Everyone Please Read!!!

[woodsy]

The following pics were taken of an article on the front page of the Muskegon Chronicle – Sunday Paper Dated 11/20/05
I tried to get close enough pics of the paper to allow all of you readability of what was being written about us!! PLEASE read the article VERY closely and pay special attention to the pictures too.
There are a number of VERY misleading comments in the article and even some downright LIES!!! The main down right LIE that really sent me is the one found with the picture of the mangled up gate on the North/West corner of Cedar Creek. The caption says that WE (ORVers) did this damage!! That is INSANE – there is NO WAY a Motorcycle or a Quad could have possibly have caused that damage AND we would have no reason to as our LEGAL trail goes within 40 yards of that gate and we have TOTAL LEGAL access to that road way WITHOUT destroying this property!! So, who would want access to this spot?? Maybe anglers wanting to get to the bridge that is directly at the bottom of the hill – ooh, that’s right, this article wasn’t written to damage the credibility of the fisherman was it (no offense to fisherman – I am one too)!!!!
Also notice the picture of the huge crevice reportedly caused by us.. That spot looks vaguely familiar to me and if its where I think it is that mess is MILES from ANY trail, it is actually caused by the Muskegon County Road Commission trucks/graders backing into a remote location not to far from me – I am going to check that out tomorrow!
Please notice that directly below this HUGE article on the front page starts another article addressing crime in the State/National Forests. The Lead Pic BEFORE the copy is of a typical garbage mound found in most state/National Forest. The “continued text” for this article is found on another page – this time directly above the conclusion of the article about our sport. It appears that the writer(s) were doing their darndess to tie us together with garbage tossers!!
If, after reading this article, you feel as UPSET as I do please note: The Chronicle has a section they call “Viewpoints”. This particular section of the paper actually prints a selection of the responses received. I am including ALL the applicable information from the paper for accessing Viewpoints in the last couple of pics. I believe that, as a MINIMUM response the Chronicle should be thrashed with a HUGE response from us.. Also, if 2trakr would report this article to the CCC there may be some BIGGER things that need to happen???
READ ON AND WEEP BROTHERS!!!!

 

[woodsy]

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[woodsy]

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[woodsy]

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PLEASE NOTE - on this set of pics the end of the second colum in the middle picture is found by reading the last pic.
Then the end of the last pic info is found by reading the last colum of the middle pic.. Are you lost yet????

 

[woodsy]

next
I redid that last part to help anyone who couldnt fiqure it out :)

 

[woodsy]

next
1st pic here is of the Erosion area that I am going to check on. I will let you know if its where I think it is..
2nd pic is of the Gate that we supposivily ruined. This is found up on the North Loop of Cedar Creek.
3rd pic here is of the Garbage that is the beginning of the article under the "ORV Ruins Land" front pager!!

 

[woodsy]

Here is the info for our loco - I mean local paper.. Please, PLEASE, PLEASE respond to them in an orderly fashion and maybe we can undo some of the hard feelings they have certainly created with their less then wholesome coverage!! Makes me wonder why on earth they didnt show some pictures of our really nice CLEAN new parking areas that OUR money paid for arrrrgggggggg!!!!
Sorry about the picture quality folks but I had to use what I had!!

 

[70 marlin]

Good job sniffing out the truth Woodsy your one heck of a bird dog! I wonder if this and foul fish in the parking lot the last two years have some sort of connection to this? It must be some kind of commie plot to get old twisty shut down?

 

[INCA]

Woodsy - I'll be there in about 5 hours. Can give you a hand if necessary, like taking more pictures or whatever.

