Believe it or not, we as Off roaders play an increasing and significant voice in our own wild-lands. Everything we do goes toward the future - Immediately.
By being involved with off-road groups and tread-lightly groups, we are able to maintain and care for the lands that we also off-road in. The Rocky Mountains have garbage patrols, and other environment dedicated groups that combine offroad fun with the good ol' fashioned idea of "leaving the camp better than you found it". Keeping the trucks quiet, non-smoking and non fluid dripping is one way of doing your part, but also carrying out some garbage is another.
Outdoor Shooters also have this task to bear. Gun clubs go through the mountains and outdoor ranges and pick up all of the trash - milk jugs to shells. And by doing that, solidifying their presence in even the most liberal mindsets.
Our vehicles touch all of other's lifestyles. We drive in the streams that breed fish. We crash through the bushes that divide camps. We use the roads to private hunting cabins. Off road trucks are "everywhere" in that regard because we can show up in serene pictures (I got yelled at once for being in a picture that someone was taking like, 3 miles away)(I also had to drive across a mountain pass that was down-range from some shooters, and I did the yelling)
People will honestly try many angles to attack the offroaders from, and they aren't doing it to be PITAs. During 2002, there was a pretty hard drought. During that time I was tossed from lands because of my inert fire dangers. Other people may close down lands because of oil stains (Rubicon?) or permanent and water-table changing tire ruts (Pine Barrens?) So to appease the rest of the people that share that land, we need to be considerate of what we are doing now. It seems that less and less important people are going off road with trucks, so consider this:
Lets say Senator whoever lives in New Mexico. The Senator has a ranch, and a some horses, and spends a weekend horseback. Not sure if you've been horseback for an extended trip, but it's a bit neater than offroading. Animals come up to you, everything is quiet, and conversations are only broken by the chirping of birds. Now, during Senator Whoever's camping trip, up over a burm a rig is out having fun - even at 10 or so mph. The noise lasts for an hour or more, the cloud of dust takes up your entire view, and the animals aren't around anymore. IF the truck comes up over the corner, and spooks the horses, then it adds to the "ruining" of the experience.
How is Senator Whoever going to start voting ?
Hikers, campers, and horsebackers seem to divide themselves "US and THEM" against the offroaders and the outdoor shooters. While it's not fair to take away a pasttime because "It sullies your quiet evening", it is how life works. The more and more of us that can tone down the engine noise, soften the dust clouds, and install some US Forestry approved equipment, the better off we'll be in the long run.
That does of course, not include the sanctioned event guys that are trailering their rigs. I mean
, keep on truckin'. But when you gather us up in one place, the representation off-roaders is still there, and it's important to give land a rest if it needs it, and to clean up after the event completely. Also, send thank you notes to your land's neighbor's, and invite em down for some tofu-dogs
-> Steve
I'm Steve Earl, and I endorse this message.
