Show )X t - f ' ' 1 ' ' i ji 7 f v ' : i I f f ' r- i ' i 4 ‘ Z - r V r- N1 : V -- V' yamj v I ' ' r-' ' V f ''i'Vr r--‘ r?!' A A-r)- 'f‘' ' ' The Herald Jogrnaf f Your view MvmmmM PHce we’re paying to safety too high lb the editor lt has been saidthat when people havclhe chtiice between safetyjand ‘fcy will always choose saftnymsis apnnciplewidcly exploited by the edcral gnient or T lnrt !nhePing reduces is that this act greatly irony ClUSaHnIiIihevmment to cash over f $10000 and arrest the carrier This is all being done in the name of ing terrorism Why would anyone the government to be more Successful in tracking cash than it has been in its war on drags? The knd result is more searches and ' Seizures more federal power and no hdditional protection against terror- ists How does taking cash from peo- pie at an airport or “ind mot hers or making ordinary ‘ velers stand in long lines to have their luggage rummaged through make it safer to fly? The issue is jiot how much more money the govern- ment can seize but how many people in the world have a homicidal hatrai toward the United States Seize any : ‘ allojvs body-searchi- ng r V Mmmmti first Gulf War (read electricity water purirication and sewage treatment) reguiedin thedeiuof upto 500000 baqi children from disease and malnutrition Bush fighting terrorism with decoding He has repeatedly said ter-rorists hate freedom In truth jsts hate the US government and iu policies and are willing to sacrifice ttoronm lives makptiiat slatt mcnt Thc soafied “war on m’ as thereasonto been launch an assault on countries and countries around the has also contributed to the It pwld biggest powr grab by govmunent snce Franklin Roosevelt Allowing government to expand its power and reach as we have in the declared war on terrorism is like bringing a liqn into your house to catch a pesky mouse Once the lion has caught the mouse where does he turn the next time he is hungry? feota terror-hxpe- ct to "tarn UAW&aJGEAPE Ralph Call Providence Motorized recreation In tiro baclrcountryt Two views It’s a question of rights ATVs wreak havoc on land It’s I much to the regret of many Westerners myself included So what’s next? Fire and fuels invasive species habitat fragand said the agency chid’ mentation onform in some or had motorcycles d since I was 11 years old That's how “unmanaged recreation” As someone who has lived in sight of Forest Service land pretty I went fishing or just exploring dodging logmuch all my adult life I’ve got lots to say ging tracks as I gallivanted through the Flat- about each But since Chief Bosworth specifiNational in Forest head Montana It was and cally stated “OHV use alone affects more still is great fun try it imperiled species than logging and logging roads combined” it’s kind of obvious which sometime' fan the fertilizer will hit next That’s not to say that Chief Bosworth’s talk added urgency to a there aren't problems debate among motoriieads In a with motorized recrewe Do nutshell: ation Most things worth compromise with our critics from "Tread Lightly” to credo or our change motorcycles having Must we fight "Don't Tread on MeT” automobiles guns ORVs chainsaws against every closure every restriction? I’m with the faction power tools snowmobiles cell phones — all Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that share a common trait Stupid people shouldn't the chief of the Forest Service would someday have them and there’s the mb Only a small number of recreationists of any declare motorized recreation a "peril” But I never imagined that the log trucks (and my kind — especially dummies — belong to orgalogger neighbors) would disappear either nized groups that try to teach responsible 7 What happened? Well as my friend Bill behavior outdoors For example while three Sutton puts it in every are 65 million gun owners Ires than five milissue of his lion actively defend their rights as National recreation newsletter Rifle Association members On a smaller scale the same reality faces motorized recre"Stay on the road Smile ation advocacy groups such as the BlueRibbon at the hikers eat a good breakfast don’t pick