 

[slow_joe]

http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-8/113258250412610.xml&coll=8
http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-8/113258250212610.xml&coll=8

 

[UP Magoo]

Slow joe beat me to it... But for the lazy, here's the article:

Boom in RV riding taking its toll on land

Sunday, November 20, 2005
By Jeff Alexander
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
Carl Snider emerged from the Manistee National Forest after two hours of intense off-road trail riding with a smile on his face and specks of dirt in his teeth.
The 44-year-old Snider said he and his 20-year-old son often travel to Twin Lake to ride their four-wheel quads on the Cedar Creek Trail, a 24-mile network of ORV trails that loops through the southern portion of the Manistee National Forest.
"I do it for the adrenaline rush," Snider said. "It's about going out in the woods and scaring the hell out of yourself."
The Cedar Creek Trail is the only public ORV trail within an hour's drive of Snider's Coopersville home. Like many trails in Michigan's system of 2,705 miles of off-road vehicle trails and routes, the Cedar Creek Trail is showing signs of heavy use and, in some areas, environmental abuse due to the soaring popularity of ORVs.
"You get on one (legal) trail and you'll find 10 others going off it," said Tom Dykema, a Twin Lake resident who has ridden ORVs for 23 years. He said ORV riders have created about 40 miles of illegal trail spurs off the Cedar Creek Trail, a claim supported by government studies.
Off-road trail riding in Michigan has quadrupled since the mid-1970s, and the surge in ORV use is overwhelming some trails on state and federal land, especially in the Lower Peninsula, according to a recent state report.
"There is a tremendous amount of damage occurring in our state and national forests," said Stephen Kubisiak, recreation and trails program coordinator for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Intense ORV activity on established trails, and illegal riding on others, has caused soil erosion that has suffocated prime fish habitat in trout streams, churned up ecologically fragile wetlands, destroyed plants that support federally-protected insects, and caused conflict between people who ride motorcycles and those who prefer ORVs, according to a state report.
Government officials claim ORV riders who don't know the rules of trail riding are wreaking havoc on public lands. ORV enthusiasts said illegal riding is rampant because there aren't enough established trails to accommodate a 10-fold increase in registered ORVs in Michigan.
"If we get more trails it will stop a lot of the illegal riding," said Dick Ranney, chairman of the DNR's Off-Road Vehicle Advisory Board. Ranney represents the ORV industry on the panel.
The number of registered ORVs in Michigan has increased from 16,000 machines in 1975 to 180,673 in 2005. During that same period, Michigan has declared more areas off-limits to ORVs, according to state data.
Those conflicting trends are having devastating results on public lands, according to government officials, conservationists and some ORV riders.
Illegal ORV trail riding is tearing up forests on public and private land across the state, stripping vegetation off the landscape and leaving vast sand pits that bleed sand and silt into nearby streams, destroying wildlife habitat and endangering federally-protected species, such as the Karner Blue butterfly in West Michigan.
"This is a real critical issue for us now because the DNR is going through a forest certification process," Kubisiak said.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm last year ordered the DNR to seek a "healthy forest" certification for Michigan's forests. The certification verifies that forests are managed in a sustainable manner. The certification requires government officials to maintain a healthy balance between human activities in publicly owned forests -- logging and recreational activities, such as hunting and ORV riding -- and ecosystem values, such as maintaining good water quality and protecting fish and wildlife habitat.
Many states are seeking "healthy forest" certifications because a growing number of wood products companies, such as Home Depot, only buy lumber from forests that are certified as being managed in a sustainable manner, Kubisiak said.
