upstate rider
02-19-2003, 03:17 PM
This is a little long but well writen for those that may not of seen it. The following was published as a column in the Hamilton County News on
February 4th. Thanks to outdoor writer Ron Kolodziej for sharing with
the List this thoughtful and well-versed essay on the validity of our
OHV pastime. It's been my pleasure of late to pass on these cogent
arguments from various skilled writers.
Alex Ernst
www.nysorva.org
- - - - -
2/4/03
by Ron Kolodziej
THE ATV QUESTION
I don't normally point/counterpoint with fellow columnists because I
feel we all have our personal opinions, likes and dislikes and a
newspaper like the Hamilton County News generously provides a forum for
those views but I feel the need to respond, at least in part, to John
Washburn's "From the Trailhead" article regarding ATVs in last week's
issue.
I should preface my remarks by saying that I've known John for many
years and though our paths don't cross too often I still have a profound
respect for his dedication and accomplishments. Our association goes way
back to the time we both served in the US Coast Guard Auxiliary on Great
Sacandaga Lake. I rarely disagree with much of what he says because we
do share many of the same views - many but not all. We do differ a bit
on the subject of ATVs.
On a personal note, I use New York State's Forest Preserve to the max. I
cross country ski, I snowshoe as often as I can, my wife and I hike and
mountain bike, I hunt and fish and I even downhill ski occasionally.
About the only thing I don't do is snowmobile - yet. For the past two
years I've also been an ATVer. Despite engaging in all those activities
I've never felt the fields, forests and slopes of the Adirondacks were
mine and mine alone and that only my activities had any validity. The
few square feet I happen to occupy at any given time are mine but
everything around me belongs to everyone else. I really don't mind
sharing with others.
When the Forest Preserve was created I'm certain the designers didn't
envision mega-ski resorts, mountain bikes, the Northway, snowmobiles and
cross country ski trails. These all came much later and an accommodation
was made for all of them, though grudgingly at times, and they've
managed to coexist quite nicely. Then those pesky ATVs come along and
now they want a piece of the action as well. I should add that many of
the objections currently directed at ATVs are precisely the same ones
leveled at snowmobiles a decade or two ago and few of those fears ever
materialized. The operative word here is "accommodation." There is room
for ATVs, if not within the Forest Preserve then in peripheral areas
where State-sanctioned trails can be built and maintained in much the
same manner as snowmobile trails. Admittedly though, there are places
even within the Forest Preserve where ATVs could be used without fear of
any environmental damage or disruption. Maybe some system of shared
trails with shared responsibilities for maintenance are an answer. New
York currently ranks third in the nation in ATV sales but very near the
bottom in providing legal places to ride. That's quite a dichotomy. With
the entire Adirondack region feeling an ever-tightening fiscal crunch,
the dollars brought in by legitimate ATVers could, like those of
snowmobilers in the winter, provide a welcome infusion of cash when it's
needed most. Give ATVers a chance and they'll prove to be as effective
in their environmental stewardship as most snowmobilers have proven to
be. Let's take an honest look at the economics of the subject, and I'll
personalize it lest I offend anyone. When I hike, mountain bike,
snowshoe or cross country ski I spend little at my destination and I
don't even pay a trail fee of any sort. However, like snowmobilers,
ATVers buy fuel, food, perhaps lodging and incur related expenses, and
in some of my out-of-state jaunts I've even paid a reasonable trail fee
- willingly.
It's regrettable that the public perception of ATVers is so jaundiced as
to consider them all mud churning bandits whose only joy comes in
ripping up trails. Like every recreational pursuit be it hunting,
fishing, snowmobiling or even hiking, there will be those yahoos who
don't respect the sport or their counterparts, but they are the
exception and it's unfortunate that their antics are what much public
opinion is based upon. I consider myself an "average" ATVer. I don't
like excessive speed and I utterly dislike going through mud. Anyone who
has ridden with me can attest to that and most of the members of the ATV
club to which I belong share that opinion. If I feel a trail or obstacle
is beyond my capabilities I turn around and go back. I just enjoy my ATV
for the mobility it provides. Still, I do believe, like John, that there
are places in which only foot traffic should be allowed and I have no
desire to take my ATV there.
Let's get to a few specifics now. In his well-written piece John cites
"environmental damage" caused by ATVs in a number of areas. I can't
address all of them because I haven't been to all of them but I can make
reference to the Wilcox Lake area. I can recall hiking into Wilcox, from
Harrisburg, many moons ago to enjoy some of the superb brook trout
fishing the lake offered. At that time the old road/trail was still easy
to walk but was becoming progressively worse each year not because of
ATVs, since they hadn't even been invented yet, but because of
four-wheel drive vehicles of the automotive variety. We'd begin our hike
well before daylight and would soon be passed by four wheel Jeeps and
the like, some of them carrying or towing small boats. They easily
forded Stony Creek and headed up the hill to the lake, leaving ruts,
rubble and disturbed vegetation in their wake. One that John missed was
the trail up to Bennett Lake. That trail became a deeply rutted, washed
out nightmare, forcing DEC to relocate portions of it, because of
unrepaired damage originally perpetrated by four-wheel drive trucks and
similar vehicles. Much of the other trail damage he cites was also done
long before ATVs ever came on the scene. However, "outlaws" can also be
found in other outdoor pursuits as well and I need only point to the
damage done to many trails, including some in the High Peaks area, by
hikers. Some of those trails look like washed-out cattle paths despite
the benign, gentle tread of hiking boots.
In conclusion John, your opinions and those of most ATVers are not that
far apart. There are wild, remote places that should be left just that
way, in perpetuity, but there should also be room for ATVs.
