WildSky Round TWO

And it could pass this time.

Get your your pens, pencils and crayons and start writing your letters now. This is going to be a major battle for us 4x4 and ORV, and horseback riders, and fishermen, and hunters, and recreational shooters, and campers, and mountain bike riders, and.......

More here....

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003386512_envirofallout.html

Please, get involved and help where you can. Or sell your Jeep and buy a set of good quality hiking boots with which to enjoy the outdoors.

Im lost. What does this mean for us?

From my understanding it would shut down part of Reiter, specifically part of Isabel. It would also close some of the forest service roads that people us during the winter for snow runs. Most people's biggest fear though is that it is just the beginning of a concentrated effort to start closing off parks to all motorized vehicles. If that happens there would be little to no places to legally take your XJ wheeling.

FiFo said:

From my understanding it would shut down part of Reiter, specifically part of Isabel. It would also close some of the forest service roads that people us during the winter for snow runs. Most people's biggest fear though is that it is just the beginning of a concentrated effort to start closing off parks to all motorized vehicles. If that happens there would be little to no places to legally take your XJ wheeling.

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See, I was worried about that with the last one as well...but was told that the trails/roads themselves weren't in danger of being taken away, it was going to prevent further activity/roads/trails from being built on the land surrounding the current ones.

ECKSJAY said:

See, I was worried about that with the last one as well...but was told that the trails/roads themselves weren't in danger of being taken away, it was going to prevent further activity/roads/trails from being built on the land surrounding the current ones.

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My understanding is that it closes all the existing roads too. I could be wrong as I just started looking into this, but that is my understanding. Regardless it sets a bad president, and will make it much more difficult to get any new ORV areas opened up.

another article posted in the land use forum

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=103357

This article was linked of off another forum.

Herald said:

A wilderness designation is the federal government's most restrictive land use regulation.

Motorized vehicles and bicycles are prohibited, and the designation also prevents logging, mining and the building of any new roads. Hiking, horseback riding, hunting, fishing, canoeing and similar activities are allowed.

Not only does locking up land as a wilderness prohibit snowmobiling and other mechanized transportation, but Hurwitz maintains it also leaves trees prone to disease, fire and other problems due to poor management.

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Full article here:

http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/06/11/13/100loc_a1wildsky001.cfm

From reading this discription all motorized vehicles would be prohibited. The roads might be there, but you better be walking.

WildSky as it is written is trying to turn said area around Index and Skykomish into a wilderness area.

By definition, a wilderness area cannot allow any vehicular traffic, no bicycles, no horseback. You are not allowed to hunt or fish in wilderness areas. Or camp. You can hike and enjoy however. Wilderness areas are usually areas which have been untouched by man, so they are designated as such.

WildSky wants to create thier own rules. They wan't to charge Snohomish County (SNOCO) to close all the roads leading to the area. This is big money for us taxpayers, not the group that wants it shut down. They also want to make thier own rules so you can ride bikes, or camp or ride horseback, hunt or fish. Basically they want to take a huge area and turn it into an Elitist "country club." A "wilderness area" with thier own rules. In true fact, wilderness areas are supposed to remain untouched. "Take only pictures, leave only footprints" untouched.

It all boils down to taking away from our public lands. Sure we wheelers could be considered "elitist" because there are so few of us, but if we don't stand up and fight this, than it will become easier and easier to shut our play areas down.

Mind you, these people aren't aimed at the 4x4 community, but it does affect us, becuse parts of Reiter Trails, and also some of the roads we go snow wheeling on are in there. These roads and trails have been here for more than 100 years.

It is just bad news for everone that enjoys the outdoors.

Stand up and fight, in our small community of wheelers, there is less than 5% that actually get out and help keep our public lands public. We may be able to enjoy the area, but if we don't do something, our kids wont.

What concerns me is that the greenies want the whole pie. Nothing for anyone else. When you combine the WildSky thing with efforts like the discussions regarding Naches and Rimrock adjacent areas, then there is really some concern. If the state would earmark a few large areas for 4X4's that would remain a "hands off" for the greenies, then I wouldn't be so concerned about the overall effort. There is plenty of land out there so that everyone should be able to have a slice of the pie. We see to have too many people that are real good at spending other people's money. The Wilderness Areas were supposed to be the state's input/contribution to the greenies concerns about preserving for the future....

But while I'm on the stump here. A good part of the efforts agains the 4X4 world come because of these nuts that run their massively huge tires, go through areas when it's wet, and really tear up the roads/trails for others. That in turn fuels every semi-greenie in to a rabid anti-4X4 freak. Not to mention destroying the trail for a great many others, in addition to significantly increasing the costs of trail maintenance.

sams88 said:

But while I'm on the stump here. A good part of the efforts agains the 4X4 world come because of these nuts that run their massively huge tires, go through areas when it's wet, and really tear up the roads/trails for others. That in turn fuels every semi-greenie in to a rabid anti-4X4 freak. Not to mention destroying the trail for a great many others, in addition to significantly increasing the costs of trail maintenance.

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I hear what you are preaching. Join a club, or get involved in trail maintenance. This is the only real way we can mainatiain our areas. It is far too costly to have the state/federal agencies clean up after us. So we must clean up after ourselves. There are plenty of places to go, when you want to tear it up. Sometimes, that's half the fun. Just be there to put it back together when you are done.

If you want a list of work parties to attend, just let me know, I would be happy to oblige.

Another aspect is education. There is a group of us that is getting together to hand out flyers next memorial day to keep some of the dumbassedness down at Manashtash/Naches area. Come out and help.

And if you see someone doing something wrong, educate. USE TACT, don't scream and yell, just let them know what they are doing is wrong.

I and my wife call these people "Those stupid Seattle people". Everyone knows the type, they live in small condos on the 35th floor, and think a small city park the size of my backyard is "the wilderness" they can't be more then 5 minutes from a latte machine, and think if a hotel doesn't have concierge service they are roughing it. However they think they know what is best for the environment and how we should look after the land better then people who actually go out and experience the land. These people really bug me, since they probably could not find index, sultan, or even Monroe on a map, but they think they know what is best for the people and land in that area. They want to do all this "for the children to enjoy" well guess what, some day I will have children and when I do I would like to take them out in my bad ars XJ but I wont be able to because they felt it was more important to keep everyone out so that the chipmunks would be safe. As if the small amount of land we touch in the 106,000 acre area they are talking about is going to matter to a chipmunk. There precious cappuccino stands, golf courses, and other aspects of what they call “city life” take up way more room then our trails ever will. I guess the children there referring to are the chipmunks children, not my own

Ok, I’m done for now, I just really hate city people.