The Michigan DNR recently released a draft of a new ORV plan that attempts to meet deficiencies cited in the forest certification review. The ORV plan, which has yet to be approved, aims to reduce damage caused by illegal trail riding by educating riders, requiring a safety course for all new riders born after 1998, increasing law enforcement patrols, and restoring areas where soil erosion endangers nearby streams or has harmed wildlife habitat.
"I have a problem with random, illegal riding," said Ranney, off-road legislative director for Michigan's chapter of the American Motorcyclist Association. "But at the same time, if there aren't trails available, people are still going to ride. Its the state's responsibility to manage that activity."
Ranney said the DNR needs to establish a new ORV riding area in southern Michigan to relieve pressure on other, heavily used trails in northern counties.
Nearly half of all ORV riding in Michigan takes place on private property, according to Chuck Nelson, a Michigan State University professor who is an expert on recreation economics.
Providing trails for the growing number of ORVs is difficult, Nelson said, because there are so many different types of vehicles on the market, from motorcycles to quads and all-terrain vehicles that resemble small trucks.
Under Michigan law, all state and national forests are closed to ORVs unless there is a posted trail.
The absence of a posted trail does little to deter ORV riders, said Les Russell, the Baldwin/White Cloud district ranger in the Manistee National Forest. "A lot of these people feel they should be able to ride wherever they want," he said.
About five years ago, the U.S. Forest Service placed several long spans of steel guardrail, the same kind found along highways, in a section of the Manistee National Forest southwest of Holton. The guardrails were installed to keep out four-wheel drive trucks that had ripped up vegetation beneath a high-tension power line that extends through the forest, creating a half-mile long stretch of barren, sandy hills that releases silt and sand into nearby Cedar Creek.
"As soon as we block off one hill climb they create another," Russell said. "They think we're mean, nasty people who have no right to take away their right to ride in the forest. It's a huge controversy."
Dale Bosworth, chief of the U.S. Forest Service, recently said "unmanaged recreation," such as illegal ORV riding, is one of four major threats to the nation's forests.
Some communities have banned ORVs altogether. Vilas County, which owns large tracts of forest in northern Wisconsin, has banned ORVs on all county property.
Vilas County promotes itself as a place for "quiet recreation." Last year, voters there rejected, by a 2-1 margin, a proposal to permit ORVs in county-owned forests and develop new trails.
At the federal level, the forest service recently announced a policy change that will give local managers the authority to decide where people can ride off-road vehicles in national forests.
Russell said his staff installed a heavy steel gate on a forest road near Holton this summer to stop illegal ORV riding in the area. Within weeks, someone smashed the gate and tossed it to the side of the road.
Federal officials have written about 200 tickets this year for illegal ORV use in the Baldwin district of the Manistee National Forest. Russell said many riders caught riding illegally consider the $50 ticket part of the cost of having fun, while others berate federal officials for limiting where ORVs can go.
Some ORV groups are trying to persuade counties in northeast Michigan to allow ORVs that are not street legal -- motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles -- to drive on the shoulders of county roads. Russell said such a designation would encourage more illegal ORV use because county roads run through many state and national forests.
The damage ORVs can cause on unpaved county roads is evident on Sweeter Road, which runs through a portion of the Manistee National Forest in northeast Muskegon County.
People who ride ORVs up and down a hill on the side of Sweeter have created gullies that have washed away parts of the county road.
Steve Vallier, one of the developers of the Stonegate golf course and residential development on Sweeter Road, said ORVs have caused severe soil erosion that has choked parts of nearby Cedar Creek with sand. He said Stonegate officials have been unable to keep ORV users from tearing up the company's private property, which abuts the national forest.
Vallier said he put up "No Trespassing" signs on Stonegate's property in an effort to keep ORVs out. He said all of those signs were promptly torn down.
"It's pretty hard to catch them or even talk to them," Vallier said. "If they see you, they take off."


