I'm going to ramble and expand on my previous post. Please forgive me in advance.
I've got a little back story that helps explain and validate my opinion some. So again bare with me in length.
The few here that know me best know that I initially went to college and obtained a degree in Forest Resource Management and in Wildlife Biology. 2 separate and distinct Bachelor of Science degrees, I completed both in 4 years. In retrospect I chose that major because I was a country boy, thought working in the woods for a living would be a dream job, and I had a good friend from childhood who that was his dream. That friend and I roomed together for 3 years.
Once I set my mind on that career path I earned scholarships which paid for my college darn near in full. I graduated with a good gpa with both degrees in 4 years. I watched the vast majority of my classmates need 5 years to get either. I also worked a full time job the whole time I was in college. Well the last 3 years anyway. Upon graduation I applied and had several job offers including what was considered a "dream job" for a recent grad. Starting pay was $18,000/year. With a top end eligibility for $42k with 15+ years experience. I quickly realized I had screwed up. Heck I had made over $30k a year while being a full time student. I went about doing what I had done working in construction while I went back to school for an additional 2 years at night and got my EE. My roommate went to work for the NCFS. He is a great great guy. He is now a 15 year vet of the NCFS and will brag about his $30k year job with 6 weeks of vacation. He is also in seminary to pursue his calling and become an ordained minister.
What is the point of this you ask?
I've got a bunch of close friends that work for the USFS, the NPS, and the SCFS and NCFS. Almost all of them are great, salt of the earth give you the shirt off their back folks.
They also all fall into one of two categories:
A) They are Beta type, path of least resistance, primary motivation is what is easiest and are motivated to check a day off and get home.
B) The other half 20% are so green granola is aggravated by them, tree huggers. (Not trail huggers those are cool, tree huggers) That are motivated 100% by "saving the earth" and being "mother nature's protector".
Notice I do not pass judgement on the quality of either group. I know plenty on both athat are first class people. But they are wired different. It takes a special person to get a 4 year degree and work a job that pays less than a teacher's salary. They are few and far between. The ones who didn't fall into either category? They worked it for a few years then became an insurance sales woman, an investment broker, opened a franchise, went back to school, went in the family business, became a state house of representative (Hey Russell, I know you visit here occasionally), etc.
I think we all need to realize this is what we are working with. Group B sees us a nuisance or a detriment to the Forest Ecosystem, they may be right in that argument by the way. Group A doesnt really care, or may even support our cause, they might even drive a Jeep. But they will not fight for you, at least not when the going gets tough. They dont have that "down right bulldog mean" gear to switch into. That above all other reasons is why I think wheeling on FS land is doomed.
The only leg we have to stand on is the Mixed Use recreation doctrine. Green Peace and Sierra Club have already successfully argued before the US SC in 1993 that mechanized transportation was not a supported mixed use case. They were working against the damage caused by....BICYCLES. Now subsequent rulings have disputed that finding and made it less clear. But make no mistake NO WHERE in the mission statement of the USFS is the right to recreate on difficult trails provided or guaranteed.
Hike?
Yep.
Watch Wildlife?
yep.
Hunt?
Yep
Fish?
You Betcha.
There are loads of folks who think we are a lazy subset too slovenly to walk through the woods. They dont understand the beautiful symphony of a screaming V8. They cant appreciate the smell of burnt rubber. They dont know the feeling of trepidation when you push that off camber right to the brink, where literally shifting your body weight inside the cab may be the difference between a flop and throttling out the other side. They dont appreciate the rush or sense of accomplishment that making that ledge brings. Our entire hobby is foreign to them. And unfortunately there is hard data on their side (is the data suspect? perhaps) and nothing on our side except an impassioned plea that is neither understood nor supported by law.
I hate it boys, but I fear we are on the wrong side of this one in the inevitable end.
