Petition to keep public lands accessible.

[4ked Horn]

https://host593.ipowerweb.com/~access-a/backcountry_petition/

You all know the drill. They restrict one group then the next. This petition has a long way to go.

I honestly didn't do much research on this petition or the folks heading it up. If anyone knows of this to be something other than it claims please let us know. Otherwise please sign up.

 

[Buffalobob]

This looks like a petition to keep the forest service from closing off forest trails to motorized vehicles and to insure the lumber cutting roads and clearcutting for the lumber companys can take place.

The closing of trails and two tracks to motorized vehicles during the hunting season was one of the great improvements the forest service has done since I had left the West back in 1980. In all of the time I hunted in Idaho I only saw one pair of hunters that had actually walked more that a mile from their vehicle to hunt. The number of road hunters who would shot deer or elk out of the window or off of their ATV and then pile out and take pictures was just amazing.

I greatly enjoyed the Salmon region because after a half of a mile from the road there were no other hunters. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I understand that you have limited mobility and I also understand that there are parts of Idaho where the roads and trails are not closed to ATVs.

 

[4ked Horn]

[ QUOTE ]
I understand that you have limited mobility and I also understand that there are parts of Idaho where the roads and trails are not closed to ATVs.

[/ QUOTE ]

True that. I will be the first to say that not everone should be able to get everywhere in the wilderness. When I was a backpacker I had the conversation many times that I was glad that there were places that could not be accessed by car or atv or even motorcycle. That is exactly why those areas are so special. In regard to hunting I feel the same way. My neighbor puts alot of miles under his boots and it would be a shame to populate the areas where he harvests large elk and gorgeous bears with roads and motorcycle tracks.

I signed the petition mostly to keep the areas that are accessible open. In this modern wave of green this and pristine that it concerns me that the pendulum will swing too far in the direction of closing all access. It will reduce the number of people (voting gun owners) that will put time and money into preserving the hunting/shooting heritage simply because it is such a bother to travel to the areas that allow back country opportunities. I think a healthy mix of well hunted areas and areas that never see a human footprint and everything in between should be the goal.