And the link to send a letter to the editor: HERE

 

[salgeek]

http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-8/113258250412610.xml&coll=8&thispage=1

 

[bbarel]

I called the paper. First I talked to John Stevnson (231-725-6360), who is the editor, but he gave me off to the writer Jeff Alexander. We had a friendly conversation and I asked Jeff if he could explain to me what was his factual basis for this caption:

"Dertemined ORV riders rip apart gates and burn tree stumps in order to ride along unauthorized areas..."

At first Jeff thought this came from the DNR officer (Russell), but I asked Jeff, then why does the main article text say "someone smashed the gate" and how did you determine that someone was an ORV rider? ->

"Russell said his staff installed a heavy steel gate on a forest road near Holton this summer to stop illegal ORV riding in the area. Within weeks, someone smashed the gate and tossed it to the side of the road."

Jeff conceeded he did not know and would need to talk to the photographer that was responsitlbe for the caption. Jeff said they would print a "clarification" on pp2 in a future paper if he determines the caption is not accurate.

Jeff seemed like a reasonable guy and I think he was a little embarassed about that caption and the title of the article, which I think came from the editor (Steve). Jeff said he wanted to report the issues we face with increasing ORVs and decreasing trail options, but I told Jeff I felt the article sounded like an attack against ORVs.

Anyhow, Jeff at least seemed open to listen to our side of the story and it sounded like this may not the last story he writes about ORVs. It is just too bad they did not get our input BEFORE printing the article, instead of from one yahoo on a quad who just wants to "scare the hell out of yourself".

 

[2TrakR]

Phase one. Still working on this. May be a good idea to put some thoughts together and see if we can get a more favorable article out of the author before sending nasty letters in.

Note Les Russle is Huron Manistee National Forest regional manager/ranger. Not in the DNR. This article muddies up the line between USFS and State/DNR.

Here's what I have so far...

He said ORV riders have created about 40 miles of illegal trail spurs off the Cedar Creek Trail, a claim supported by government studies.

The two most heavily used trails in the State do have an excessive number of spur or braided trails on them. This is due to their over-use and the resulting poor trail condition. It is an ongoing battle for the volunteer maintenance groups to try and keep the spur trails closed. The more traffic forced down a trail, the more "whooped out" (roller coaster style humps) it becomes, the more unpleasant the experience is, the more likely a rider is likely to seek out a smoother trail for a given section. The further north you get in the trail system, the less this problem appears. The solution is pretty obvious - provide more trail riding opportunities in proximity the majority of users. This would include ORV opportunities in southeast Michigan as well as additional trail miles near the southern portions of the current trail system.

The ORV plan, which has yet to be approved, aims to reduce damage caused by illegal trail riding by educating riders, requiring a safety course for all new riders born after 1998, increasing law enforcement patrols, and restoring areas where soil erosion endangers nearby streams or has harmed wildlife habitat.

Since 1991 there has been legislation in place that supports all of the listed items. The ORV Fund, which is funded solely through ORV license fees, already provides financial support for restoration and law enforcement and it's already the law for young riders to complete a safety training & education program. The ORV Plan Update recognizes the importance of these items and seeks to increase their effectiveness. Since the inception of the ORV Fund, over 2.4 million dollars have been spent on restoration projects, money that comes directly and solely from ORV operators.

Under Michigan law, all state and national forests are closed to ORVs unless there is a posted trail.

ORVs are required to operate only on trails/routes that are posted open in the lower peninsula. In the upper peninsula they may operate on any trail that is posted open or on any forest road that is not posted closed. Most counties in the UP have also opened their county roads to ORV use. Cross country travel, except in designated scramble areas, has been illegal for many years.

At the federal level, the forest service recently announced a policy change that will give local managers the authority to decide where people can ride off-road vehicles in national forests.

This is nothing new or recent; for years the USFS has had the ability and the power to manage ORV recreation. The National Forests in Michigan, for years, have managed ORV use on their lands by designating trails open to their use, closing areas that were not suitable for ORVs and adopting policies that properly managed motorized recreation. The recent travel plan adopted at the Federal level requires each USFS Management unit to define their ORV management practices and designate which roads/trails are open to ORV use. The National Forests in Michigan have already completed this years ago.

Some ORV groups are trying to persuade counties in northeast Michigan to allow ORVs that are not street legal -- motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles -- to drive on the shoulders of county roads. Russell said such a designation would encourage more illegal ORV use because county roads run through many state and national forests.

