Kodak rock closed?

Shawn, you mentioend "fixing our problems for us".

What problems do the OHVs have for the FS to fix?

I just want them to leave the trails open at this point.
 
GotLime? said:
Who benefits from URE being there and open?

1) The Rangers. Maybe not. I guess they could be USFS employees somewhere else?
<snip>
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I'm sure the Outpost makes a good chunk of their income off the OHV crowd, and I know the FS brings in some money from the trail passes and such, but I think a lot of folks here think that the OHV area is "all there is" in the forest. We spent a night at Badin Lake CG a couple of weeks ago. Went up to the Outpost on Sunday AM for breakfast. Mind you, the OHV trails don't open until next weekend, but Badin Lake was full. The horse camps were all full. The Outpost was fairly busy. And this was just a cold weekend in early March.

Bottom line, I'd hesitate to take any of this for granted. I'm sure there would be secondary impacts if the OHV area was shut down completely, but that's not going to stop the FS from doing it if the risks and hassle get to be too much.
 
GotLime? said:
That's disheartening.
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How so? It's *our* trail system. It's for the OHVs -- not the horses, not the hikers, not the mountain bikes. It's for jeeps and quads and dirtbikes and side by sides. Motorized recreation. The other folks are welcome to use the trails, but they're primarily designed and designated for our use.
 
GotLime? said:
Shawn, you mentioend "fixing our problems for us".

What problems do the OHVs have for the FS to fix?

I just want them to leave the trails open at this point.
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There are all the 'trail maintenance' issues -- erosion, water quality, cleaning silt traps, repairing off-trail damage, etc. There are the 'policing' issues -- drinking, trash (everything from Bud Lite cans to abandoned cars), driving off trail, speeding, general late-night hooning around, etc.

The Dec meeting was largely dominated by OHV people complaining about a huge variety of problems that they thought the FS should address -- and the FS responding (more or less) that we were going to have to figure out how to solve them ourselves.
 
shawn said:
The Dec meeting was largely dominated by OHV people complaining about a huge variety of problems that they thought the FS should address -- and the FS responding (more or less) that we were going to have to figure out how to solve them ourselves.
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This is probably the most true statement I've heard so far. I'm sure the FS sees the OHV trails as a prviliege for us OHV crowd (every motorized transportation included) and it's up to us to do everything that we can within our power to maintain it. Yes there are some things that are out of our reach and capabilities BUT I can do a lot more for our OHV trails and so can everyone else that utilizes them.

Does everyone know this? No, and that's why we need to educate the rest of the OHV crowd on this very subject. The OHV crowd and those folks that are for the artifacts have different goals. BUT we need to merge those goals and come to a common goal so everyone can benefit. Yes, there will be compromising on both sides but we need to work together instead of separately. If not, then one side will lose completely and we do not want that to happen.

Hell, the more I think about it, I want to come and volunteer at the booth handing out info and telling the OHV crowd about tread lightly and protecing our trails. I want my son to be able to enjoy URE one day just like I do now.
 
My bad Shawn for suggesting that we try to get the outpost on board and helping us out. It may not be their responsibility to do that, and God forbid Shawn have to wait to get his fuel! It isn't their responsibility just like it isn't mine to go pick up someone else's beer cans, install guard rail on a trail that is now closed, clean out silt traps ect. That isn't my responsibility, every second spent away from my laptop cost me money, but I love to do it cause it needs to be done and benefits EVERYONE! It's called team work!
It's no one in particulars job, but everyone who cares should be trying to help and it was just an idea.
I'm done with this thread, I will just attend the next meeting myself and continue to voice my idea, as well as talk with the rangers and outpost to see how I can volunteer and help out.
 
I don't think we should eliminate any possibilities until they've been explored. I see a lot of reasons why things CAN'T be done in this and other related threads.
 
I can't speak for the outpost but I'd like to say they are on board. It's not right for us to put the stress on them to educate people who use the forest. As said before using the forest is a privilege, if we want to keep using it there are things that we need to do. We can not rely on other people to do it for us. An idea I have which I'm not sure how it would be done but if there was a way to sell passes online and require reading some things about tread lightly and answering a few questions then be able to print out a voucher for a pass and redeem it at places that sell passes.


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Yeah, we'll be there all weekend with the trailer. Y'all are more than welcome to come hang out, discuss, have meetings, etc. We might have to keep it down a little bit around bedtime, but it's fair game otherwise.
 
I think this meeting is a great idea.

Shawn I apologize for my smart remark, just a tense issue. I believe we all have the same goal here, just different opinions.
 
NP... it's not personal... at least, not usually. I don't really see it as bickering. More like tempering. It can get off in the weeds sometimes, but generally it's about honing ideas. And that takes disagreement.
 
Everything I said is personal. I hate all you guys.

J/K. I won't be out there opening weekend. I have a Harlan trip the next week so I'll be getting ready and not willing to risk breaking soemthing before I go. But I can't wait to hear what comes of this and what we all can do to make URE a better place for us to wheel for years to come.
 
