

If you see this activity occurring, report vehicle descriptions and license numbers to the Forest Service or Kittitas County Sheriff's office. Call the Forest Service hot line at 509-674-8035 or Kittitas County Sheriff at 509-925-8534 to report any resource damage caused by mudding.

Minimum Fine is $ 100.00 and the violators are being held responsible in federal court for the cost of rehabilitating the damaged resources, meadows, hill climbs, stream banks etc. As experienced in several recent court cases the cost can reach several thousand dollars.

Mikki Douglass
509-852-1051 -- ORV Desk
[email protected]
_________________

TheMasterbater · Sep 18, 2006

:rockon: good posting.

GRNTACO · Sep 18, 2006

snwbrdpunk16 said:
:rockon: good posting.

Ditto..............

Jaydog · Sep 18, 2006

They have a video also, it is a little on the bunny hugger side, but it is out there

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee/cle-elum-orv/video/index.html

JEEPFREEK1 · Sep 18, 2006

Jaydog said:
They have a video also, it is a little on the bunny hugger side, but it is out there

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee/cle-elum-orv/video/index.html

That was a nice video.. it was good to see that the responsible wheelers there are getting some recognition and having a say about "mudding" on illegal trails/land.

Also good to see some prominent PNW4WDA members on there.. both of which alot of us know personally.

TB-F · Sep 18, 2006

That video was more than a little on the bunny hugger side.

That said, Mudding is about the stupidest thing you can do if you like to wheel. Any one remember what hapned to the meadow at the top of milk creek on the way to the rocks 3 or 4 years ago? That was terrible. We ran in to a guy in a stock 4runner who went up earlier in the day and couldn't get back on to the bridge on his way down because it had been torn in to a 3 foot ledge at the end

The entire place was ripped up. I thought for shure that the trail would be shut down and a bypass made, that kind of iresponsibility really pisses me off. It's just the minority of users trying there damdest to ruin it for the majority of us.

Good thread Karl.

Ceg · Sep 18, 2006

TB-F said:
That video was more than a little on the bunny hugger side.

X2.

I am for Tread Lightly 100%. I didn't post the video link on EWOR because that video makes it sound like every muddy rig is doing something wrong. I have had people jump me about the mud on my rig when the mud was from my back yard. The land I own!

I say if you want to play in the mud, then find a legal place to do it. Tread Lightly every where else.

TB-F · Sep 18, 2006

Ceg said:
I say if you want to play in the mud, then find a legal place to do it. Tread Lightly every where else.

the best (worst if you ask me) place to legaly get muddy would definatley be powerline/ravens roost. Thing is you still have to tread lightly, wich most people I'v seen on that trail dont, it's hard to do. S you end up with bypasses wich in turn get tore up so new ones are made....etc untill the trail is 70' wide. That's why there is so much controversy over keeping the lower half of the trail open. and BTW I would not realy mind seeing the lower half closed. That mud sux, takes you'r damn paint off.

crash2 · Sep 18, 2006

TB-F said:
That video was more than a little on the bunny hugger side.

That said, Mudding is about the stupidest thing you can do if you like to wheel. Any one remember what hapned to the meadow at the top of milk creek on the way to the rocks 3 or 4 years ago? That was terrible. We ran in to a guy in a stock 4runner who went up earlier in the day and couldn't get back on to the bridge on his way down because it had been torn in to a 3 foot ledge at the end The entire place was ripped up. I thought for shure that the trail would be shut down and a bypass made, that kind of iresponsibility really pisses me off. It's just the minority of users trying there damdest to ruin it for the majority of us.

Good thread Karl.

This last year has 3-4 years ago BEAT by a long shot.... You should go walk around the whole area where milk creek road ends at the clearcut. I could not believe what I saw....

TB-F · Sep 18, 2006

I didn't get up milk creek this year, usualy we come down that way but too much snow this year. On the Kaner Flats side it looked like people were being good:cheer: not tore up thru any of the fields or anything. The forest service or whoever cut down a big tree in to one of the bad holes off the side of the trail so it put the kabosch to that:;

Ceg · Sep 18, 2006

crash said:
This last year has 3-4 years ago BEAT by a long shot.... You should go walk around the whole area where milk creek road ends at the clearcut. I could not believe what I saw....

On June 17th our group came down in to that mess not knowing all the deep mud holes were there. The ruts were deep. We were not happy to have to winch to get out to the road.

TB-F · Sep 18, 2006

Ceg said:
On June 17th our group came down in to that mess not knowing all the deep mud holes were there. The ruts were deep. We were not happy to have to winch to get out to the road.

Just to get thru the clearcut to the road? :wtf: Damn, that used to be totaly smoooooooth.

Ceg · Sep 18, 2006

TB-F said:
Just to get thru the clearcut to the road? :wtf: Damn, that used to be totaly smoooooooth.

Yep. It was screwed up. It had of taken a lot of rigs spinning it there to get those holes that deep.

GRNTACO · Sep 18, 2006

I could not even believe what I saw when I went out there after the snow melted.

Ceg · Sep 18, 2006

This is one of the trails to the road.

It was such a mess we were not for sure what was the main trail and what were the by passes. All the ways through had ruts that 33s couldn't make it. (Edit: As in the 33s were not tall enough to get the rigs through the deep mud holes.)

Trailtoy1993 · Sep 18, 2006

And the destruction to the meadow up at Funny rocks? Unbelievable! Memorial day weekend people were just tearing it up! They (the mudders) are lucky I got there after the damage was done and the perpetrators were already gone! I would have shot first and told the sherriff dept after!!! That is the problem, we don't do enough policing of ourselves! I am sure there was somebody at the rocks when all that damage was occurring that thought that it was wrong what was happening but didn't say sh*t. Responsible wheelers need to step up and speak up or don't get mad when areas get closed because we were to scared to say anything to someone "mudding".

So, to tie this rant back into the thread, now that we are back into the rainy season, SAY SOMETHING! Or silently watch areas get closed down..... Take action, its the only thing that makes a difference! Rather than watching and then b*tching about it on the web!

End rant

TB-F · Sep 18, 2006

Ceg said:
This is one of the trails to the road.

It was such a mess we were not for sure what was the main trail and what were the by passes. All the ways through had ruts that 33s couldn't make it. (Edit: As in the 33s were not tall enough to get the rigs through the deep mud holes.)

mg:

mg: Are you serious! that hole next to the scout is jinormus! that takes some time and effort to do:wtf:

Comet · Sep 18, 2006

I have suggested this before. Clubs adopt trails all the time. Why doesn't some club take up watch on Memorial Day weekend and hand out flyers informing people in camp not to go through the meadows. Then next to the meadows, set up a table, offer free coffee, flyers and tell people that lic. plates and pics will be taken and reported if they go through there. A couple, three years of that and people will GET IT!

TB-F · Sep 18, 2006

Hmmm. That's a good idea. Except I'm usualy wheelin all day. But it's still a good idea...

Jaydog · Sep 18, 2006

Comet said:
I have suggested this before. Clubs adopt trails all the time. Why doesn't some club take up watch on Memorial Day weekend and hand out flyers informing people in camp not to go through the meadows. Then next to the meadows, set up a table, offer free coffee, flyers and tell people that lic. plates and pics will be taken and reported if they go through there. A couple, three years of that and people will GET IT!

I think this is the best idea I have heard yet, I do know that clubs host the campgrounds at different ORV parks in connection with the Rangers, Maybe someone should bring this before the PNW.