The counties that have adopted such local ordinances have found the economic, social and legal benefits to be more than positive. Providing access to local communities on designated routes boosts the local economy in multiple ways from the obvious food and fuel to the less considered lodging and real estate. Real Estate agents have found that motorized recreation enthusiasts are more likely to consider property purchases in a county that is friendly to such pursuits and a resulting increase in their business activity.
The most important item to grasp is that the counties who have adopted legislation to allow unlicensed ORV travel on specified county roads have seen a definite and measurable DECREASE in illegal activity including environmental damage. The fear of increased damage by DNR and USFS personnel is just that: a fear; you will hear it whenever Unit Manager or Conservation Officer are asked. The reality is quite contrary to their fears.

The damage ORVs can cause on unpaved county roads is evident on Sweeter Road, which runs through a portion of the Manistee National Forest in northeast Muskegon County.

There is no dispute that improper and/or illegal use of any vehicle can damage county roads. That damage needs to be addressed, as it has been in many areas of the State, by education, enforcement and restoration. It is important to note that the ORV operators in the State contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in State and Federal motor fuel taxes. Money that is directly put into the road commissions coffers to maintain public roads. Those tax dollars are not put into maintaining Public Trails, but into public roads that most ORVs are not permitted to use.

 

[woodsy]

Thanks you guys for posting those links to the story and for putting the story up in "legible type"!!
A couple of other quick thoughts before I head out.
1st - 2trakr brings up a really interesting point about OUR ORV dollars paying the costs of ORV trail maintenance and installation.. Because of the way the article was written I truely wonder if leading the readers into thinking their tax dollars are being spent to create this "Off Roaders Gone Wild" scenario.. Kind of giving footing to a future vote for getting tighter regs on our sport??
2nd - Jeramy: when you and they speak of "Spurs" are you speaking of the two tracks that run throughout the area?? I have ridden Old Twisty for years and am really not familiar with 40 miles of single track being illegally used in that area.. If that comment pertains to two tracks - shouldnt that be addressed differently??
Later
Woodsy

 

[2TrakR]

Spurs or braided trail are illegal "new" sections of trail that branch off from an existing trail.
Not talking about forest roads/two tracks.
Example:
Tree falls in forest across trail. First - did the falling tree make a sound if nobody was there to hear it? Second - Trail Users will go around that downed tree and create a new trail that gets them back to the original trail. This is braided trail. Trail Users will also do this to get around a mudhole or horribly whooped out piece of trail. A spur is generally an access trail from the main trail to a hunting blind, fishing spot, private property, etc. and is considered a spur since it doesn't return to the main trail.

 

[woodsy]

Just got off the phone with the Chronicle.. Sounds like Mr. Alexander is having quite a busy day :ahhh:
I spoke with the person in charge of "As The Readers See It" and "Viewpoint" - both areas of the paper where our comments wouild be written..
I was told that E-mailing and Faxing is "hard to prove legit" - therefore they (the Chronicle) requests that we submit ANY responses that we would like published to them via snail mail.. He also said that it would take 2 weeks to see it in the paper..
The correct address is:
As The Reader See's It
I-C-O The Muskegon Chronicle
981 3rd Street
Muskegon MI 49443

PLEASE keep the comments civil and use as much clear/concise structure as possible. Lets try and show the people that read that paper that we are NOT "Off Roaders Gone Wild", we are actually good caretakers of the forests we ride in!!!!
Part of my letter is going to include an invitation to ANY non-rider to come out and check the condition of our Trail Heads at any time and see if it appears that we are a destructive group by nature!!
Later
Woodsy

 

[woodsy]

Spurs or braided trail are illegal "new" sections of trail that branch off from an existing trail.
Not talking about forest roads/two tracks.
Example:
Tree falls in forest across trail. First - did the falling tree make a sound if nobody was there to hear it? Second - Trail Users will go around that downed tree and create a new trail that gets them back to the original trail. This is braided trail. Trail Users will also do this to get around a mudhole or horribly whooped out piece of trail. A spur is generally an access trail from the main trail to a hunting blind, fishing spot, private property, etc. and is considered a spur since it doesn't return to the main trail.

