Cycle News Editorial - Off Road Sovereignty

[KTMrad 512]

It had been about five years since I was last in Kennedy Meadows and finally we had returned. Trips up to the riding area in the heart of the Sierra Nevadas are usually a once-a-year opportunity since the season is short and the drive is long. Our last trip up here was epic – breath-takingly beautiful with mild temperatures, blue skies, running streams and lush flora. I was looking forward to our summertime off-road retreat and once again racing along the smooth, sweeping trails up to Osa Meadow like we had done so long ago. Only these trails are no longer smooth. Once we had climbed out of the rocky, beat up terrain near camp, we thought we’d be in for “the good stuff.” But these were not the trails I remembered. That pale ribbon of single track that we once flew along as though we were on rails is now wide as double-track and completely whooped out.

Unfortunately this is a pretty common experience. Many of the off-road areas I rode long ago are now succumbing to the effects of the heavy off-road traffic: blue-groove, square-edge bumps, exposed roots, blown out hill climbs and of course the inevitable result of long-travel suspension, whoops. The sport has grown, and our lands have shrunk, and corralling the thousands of weekenders into such limited areas only leads to heavily concentrated spots of chewed up land – not to mention more accidents – and of course, the “enviros” use this as a showcase against us in an effort to close more lands.

In the off-road community, the very term “environmentalist” is equivalent to “bad guy.” Calling someone an “enviro” is a slanderous remark often meaning ignorant, self-righteous or prejudiced against our way of life.

But here’s some food for thought – I consider myself an environmentalist. In fact, I think most all off-roaders are. We enjoy the great outdoors, appreciate and respect its beauty – don’t we? We love nature and we want to be in it – riding, exploring, climbing mountains, snaking through canyons, etc. We have our favorite camping areas and take care of them like a second home, spending holidays there and enjoying time with loved ones. Of course, the fundamental difference is that we want to protect and preserve the land for people to enjoy – not permanently seal it off from mankind.

The primary misunderstanding between our two flavors of environmentalism is the notion that the off-road community doesn’t respect or care for the land. Unfortunately every group has its bad apples, but for the most part, we all know this to be untrue. Take your California desert riders (including yours truly). We know the landscape like the back of our hands, we know the weather patterns, where the flowers are going to bloom, where the water is going to flow, what time of year the tarantulas come out and plenty of us have laid it down to avoid hitting a tortoise. Sure some of us may enjoy loud music and big bonfires but that doesn’t mean we don’t have respect for our surroundings.

The Husky Monument in Mojave is a perfect example of how much off-roaders revere our land, and even call it sacred. The Husky started as a memorial to one, and through the years has become a memorial for dozens of desert riders and has become a well-known destination. Each time we go there it seems there’s a new plaque put in. Some of the newer monuments have lock boxes which are actively used by passers by to either find something they need, or leave something behind like spark plugs, zip ties, a map, extra levers, granola bars or even a beer. The continued growth and upkeep of the Husky Monument is testament to how respectful off-roaders are to each other and how much ownership we take in our land.

It’s this same sense of ownership that makes it downright laughable when someone tells you that you’re not allowed to go there anymore. Or that you have to pay a fee to be there. It’s like a stranger standing at your front door telling you “This area is restricted.” It’s hard to accept “closed” areas in what we consider our own territory, and what makes it even more laughable is the way they try to block the trails. In the Jawbone area of Mojave where many trails were recently closed, the Rangers used a bulldozer to push soft mounds of dirt up to the trail heads. Seriously? Is a pile of dirt supposed to stop a dirt bike? How many of our tax dollars go to the salary of the genius who came up with that idea?

Even more laughable are the enviros who try to take matters into their own hands by building blockades along a trail – legal, marked trail, mind you. They’ll often take branches (from a tree they cut down) and prop it up between bushes thinking that will stop riders dead in their tracks. I wish they could see how little effort it takes to wheelie and knock it down without even slowing down. Sometimes they’ll even throw a log in the way which only turns into the EnduroCross section of the trail.

Along one particularly whooped-out trail in the Sierras there are dozens and dozens of trees cut down, and this must have been done by the Forestry Service because it would have required some heavy machinery. The logs were used to block the smaller tracks along the sides of the trail which people have been using to avoid the whoops. It’s amazing that they put that much effort into forcing riders to stay on the trail instead of using that same effort to simply fix the trail. Sure, knocking down the whoops would take a lot of effort, but so does sawing down trees and moving logs!