We also share the opinion that bulldozers, half-tracks and Sherman tanks
do not belong in the Forest Preserve.
February 4th. Thanks to outdoor writer Ron Kolodziej for sharing with
the List this thoughtful and well-versed essay on the validity of our
OHV pastime. It's been my pleasure of late to pass on these cogent
arguments from various skilled writers.
Alex Ernst
www.nysorva.org
- - - - -
2/4/03
by Ron Kolodziej
THE ATV QUESTION
I don't normally point/counterpoint with fellow columnists because I
feel we all have our personal opinions, likes and dislikes and a
newspaper like the Hamilton County News generously provides a forum for
those views but I feel the need to respond, at least in part, to John
Washburn's "From the Trailhead" article regarding ATVs in last week's
issue.
I should preface my remarks by saying that I've known John for many
years and though our paths don't cross too often I still have a profound
respect for his dedication and accomplishments. Our association goes way
back to the time we both served in the US Coast Guard Auxiliary on Great
Sacandaga Lake. I rarely disagree with much of what he says because we
do share many of the same views - many but not all. We do differ a bit
on the subject of ATVs.
On a personal note, I use New York State's Forest Preserve to the max. I
cross country ski, I snowshoe as often as I can, my wife and I hike and
mountain bike, I hunt and fish and I even downhill ski occasionally.
About the only thing I don't do is snowmobile - yet. For the past two
years I've also been an ATVer. Despite engaging in all those activities
I've never felt the fields, forests and slopes of the Adirondacks were
mine and mine alone and that only my activities had any validity. The
few square feet I happen to occupy at any given time are mine but
everything around me belongs to everyone else. I really don't mind
sharing with others.
When the Forest Preserve was created I'm certain the designers didn't
envision mega-ski resorts, mountain bikes, the Northway, snowmobiles and
cross country ski trails. These all came much later and an accommodation
was made for all of them, though grudgingly at times, and they've
managed to coexist quite nicely. Then those pesky ATVs come along and
now they want a piece of the action as well. I should add that many of
the objections currently directed at ATVs are precisely the same ones
leveled at snowmobiles a decade or two ago and few of those fears ever
materialized. The operative word here is "accommodation." There is room
for ATVs, if not within the Forest Preserve then in peripheral areas
where State-sanctioned trails can be built and maintained in much the
same manner as snowmobile trails. Admittedly though, there are places
even within the Forest Preserve where ATVs could be used without fear of
any environmental damage or disruption. Maybe some system of shared
trails with shared responsibilities for maintenance are an answer. New
York currently ranks third in the nation in ATV sales but very near the
bottom in providing legal places to ride. That's quite a dichotomy. With
the entire Adirondack region feeling an ever-tightening fiscal crunch,
the dollars brought in by legitimate ATVers could, like those of
snowmobilers in the winter, provide a welcome infusion of cash when it's
needed most. Give ATVers a chance and they'll prove to be as effective
in their environmental stewardship as most snowmobilers have proven to
be. Let's take an honest look at the economics of the subject, and I'll
personalize it lest I offend anyone. When I hike, mountain bike,
snowshoe or cross country ski I spend little at my destination and I
don't even pay a trail fee of any sort. However, like snowmobilers,
ATVers buy fuel, food, perhaps lodging and incur related expenses, and
in some of my out-of-state jaunts I've even paid a reasonable trail fee
- willingly.
It's regrettable that the public perception of ATVers is so jaundiced as
to consider them all mud churning bandits whose only joy comes in
ripping up trails. Like every recreational pursuit be it hunting,
fishing, snowmobiling or even hiking, there will be those yahoos who
don't respect the sport or their counterparts, but they are the
exception and it's unfortunate that their antics are what much public
opinion is based upon. I consider myself an "average" ATVer. I don't
like excessive speed and I utterly dislike going through mud. Anyone who
has ridden with me can attest to that and most of the members of the ATV
club to which I belong share that opinion. If I feel a trail or obstacle
is beyond my capabilities I turn around and go back. I just enjoy my ATV
for the mobility it provides. Still, I do believe, like John, that there
are places in which only foot traffic should be allowed and I have no
desire to take my ATV there.
Let's get to a few specifics now. In his well-written piece John cites
"environmental damage" caused by ATVs in a number of areas. I can't
address all of them because I haven't been to all of them but I can make
reference to the Wilcox Lake area. I can recall hiking into Wilcox, from
Harrisburg, many moons ago to enjoy some of the superb brook trout
fishing the lake offered. At that time the old road/trail was still easy
to walk but was becoming progressively worse each year not because of
ATVs, since they hadn't even been invented yet, but because of
four-wheel drive vehicles of the automotive variety. We'd begin our hike
well before daylight and would soon be passed by four wheel Jeeps and
the like, some of them carrying or towing small boats. They easily
forded Stony Creek and headed up the hill to the lake, leaving ruts,
rubble and disturbed vegetation in their wake. One that John missed was
the trail up to Bennett Lake. That trail became a deeply rutted, washed
out nightmare, forcing DEC to relocate portions of it, because of
unrepaired damage originally perpetrated by four-wheel drive trucks and
similar vehicles. Much of the other trail damage he cites was also done
long before ATVs ever came on the scene. However, "outlaws" can also be
found in other outdoor pursuits as well and I need only point to the
damage done to many trails, including some in the High Peaks area, by
hikers. Some of those trails look like washed-out cattle paths despite
the benign, gentle tread of hiking boots.
In conclusion John, your opinions and those of most ATVers are not that
far apart. There are wild, remote places that should be left just that
way, in perpetuity, but there should also be room for ATVs.
We also share the opinion that bulldozers, half-tracks and Sherman tanks
do not belong in the Forest Preserve.