Coalition to which I proudly belong Just like the NRA groups like the BJueRib-your nose and it will not make any difference to bon Coalition based in Pocatello Idaho the ' the greeniesThey don’t American Motorcyclist Association and many educa-ticmlike you” Sadly I think Bill is right lot on smaller clubs spend a of money Selfish environmentalists sean to think efforts BlueRibbon has jumped in with both feet on damping down noise from our “multiple use” means two people hiking the same trail They want tt get rid of logging ’7 vehicles a position I agree with There is also which seemsa the’Tread Lightly” campaign mining cattle and any recreation that doran’t ' meet thair pristine standards That I washed nice way of saying "Don’s Be Stupid” ' Manufacturers such as American Honda are my bike bdore loading up to prevent sired a bit more blunt running safety ads themed: spread that I have a quiet muffler that I stay on the trails (that I’ve helpied maintain) that I "Stupid Huits” Really From what I’ve seen'-mosof us aren’t stupid when we recreate and 'wear safety equipment that I use h hanky — it V f won’t make any difference ever many are helpful Locally based wheel-spo- rt To uncompromising critics I and 36 million dubs have donated hundreds and thousands of other motorheads like the loggers ranchers hours :pn die ground for trail maintenance arid and miners who literally “have gone before” I suppose our organizations will But repair from the public lands are not to be lived with keep growing our efforts to reacl the unreach- but eliminated The rights of all Americans to iVno other 7 able andyeS the lazy We’d have and enjoy their public lands in responsiose do the to It’s way: right thing ble manner doesn't matter But now it seems another challenge looms : Well those rights matter to me They should In April On last year's Earth pay Fmest Ser- - 7 matter to everyone And they dang sure better vice Chief Dale Bosworth gave a speech to the ' matter to Chief Bosworth Commonwealth Club in San Francisco about ' r ' the four "great issues” facing today’s Forest Dave Skinner is a contributor to Writers on Service Bosworth did not talk about the tiqual ' environmental bugaboos of grazing mining fiange'a sendee of High Country News (hcnOrg) He writes and rides in Whitefish Mon- ' add legging After all those other multiple -' tana ' V uses on the public lands are pretty much gone ' By Dave Skinner off-ro- ml Ihard to find anybody these days who’d vehicles don’t even try to argue that d damage public lands throughout the West The US Department of Agriculture concluded in 1999 that "with an increase of vehicle traffic ie motorcycles drive vehicles vehicles the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service have observed the spread of noxious weeds user conflicts soil erosion damage to cultural sites and dis-raption of wildlife and wildlife hnbitat” In response Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth formed a national OHV Policy Tfeam in Jmuuuy 2004 One hope of the team is that designating trails will eliminate a lot of tiie destructive 7 travel lessen damage and ' reduce conflictswith hikers and other quieter recreation" r ists Unfortunately studies have already shown that once a trail is designated on public land more riders are drawn to the area This increases damage and also increases the creation of side trails In the Faiute Trail in Utah for example an established OHV recreation area with 47 000 annual riders even OHV users express frustration at being unabk to teU designated trails from trails The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation wants to attract tens of thousands of riders so it has proposed nearly 500 miles of : designated routes in central Idaho These routes would link the communities of Challis McKay and Arco and wind throughout the 7 npheer Mountains the Big Lost River Valley the Lost River Range and the Little Lost River Valley This is aq area of approximately 3300 square miles that is already crisscrossed by trails 3000 miles of roads and Untnentioned in the Idaho agency’s proposal is that within one mile of the trail