Friday, February 26, 2010

ATV's in the Forest

Okay, so we have well over a million acres in forest in the United States of America. Are the People allowed to use it? In many cases.....NO. Why is this? Because many opposing groups believe that PEOPLE should not be in the forest that may disturb the forest.
Wait a minute! If the forest is being managed by USDA/USFS than the Forest should be in great shape!....Right?
WRONG..!!!!
USDA/USFS is saying that due to "mismanagement of the Forest" ( for which they manage) it shall be only right to close the forest to obtain a sustainability to the forest. What doesn't make sense here?
We, The People, pay many taxes for the USDA/USFS to care and manage our forest that WE are supposed to have the right to recreate on. Then these "Green Thumb Lobbyist" say that No One should be in the forest. In the mean time........those same lobbyist are in the forest. USDA/USFS is selling those same trees in the forest to logging companies, for which they never replant trees after Clear Cutting and leaving it look like an ATOM Bomb went off. We, The People, pay USDA/USFS to pay for new trees to be planted. Making sense yet?
So the budget of USDA/USFS is well over $625m, too many employees, way too many pieces of equipment sitting in Work Yards of the USFS rusting away, way too much waste of other types of equipment -( chain saws - hatchets - axes - rakes - just to mention a drop) and Tom Tidwell - Director-USDA/USFS wants more of our money..!!!! And Private Logging companies still Clear Cut land and pay USDA/USFS pennies on the dollar for the tonnage of lumber taken out of the forest, leaving the land like a bomb went off leveling it.
And the People of the United States of America Can NOT even recreate responsibly in the forest?
Making sense yet?
So now people own All Terrain Vehicles, enjoy riding in the forest on trails to see the wilderness and the wildlife, are being told to stay Out of the Forest for What Reason?
All of those supposed studies that USDA/USFS has done with out any true proof that ATV's or OHV's have caused any damage and we are refused to recreate on OUR OWN LAND of the United States of America?

So the USDA/USFS is attempting to implement a New Travel Management Rule.....It will keep All of US from using the Forest Floor for any reason. The Blue Ribbon Coalition is one of the groups doing all they can to correct this problem. Their web site is http://www.sharetrails.org/
Contacting Local representatives, Senators, Governors, and all other government officials to let them know how you feel about this matter and oppose it.

Question;
"If this is the Land of the People, Land of the Free......why is it that the US Government is doing all they can to prevent All of Us from recreating responsibly on our own land?"