What is YOUR Favorite OHV Trail Worth?

By Jerry Smith

October 23, 2013

For those of you lucky enough to have fond memories of camping trips, 4-wheel drive trails, picnics, fishing or hunting trips, or other outdoors experiences from your youth… good on you. Some of these early experiences and memories can be some of the highlights of your life.

Think back on these experiences. Can you remember the joy you had making memories with your mom and dad or grandparents?  How they showed you how to set-up a tent, put a worm on a hook, or just took a walk with you?

Think about sitting around the campfire after dark.  Feel the heat on your face, your clothes, and your arms.

Taste and smell the smoke as it swirls around and burns your eyes. Tears may roll down your cheek causing little discomforts as the flowing liquid gives way to gravity.

See the flickering firelight as it dances its twisting and twirling way into the darkness above. Follow a spark that explodes with a loud “pop” and jumps from the fire with an expectation of burning a hole through your pant leg and into your soft flesh.

Anticipate the taste and sticky feel of that hot, roasted marshmallow slowly dripping off the willow stick as you bring it toward your mouth fearing for your lips and tongue.

These are some of the memories you will carry the rest of your life. Because they are yours alone, memories that only you can truly re-live just as YOU remember them.

In many cases, you may have returned to the same places year after year. Certain campsites, fishing holes, or trails may have become something of a tradition with your family. Year after year you would have noticed different and new things about the area, road, or trail and would have added to and grown in your experiences.

As they say; “those were the days”. 

As life goes on, many of those days are re-lived in our minds as wonderful memories of people, places, and things we have done. In fact, I'm betting you're thinking of one right now. Did a smirk or even a smile come across your face? Did you have one of those “feel-good” moments?

Not to break your mood, but coming back to reality, can you honestly say that all of the places that those memories were made are still accessible by motorized transportation? Can you still drive to those locations and stack new memories on top of the old ones?

Will you be able to take your children to these magical places and provide them the full experience you lived and breathed?

I truly hope you can say yes to these questions, but I fear very few of these memorable places are accessible by motorized means anymore.  Therefore, they will remain unused and not be committed to your children’s cherished remembrances.

Are Your Memories Enough?

Will your stories about your childhood experiences be as vivid and colorful when you relate them to your children so that they will relive the moment with you?  Can you describe the smells, the tastes, the thrills, and the overwhelming joy? 

Probably not.  Not many of us are blessed with that level of story telling skills.

What will you tell your kids and Grand Kids YOU Did to Preserve Trails You Rode?

What will you say when your child or grandchild asks you; “Why can't you take me to this place that you are telling me about?  It sounds like fun.”  Well… what are you going to tell them?

Will you be able to tell them that you worked your buns off fighting the government entity that closed this area or trail… or will you just change the subject so you won’t have to admit that you did nothing?

If, like most people, you will “change the subject”, let me give you some things you might want to consider before resigning yourself to that need.

It used to be that most Forest Service Ranger Districts and BLM Field Offices would have an issue with a few trails, roads, or small areas within their jurisdiction annually.  For one reason or another, they would close certain roads, trails, or areas to motorized travel.  Not too big of an inconvenience.

In more recent years though, these offices have been receiving much more pressure from “anti-access” groups to close vast areas and all roads and trails within them. 

Many of these offices have been going through their 20-year management plans.  They are planning EXTREME and massive changes in the direction they will manage PUBLIC LANDS.  Closures and “Preservation” are now the major ways of “Managing” YOUR publicly owned lands.

Historically speaking, just a few years from the time the government closes a road or trail, they remove them from their inventory… they suddenly never existed.  What do you know about that?

Out of the clear blue, a new 5000-plus-acre piece of “Roadless Area” with “Wilderness Characteristics” has appeared.  Isn’t that wonderful? They now have to “designate” it as such and of course manage it like it is Wilderness.

Not only have we lost our ability to drive roads and trails we have historically used for many years, now we have to “Preserve the whole area for the future”… whatever that really means.

These management practices are expanding exponentially.  Many of the BLM and USFS plans have been calling for closing as much as 80% of the land presently open to motorized use.  

That would include closing up to 75% of existing road and trail mileage in the area.  Is that something you can just sit by and let happen?

How many times can we let this happen before we say “ENOUGH!”?

So, What Is “THE” ANSWER?

How do we do combat with “City Hall” (and the Federal Government)?

First, we must join forces.  Politicians will support massive numbers of potential voters.  We need to promote new laws that will stop this land grab in its tracks.

Only by showing we have massive support will we be able to find support in Congress to pass the kinds of legislation necessary to turn this train wreck around.

Second, join your local Motorized Club(s) that represents your personal recreation choice.  This is the “Grass-roots” where your support begins. 

Organized numbers mean something… think of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and AARP.  Have they accomplished anything memorable?

Third, even though we have numbers, the right people MUST hear from those numbers.  If we don’t “squeak”, we won’t be “greased”.  We need to have people who are passionate about what we do express that to the correct people and institutions.

That is known as a lobbyist and/or an advocate.

Fourth, we MUST be able to generate well thought out… written bills for legislators to take before their committees and hold them accountable to get them passed into laws.  This will require hiring Lawyers who know how to word the bills so that they will be acceptable and lawful.

Legislation that will be enforceable, not easily misinterpreted, and unchallengeable by the “anti-access” groups will need some serious crafting by some very smart people.  They won’t come cheap.

Fifth, either through your membership in your local motorized club or individually, join and support State and National organizations that fight these closures in court.  These people do this as professionals.  They know the land-use laws and how to fight closures “the right way”.  Just saying you oppose a closure won’t do one blessed thing to change it.

The magic word above is “SUPPORT”.  These folks who do this for a living have historically worked with very small piles of resources (MONEY).  "Anti-access" groups have $Millions to support their cause.

Think about how much money could be raised if every user of Public Land would give just one dollar a year to fight these closures.  ONE small dollar a year!

Yet presently… if professionally run offices can raise an additional $100 per day, it is time to celebrate.  How much more could they do with some serious money to work with?

We all know that every user of Public Lands is not even interested, much less supporting of these entities.  So how do we make up the difference?  WE… who CARE… must step up and make it happen.

By becoming a member, you give your self as a number.  This is a great start.  Numbers of members are extremely important. 

But if you could support with a few dollars, be it $5, $10, $20, or more every year, think of what could be done.  Is your annual recreation in the Great American BackCountry worth a few dollars a year? 

How much would it hurt to donate $1.00 at every monthly meeting of your club?  Could you do that? Maybe even $2.00 a month?

To truly make a difference, more of us who really care must “haul the freight”, “step up to the plate”, and “make a difference”. 

PLEASE, show YOUR appreciation for the RIGHT to ACCESS YOUR PUBLIC AMERICAN LANDS.  (R.A.Y.P.A.L.)

One last thought; When you come to a fork in the road… Take it!

Copyright Happy Trails 4wd 2013.  All rights reserved.