there are at least 50 threatened endangered or wildlife and plant species ln addition many of the streams crotoed by these trails are dioked by sedimenLThe suite agency plans to eventually expand the trail system south to Richfield Idaho northeast almost to Montana off-roa- long-runni- ed ay four-whe- el in w fang-and-cl- aw : off-ro- ay off-toa- ng fsng-and-cla- and mirth to Salmon Idaho resulting in thousands of square miles of public lands rkmnnat-e- d vehicles N by a single use: use conflict with other Does visitors to public hinds? The increased numbers dust noise and threat to safety are not users seek Peace what most solitude and the feeling you are alone with nature are all destroyed by the intrusive whine of even distant OHVs Clark Collins founder of the BlueRibbon Coalition which represents motorized rede- aiionists has acknowledged that "noiSe is this single most important issue that can effect our ' future on jwblic land use It's an extremely serious issue and I know it’s is difficult one for me to deal with” While noise is transitory what wheels do to trails and their surroundings persists Funds 'are available to rebuild OHV trails but not for ' repairing the damage that rugged vehicles do to streams hillsides or habitat for wild life Because not even OHV riders like to ride in trails riders damaged areas or on washed-oexplorenew areas climb newhills ride through different streams and seek out dififer-emeadows — abandoning thdr destroyed and unwanted playground d drivers are rexmsible for the 7 damage they do while riding The push how- ever for public-lan- d based areas comes from politicians and : businesses which have sniffed out yet another commodity to exploit on our publicly owned lands If there is a solution perhaps it is the t forheavily rafted lands: restricted use rivers or Institute a permit system that limits the num- ber of users and when and where they go r Meanwhile those of us who value our pub-li-c lands becmise we like to stretch our legs listen to birds hear the wind in the trees fish in clean streams or photograph unmarred land’ scapes must make our values known to land managers politicians and certaiiily to motorized users 77 v-:- ' To quote writer Edward Abbey "Machines j are domineering exclusive destoKtiye and ' costly it is they and their operators who would deny the enjoyment of the backcountry By Tonia Wolf ut cross-count- ry ad nt Writers Off-roa- on the Range 7 al : - user-creat- t 77 : '- ‘s ed state-sensiti- - Non Hald VB6W - ' J s v?- : :TWCCPVERli p MtCVRCMVl -- CKC B6CETj)tAPfWtTIC£ ' a senrice of HHh CtountniMswa (hcnoc) She writea biBoise kwio where she is a board member of the local Audubon 8odety “ 4 f ‘r- - naMpapar-?''1-1- ’ iaUanrinitebe: 7 lypawtoan and double apabarl NomontianssOanrdBlnlangih Addnsaed and Include daySma phone number tor purposes of veriRcmton W OBMd by w auSw'1IndMduali an ImSed to one pubtfshed aiKhto are 3tdBy period AddrsesE-mMan to hpanarehinawMOiit Guaai an also mtoona and an wn at ’ S ' DARREU EHRUCKAdy edMor v CXUm YURTHIenuree adHpr - BRUCE SMUHpuDWwr: ' CHARLES MoCXXlUMAiMnaglnasdNor Hsnid Journal weloomasMton to ha adSor PofenlaSy Kwloua or oSanahe laden wS not ba pubSahad hoewver and Sw adtor naanaa Sis right Ip acBaptoen to contomi: to tw langto and atyla iaquinmantaaf tie : y 7 let-t- al ' : : toaadaorVdscnion v-- j : Ltjami Had America jui (1X72-136-1) ': M i 7 ’ - ' Journal iwiasaip 'The cnaton EdtorialaundarSiahaadhg'Uur VtosT npraasrt tw vtowa of Sis Herod Journal adNnWooanl Msmban of ttn sdHorial boant f— v Range Tfw OpHori page Is hSsndsd to aoqusirt dsn with a wnaty of vtowpohto on mans of puUc importance and proms msmban of tie communay wNh a tonap tor twir vfawa ' Personal oofumna oartoonkand ladan ftwn nadan nflaot tw opMona of Swir asSan and L ‘ S'V -- Ibnte WbH te a contributor to Writers on the J iSli' d belongs to heavy metal and heavy equipment Let us saye the 2 percent that saving rem- nanL” '"is: GtHTU-Nt- iNNUW OHV-designat- ed totherestofusAbout98pcircentoftheland surface of the contiguous USA already j' r‘J - 7v7r- '7 over-hunte- ed user-creat- : puilti-coun- ty ' |