And may the Heavens bless again this year as the SNOW begins to fall

RE hook and bullet and how some commercial backcountry outfitters are supporting roadless: Roads are the worst thing for commercial outfitters, as ATVs and 4×4s on backcountry roads bring elk hunting to the unwashed masses. It’s incredibly expensive to hire a horse packer. Outfitters love roadless areas for commercial reasons that are no different than the reasons a gas company like roads. Both are trying to make money. I of course would generally rather see a few horses than a drill rig, but let’s not get all excited about an outfitter supporting roadless. Horses have done more destruction in the Wilderness of Colorado than anything else, and continue to do so. I’ve seen much more damage on horse trails than many of the Jeep trails I enjoy. And that includes scaring animals, trash, and non-native plants.

As I’ve stated a zillion times, I of course like roadless backcountry, but I also like backcountry roads. I believe we have a huge amount of protected or de-facto protected roadless land in Colorado, and there is no need to get all hot and bothered by trying to make a few more areas “roadless,” when the definition of “roadless” is so vague as to allow ATV trails in the so called “roadless” areas. I’m quite certain the only reason the core environmentalists are fighting so hard for this is they figure that making so called “roadless” areas is a backdoor way to get land that’s more easily upgraded to legal Wilderness. From what I’ve been able to find out, the whole thing is somewhat of a sham, more, once those roadless areas become Wilderness, say goodbye to mountain biking, and even hiking and climbing will be more heavily regulated and more likely restricted if necessary, as Wilderness is managed in a much different way than multi-use land. How is that for framing a picture (grin)?

Let me be clear to everyone here that my position is that of a RECREATION ADVOCATE. I may go for one liners and strawmen, and sound like I’m railing on enviros and such, but where that all comes from is a point of view of recreation advocacy. It’s an odd and uncommon position these days. It seems like most people are either pro preservation and want ever more Wilderness that restricts most forms of recreation, or else they’re watching out for their own little piece of the recreation pie, as in the skier vs. snowmobiler debate. I feel that environmental preservation, while a good concept, can go overboard and be destructive to recreation, that’s where my remarks and opinions come from, and I’ll continue to take that position.

Just to illustrate that its not just “enviro whiners” anymore:

http://www.aspendailynews.com/article_15245

http://www.jhguide.com/article.php?art_id=747

http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_4119425

Generally, you have a interesting and highly informed perspective on backcountry recreation, and I hope you’ll continue to blog on public lands management and user access. But I can do without the Greenpeace/Bill O’Reilly-style “zingers�.