NVR.
The Pearsons Milk Vetch is a form of cactus that people avoid like the plague. If you run over it with a dune buggy, it can blow out your tires. It is covered and uncovered by hot blowing sand, several times during the summer and during the winter by cold blowing sand. This has been happening for many, many years and the plant is thriving.
Just across the highway from Glamis, the plant is thriving. It also thrives just across the Mexican border, a little South. The ASA is doing it's own studies by actually sending people out and counting the plants. According to their preliminary studies, the plant is doing fine. This way when they go to court they will have actual proof to back up their claims, unlike the CBD.
One of the major problems with Glamis is, many people go there on holiday weekends just to party. They do not have off- road vehicles and have no desire to. They only want to party. This is the group that causes most of the problems. Many family's go there and have gone there for years to enjoy good family fun. But, now it is the party animals that we hear about. Booze, drugs, huge bonfires, vehicles, guns, fireworks. A very bad mix.:mad:
Many groups have weekend outings at Glamis where they do trash clean-up, trail repair, camp site repair and cleaning. Of course, we don't hear about these people, but, let one drunk run over a BLM officers foot and it makes front page news.
I feel it is time that we ALL become involved to the point of policing our own areas. If you see someone doing something that jeopardizes the future of a riding area, stop them and tell them. We can't depend on the BLM to enforce the rules simply because there aren't enough personal to go around. Plus they are busy defending themselves against all of the law suites by the CBD and other enviro-wacko groups.
Also, by closing large portions of these areas, it puts more of us in a smaller area. Bigger crowds in a smaller area means more problems. This is what they want. If they close an area down for plant or animal studies, then, there should be some sort of mitigation clause in place. In other words, if they close 1000 acres in a certain area to do a study, then, there should be 1000 acres opened up nearby to compensate for the closed land. Otherwise, sooner or later, there will be nothing left. This is something we suggested to the BLM at a recent BLM meeting and they are considering it. Whatever that means?:ugg:
It is up to us to make these things happen. We can sit here in front of our puters and do nothing or we can become active. Join up, go to meetings, let your voice be heard. These are PUBLIC lands. Paid for by the PUBLIC thru our taxes and OHV fees. If the organizations hired to manage the PUBLIC land is not doing the job they are paid to do, then, they need to be forced to do their jobs or be replaced. The only way to force them to do the job is PUBLIC PRESSURE
There are three types of people in this world. The type that make things happen. The type that watch things happen. And the type that go,' wow, what happened? ' If we ALL don't become involved in this battle, then someday we will go, wow, what happened to all of our places to ride.
Geeze, I shoulda went riding today.:think
Ol'89r