Risk breaking where lol.
 
i like to give biggoofy a hard time. he popped his tire coming out of our driveway on a wheeling trip. then popped another one 2 hours later. some people have all the luck. :rolleyes:
 
WOW I can not even begin to tell you how incredibly upset I am after reading through this thread, I really had to sit here and count to about 100 before I could start to write and not sound like a total a-hole. Before I even begin I want to make sure everyone knows me I am Mike Morrison the guy from the Dec 15th meeting (I can not stand this hiding behind screen name thing). Now that I have calmed down the first thing I would like to point out is about Chris at the Outpost, I know for a fact the amount of time that guy gives to the ohv crowd and would not think for a second to ask him to take another penny from his pocket to support us. He is behind the scenes in so many activities that involve us and support us and never asks for credit, so how can we expect him to block his lines at the outpost which will in turn cost him more money just to cover our backsides. His profits go down he goes elsewhere to make money then what, we suddenly lose a HUGE supporter. This is our fight and we are running around in the shadows shouting out ideas that make other people accountable for our actions. I know not everyone is like this but I am not one to point fingers and so forth. Next up all I see is ATV this and SIDE BY SIDE that, ok maybe they are a majority of the problem but I can guarantee you that I can find just as many of us doing the same thing on the trails in our full size rigs which have an even greater impact on nature. When I had the DEC 15th meeting it was stated very clearly there the ball is in our court, I told everyone Tread Lightly is the future and I still believe that with all my heart. What is really disheartening is how many people when talking face to face say "yeah I would love a class" then you never hear from them again. If I teach a class of 20 people and give them the tools to interact and instruct people on the trails then send them out there just imagine they interact with 20 people each, those 20 people go take a class then they interact with 20 people each. It is a huge waterfall of knowledge spreading through the forest that would be unstoppable, by the time you are finished the few bad eggs that remain will be shunned and embarrassed by their actions and if all else fails there will be enough people around to clean up after those few. We alone are responsible, we alone are the solution, and we alone are the cause of where we are right now. The solution starts with each and everyone one of us stepping up to the plate and taking responsibility for where we are and taking the actions necessary to move forward. Shun me or shun my business if you do not like what I have to say but my heart lies in the forest and I know I am responsible for whatever happens out there. If the trails were shut down tomorrow I would personally feel like it was 100% my fault for not giving that extra something that I had inside of me to step forward and do my part. We all need to think like that we all need to feel like that and if we do there will be no stopping us.

Once you read this I ask you to just soak it in close your eyes and ask yourself if you have done all YOU can do to help. There are so many shoes to fill and so many ways to help there is no excuse to not be doing something anything to make sure we keep OUR trails open.
 
wow........

I grew up around uwharrie and after giving my time,money,sweat into the forest you figure out you can only do so much before the Gov does what it does best......

I think its bout time to move to the old home place in wilkesboro and start a park......400 acres to plan one out.......bout time to get on it I guess
 
Twoguysmetalfab said:
Next up all I see is ATV this and SIDE BY SIDE that, ok maybe they are a majority of the problem but I can guarantee you that I can find just as many of us doing the same thing on the trails in our full size rigs which have an even greater impact on nature.
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I have been going to URE since 1990, and I strongly disagree with this comment. I would wager big money that ATV's are 95% of the problem when it comes to going off trail. Some of them are so foolish, they will do it while others are watching.
 
drkelly said:
I have been going to URE since 1990, and I strongly disagree with this comment. I would wager big money that ATV's are 95% of the problem when it comes to going off trail. Some of them are so foolish, they will do it while others are watching.
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Yep. If you are moving slower than they are, they just bust it left or right, through the woods to pass you.
 
Everyone is entilted to their opinion, but I have been on the trails and seen full size rigs way off trail because they were behind a group or something was an inconvience to them. Also the illegal bypasses are by far way to big to have been created or solely used by a ATV or SxS, even if they were created by one of those we have definately followed right behind them and compounded the problem over and over. You can also go on YouTube and find numerous videos of full size rigs in full stupidity doing some of the very things we are trying to stop.
 
I'm kind of really bummed out. I put in a lot of time volunteering, not so much in 2012 because of personal issues, but the 2 years before that I was at nearly every work day. Tellico closing got me off my ass and motivated to start doing something, thinking maybe enough of us could make a difference. Now at the same time, I've been working on my rig, steadily doing bits a pieces as i can to make it something I can beat on the rocks at URE and drive home in. Let's not talk about the december mishap :mad:

Anyway, now one of the pretty much best/funnest parts of the OHV section is closed, and I'm sitting here thinking "well damn, what difference does all this make?"

It's hard because the people who are fucking all this up, are people who sometimes wouldn't mind handing out asswhippings just for fun, if someone tells them to pick up their natty light cans, or do I wan't to REALLY have to go that far to make a point to stay on the trails, puttin up some dukes, throwin some el's. What I'm saying is the majority of the problem makers are a rowdy bunch. You can put up signsstolen, you can put up guard raildriven around/over/torn up, build wallsnot gonna happen, short of some sort of LE presence and towing their shit away, I don't see anything changing.

I'm still gonna make what work days I can, and volunteer, but I honestly feel it's a losing battle if not already lost, to where eventually, there will just be somedirt birmmed road, parking lots with the soup bowl, and camping......maybe.

Sorry, I'm just really bummed.
 
GotLime? said:
Yep. If you are moving slower than they are, they just bust it left or right, through the woods to pass you.
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I'm not even talking about simple passing on the fringes of the trail. I've seen guys shoot off into the woods 100-200ft off the trail right in front of me on several occasions taking a visible beaten four wheeler path.
 
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