Thanks Jeramy! Now, as soon as Deer Season is over, I gotta go ride Ol Twisty and see if I can find this to be true of her with my own peepers... Maybe that article will actually increase the amount of trail hours for some of us :aj:
Woodsy

 

[woodsy]

And another note..
Jeff Alexander's phone number (he is the actual person that wrote the story) at the Chronicle is:

231-725-6372

IMHO - CIVIL questions concerning us "determined ORV Riders Ripping Down Gates and Burning Stumps" wouold certainly be appropriate!!
I still cant believe they printed that!!! :|

 

[salgeek]

Didn' t the Holton Trail recently re-open Mid - 2004? With that closed for the length of time it was I suspect many a mile of trail was created so folks had a place to ride.

 

[jim f.]

One of the problems is that off road trucks are consired to be ORV's, around here they have done tons of damage, not all of them but enough of them that it is very noticable in spots.

 

[70 marlin]

Scott let me know when you head out after bambi season, I'd like a ride if the there's no snow?

 

[YZMAN400]

One of the problems is that off road trucks are consired to be ORV's, around here they have done tons of damage, not all of them but enough of them that it is very noticable in spots.

That is part of the problem. Because people dont think of trucks as ORV's. When the topic of ORV's is brought up the general public thinks of Quads and bikes. They completely forget that 4x4 truck/jeeps are in that group also. And they can do a horific amount of damage in the wrong hands.

 

[BadgerMan]

Well, I guess I'll add my two cents.....having been born and raised in Twin Lake. With regard to the Muskegon Comical, they have always had problems with facts. When you live in a small community, there are occasions where you have intimate knowledge of a situation that gets reported by the local media. On several occasions during the 28 years I lived there, the Chronic-ill either disregarded the facts or did not bother to confirm them. Heck, they even screwed up our wedding announcement when Tanya and I got hitched!

"I do it for the adrenaline rush," Snider said. "It's about going out in the woods and scaring the hell out of yourself."

……could have picked a better spokesman for our cause, eh?

"You get on one (legal) trail and you'll find 10 others going off it," said Tom Dykema, a Twin Lake resident who has ridden ORVs for 23 years. He said ORV riders have created about 40 miles of illegal trail spurs off the Cedar Creek Trail, a claim supported by government studies.

This is ridiculous. I remember when the Cedar Creek trail was put in……via an enduro. The 40 miles of “spurs” have to be the numerous two trackers that the legal trail crosses. Those roads were there long before the trail was. Incidentally, if there are indeed 40 miles worth of two trackers, there used to be 400, back during the late seventies. Riding opportunities in that area are one tenth what they used to be for a road legal bike.

Likewise, the damage caused by ORV's in that area is 10% of what it was say 20 years ago. Anyone remember all the hill climbing that went on years ago along the creek? Rattlesanke Hill......Yamaha Hills.....etc.........tremendous erosion damage. Those were closed off years ago. There used to be a connector trail that ran from Sweeter over to the southern loops. That's long since closed too. Maybe that's a cause for the illegal activity near the golf course? Residents in the area have no way to legally connect with the designated trail system?

The number of registered ORVs in Michigan has increased from 16,000 machines in 1975 to 180,673 in 2005.

Did you have to register an ORV in 1975? If you did, it was one of the first years for the ORV sticker requirement. If he considers ORV’s to be three or four wheelers, I am surprised there were any registered in ’75. Did they even exist? Maybe an ATC 90 or two, eh?

Gov. Jennifer Granholm last year ordered the DNR to seek a "healthy forest" certification for Michigan's forests. The certification verifies that forests are managed in a sustainable manner. The certification requires government officials to maintain a healthy balance between human activities in publicly owned forests -- logging and recreational activities, such as hunting and ORV riding -- and ecosystem values, such as maintaining good water quality and protecting fish and wildlife habitat.

What kind of “feel good” crap is this? Does this mean that they have not been promoting “healthy forests” to date? What has the DNR and USFS been doing with our tax dollars?

"A lot of these people feel they should be able to ride wherever they want," he said.