The same fundamental misunderstanding between our groups continues to cause this endemic conflict, which is nothing but frustrating and counter-productive on both ends. They think we’re only out to destroy and disrespect the land, and we think they’re only out to villainize and harass us to no one’s benefit.

We hear the same story over and over again: We’re under attack! We need to make our voices heard! Let’s fight to keep our lands open! So perhaps you write a letter to your Congressman, or voice your opinion at a public hearing. While that’s commendable, it’s also like trying to use a squirt gun to put out a fire. What we really need to do to build some clout is form one central organization. Sure, there are plenty of hard working groups out there fighting the good fight like the AMA, MIC, SVIA, ORBA, CORVA, BRC and other groups... but why so many? Why are our efforts so scattered?

Consider the Sierra Club for a minute. If the members separated into ten separate smaller groups with common but distinct agendas, they wouldn’t have nearly the same destructive force. Taking it a step further, imagine if they were mere individuals writing letters instead of backing the voice of a single and powerful lobbyist group. Just like trying to block a trail with sticks and branches, their efforts would become less and less effective the more they spread out.

Through forming a single organization, we could not only voice what we want, but let lawmakers and other lobbyist groups know who we are. We’re not a bunch of thugs who like to kick puppies and light things on fire. We care about our lands and want to maintain our trail systems. We could also show that it makes no sense to have groups with no real grasp of what we’re doing to police our activities. We not only have the best ability and most know-how, but also the greatest incentive to dictate how we should use our lands.

Our beloved Kennedy Meadows, for instance, could use a few years of rest for the trails to recover. I know plenty of voices out there will disagree, but I think the existing trail system in the area would benefit from a few years with no OHV activity. If it remains open and unchanged, it will always be beat up and whooped out. But when you close one area, open up another. Many former riding areas that have been closed since the 70s could be re-opened to the public as the existing ones are shut down. Simply shutting down more territories and boxing us in doesn’t work for anyone.

Imagine a world where we could police ourselves. There would be far more respect for the rules, not only because the rules would make more sense but because we would have much smarter ways to enforce them.

Before any of that can happen, however, we need to form a stronger organization – one that could unite the efforts of the existing groups and provide much heavier political weight. We could not only keep lands open, but do things like make sure our money is being used for us – not against us. When our funds are in danger of being raided, or new registration fees are being proposed we’d have a much louder voice.

Another thing I can’t help but wonder about is how much these environmental groups are getting away with because we’re so divided? Think of all the underhanded political moves that could (and do) go on right under our noses without our realizing it. Take the CPSIA for example and the subsequent ban of youth ORV sales. We didn’t see it coming. The MIC tried to blow the whistle when the law was on the Hill, but it wasn’t loud enough. The word didn’t spread and we simply didn’t get it until the carpet was yanked out from under us.

The MIC, SVIA and AMA are still working together at the Capitol to amend the CPSIA, and you can rest assured that our industry won’t accept another ban, which could be enforced in less than a year. But perhaps we need to be pushed too far. Perhaps such an all-encompassing issue is just the catalyst we need to convince off-roaders everywhere that we can have a much louder voice through a more centralized effort.

The opinions and views expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial staff or Cycle News Inc.

[Crawdaddy 96]

.......The primary misunderstanding between our two flavors of environmentalism is the notion that the off-road community doesn’t respect or care for the land........we all know this to be untrue........It’s hard to accept “closed” areas in what we consider our own territory, and what makes it even more laughable is the way they try to block the trails.

Good article.....the closures I've encountered in Big Bear/Mammoth this year were irritating and nonsensical.....closures for the sake of closures with no solid rationale (in my mind)......and we won't be able to stem the tide of closures if we don't do a better job of lobbying to keep "our" lands open.....which is why I throw my support behind several groups fighting for "our" rights to use "our" land in a constructive manner....

[dirt dame 561]

I agree with the main point of that article. Close some areas up and maybe do some upgrading to get rid of the whoops, while opening another area for use. When we were up on the Kern Plateau this summer, we noted how whooped out the trails were and how nice it would be, if somebody just got out there with a sweco and smoothed those things out. If the want to give some trails a rest, they could start by reopening Rosebriar.

I think that the same thing happened to the desert also. Closing down bunches of it just made the remaining part get beat to death.

[KTMrad 512]

I agree with the main point of that article. Close some areas up and maybe do some upgrading to get rid of the whoops, while opening another area for use. :

I think that the same thing happened to the desert also. Closing down bunches of it just made the remaining part get beat to death.

Agreed.

But do our representatives know this ?

That's why it's important for us all to respond to these AMA Take Action notices.