On public land? Yes, within reason, WE OWN IT! Hence the name…..public land.

Vilas County, which owns large tracts of forest in northern Wisconsin, has banned ORVs on all county property.

Anyone see a problem with this statement? A county “owns” large tracts of forest? A governmental entity "owns" large tracts of property? Isn’t that a step down the slippery slope called socialism? Watch out for this trend as it is going on here in my township too.

Steve Vallier, one of the developers of the Stonegate golf course and residential development on Sweeter Road

Is this development anywhere near the legal trail? From what I remember, it’s not..........in which case it’s probably a few neighbor hood kids tearing up the property and has nothing to do with people who are legally using the trail system.

When I read between the lines, it appears that Vallier may be also complaining about the noise. If that is the case, the trail was there long before the development was. Isn't that like buying a house near the airport and then complaining about the noise?

 

[woodsy]

Badgerman - you said EXACTLY what needed to be said! I too have lived on and ridden this area my entire life, from Shotgun Hill, thru Poedunk, to the Rothbury powerlines!! All gone and closed now for the sake of erosion. I bet a lot of folks dont realise this, but, the Lincoln Hills Loop used run thru HUNDREDS of acres of Huge hardwood forest that the DNR closed down to us bikers in the name of "Forest Management". Then they hired a logging company to come thru and STRIP the land - leaving HUGE crevices in OUR land and miles of brush piles that a deer coiuldnt even walk thru!! OF course, because they (the loggers) were making our Government $$$ the erosion didnt matter!!
I still think, as you stated perfectly, that the real battle is about who's land it REALLY is! If the very land we stand and live on belongs to a group of people who are elected officials (the Government) and every time an election takes place and ownership of the land changes hands so do the rules governing the land = TROUBLE!!
I wasnt around when our ancestors fought and died to kick the British off our soil for "Freedoms Sake" but I can sure understand some of the reasons WHY!! The fact of the matter is, it is OUR land!!! .
You touched on a real nerve when you brought up Gov Jennifers comments that the Comical published.. TO put it bluntly, it was a HUGE mistake to connect her name to "proper management" of our land seeing that she continues to allow Canadian TRASH to be shipped into our state and DUMPED on OUR soil!~! :bang: aarrrrrggggg
I mean, think about it folks, here we sit.. A virtual ISLAND in the middle of the planets BIGGEST supply of fresh water and SHE allows FOREIGN dumping that is eventually going to leach right back into Great Lakes - SHEESH!!!!!!
Instead of reading "ORVers Gone Wild" the article should have read "ORVers CONTINUE PROPER MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES ON PUBLIC LANDS" and then reported on the
changes that have taken place that you described or the Trees that were planted by Dirt Riders up in Kalkaska before the Jack Pine Enduro (thanks for the info Ted), or the FACT that OUR trails on OUR lands are soley supported by OUR ORV dollars NOT tax dollars!!!
Concerning the 4X4 trucks and the issues associated with that group.. Did you know that the "State" has been chasing this group out of one of the only "play" areas they have left for YEARS? Silver Lake continues to be a real hot bed with DROVES of out of staters being denied access during prime play times.. Yea, instead of INCREASING the amount of vehicles allowed on the dunes through proper organization and flow the State has taken an aggressive tone with these
guys to "regulate" them out of exsistence!! INstead of the MILLIONS of dollars that could be made through these out doors activities it seems like the state wants to chase away trade dollars.. I dont get it :|
ANyway, PLEASE call the Chronicle and/or write to them.. Dont forget to include your Name, Address and Phone Number with your snail mail or they wont publish the comments!!
70MARLIN - I will indeed let you know when the snow is gone and I am going out again!!! I would really enjoy another ride with you and maybe??? your brother?? Sounds like FUN!!
I have another idea, lets try and get Badgerman over here too as he has that BRAND new Kaaaaatoooommm that I would LOVE a little ride on :rotfl:
Later guys!!!
Scott