"After visiting EJS 2005" by Bill Burke

[calamaridog]

Bill Burke’s 4-WheelingAmerica LLC
Premier Training & Guided Back Country Trips
www.bb4wa.com … bb4wa@bb4wa.com

1 April 2005

After visiting EJS 2005 * my thoughts!!


I am displeased, disgusted, angry and afraid!! Why? I just returned from the
Moab area after two weeks ‘wheeling around and spending time with new and old
friends and my family. I spent some time on the hard as well as the easy
routes and what I saw (witnessed actually is the term) incited me to come up
with the adjectives I started this diatribe with and believe me I toned the
adjectives down!

I have been guiding/training in and around Moab for about 18 years and have
attended as many Easter Jeep Safari events. I have attended many national and
international events and have been lucky to ‘wheel in some of the most
pristine world class areas as well as some garbage dumps! What I saw this last
week really sickened me and makes me wonder why I continue to be aligned with
this sport and the people that purport to really care where and how they drive
on designated 4-wheel drive routes in public access areas. I am not talking
about the OHV parks or the Rock Crawling events on private lands, I am
expressing this disdain about the “guests” that are invited to ‘wheel in my
back yard where I work, live and play. They basically left the toilet full of
effluence, no toilet paper, the sink full of dirty dishes and soiled my finest
linen * that is how I see it. Here is how I actually saw it!

Displeased! Following “rock crawling” type built rigs along Pritchett Canyon,
these overly built rigs couldn’t make the rock pile so they drove into the
wash and the illegal by-pass made by other weak-kneed wannabees that can build
a rig but not drive on a difficult obstacle. HEY! You made the choice and
selected the VDL hard core route, deal with the obstacles. Take a strap or use
the winch, but stay true to the route. If you can’t do the original route
don’t drive up Pritchett! Better yet stay home on the porch ‘cause you may
have a “big dog” rig but you are certainly not up to the “big dog” task!

Disgusted! Driving along the route called Metal Masher, my son and I observed
where there used to be an obstacle that was (still is) quite challenging -- a
large slick rock face steep and tall. It was obviously not enough for the
“rock rig wannabees” since they had to move over foot by foot to assault the
entire ledge for the next 25 yards sideways. The big moment of disgust was
when I saw that the Juniper trees (maybe as old as 125 years) that happened to
be in the way were crushed and broken in pure indolence and with complete
disregard to the natural habitat of the revered old flora. Just wasted the two
trees ‘cause they couldn’t hurt the tube frame and already dented body panels.
Ammunition for the SUWA folks!

Angry! To put it mildly! I was with clients along the routes of Gold Bar Rim,
Bull and Little canyons and we stopped repeatedly to pick up trash along the
miles of routes we ran that day. We picked up 53 beer cans, 14 plastic drink
bottles, cardboard beer cases, a cooler top, and 2 tee-shirts, among other
items. We buried 4 piles of human effluence and exposed toilet paper and tried
to smooth over 5 different impact areas where vehicles had driven over prime
Crytobiotic forests leaving tire prints and destruction for really no reason
at all other than to “rip it up!” This was only on one of the many days that
followed. There is no excuse for that type of wanton destruction, especially
since there is so much information in the public arena about the fragile
Crytobiotic soil: DON’T BUST THE CRUST! It is everywhere, just like the
plentiful information about HYDRATE OR DIE! Do these people drain the oil on
their living room rugs? Do these people even care about ethics?

Afraid! Yes, I am afraid that these people have reinforced the already bad
image the general public has about 4-wheelers. So now I have to hang my head
down in shame when I visit the local business people in Moab because of the
stigma attached to what a few (not as few as one would think) bad apples have
done to the desert roads. It just gives groups like SUWA, Sierra Club, the BLM
and USFS more ammunition for road closure and to establish more Wilderness
Study areas. Because, if those that use it don’t care enough and continue to
abuse it, the privilege to recreate on primitive roads in pristine
back-country regions will be easier to close and certainly easier to legislate
Fee areas and restrictive access. We might as well as start building private
OHV parks like the East Coast regions have to do. Or do we restrict the buggy
types to only OHV parks and enforce lift, bumper height and tire diameter
laws. Or do we close “it” all and just stand against the fence and sigh away
the hours?

So, yes, I am afraid! Because these uncaring individuals that actually make up
a large group are threatening my livelihood, recreation and environment. We
should all be afraid what these people represent. I am sure SUWA loves it.

All the insightful diatribes from the vociferous ‘wheelers about boycotting
this establishment or that business amounts to NOTHING and falls on deaf ears
when ones backyard is so scurrilously vandalized by what Edward Abbey once
coined as “SLOBIVIUS AMERICANUS” are doing to our sport and our land.

Everyone that operates a motorized vehicle should be required to read
“Desert Solitaire” by Abbey, in order to get a license. There needs to be a
resurgence of a new ethic for the way ‘wheelers should treat this fragile land
we are loving to death and closure.

If you build a “rock buggy” type rig so you can attack and conquer, then by
all means use it to that end in the area or park made for that. But when
‘wheeling on established 4wd routes, stay on the road and enjoy the journey
not the thrill of conquering big rocks off the route and smashing trees and
rolling over Cryptobiotic soil. Back country travel and 4-wheeling is about
the journey, not fighting nature with machine. If you are one of those that
needs to fight nature then go SWIM WITH THE SHARKS! I am sure they will have
fun with your body. And we that share an environmental ethic will not even
remotely miss. Can you say: “Gene pool selection” and Darwin awards?

Displeased because these “slobivius americanus” exist and recreate with
impunity.

Disgusted these people can actually hold a driver’s license and call
themselves 4-wheelers.

Angry there are so many of these “bad apples” that the numbers are getting
larger and those that care about ethics seem to be getting smaller.

Afraid that the actions of these uncaring, indolent, boorish imbeciles will
drive the general public and land managing agencies to start really pushing
for road closure, vehicle build restrictions and more government interference.

We should all be afraid. We should all care about environmental ethics and
appropriate behavior when operating motorized vehicles on public access lands
especially in fragile remote regions.

We need to WAKE UP and start working on the tarnished image that seems to be
getting more tarnished as we drive along.

Bill Burke

[TOZOVR]

Props to Bill.

Seeing this out here in New England as well.

I'm afraid that the "popularty" of crawling may be the undoing of many public lands for us "regular" wheelers.

RJ

[haystax]

This should be posted in main Chit Chat - more people need to be aware of the PR nightmare being created by mainsteam use groups against motorized use groups. I too have seen lots of trash and torn up ground after a large group of rowdy people - my experience has been with sand duners and motorcycle riders rather than 4 wheelers but everyone is in the same boat when it comes time to face the decisions of the regulatory agencies.

[calamaridog]

Personally, I'm shocked that more people haven't expressed an opinion with 62 views. I'm also surprised at the lack of content in the ih8mud land use forum?

Don't people realize what is happening to their recreation opportunities? Or do they get their 411 somewhere else?

[sandcruiser]

it wasn't all that long ago that I took our cruiser out for it's maiden voyage....
drove down an "open" road that had a large berm in front of it. A few people along the way shot us dirty glances (popular hiking road/trail)

on the way back up we would stop occasionally to pick up trash that people had left behind, by the time we got to the top, we had about 5 gallons worth of discarded bottles and wrappers.

It isn't just 'wheelers who leave crap behind, but 'wheelers have a big legup on transporting stuff out. Best way to make non-vehicular users appreciate having a vehicle around is to offer up some water/snacks here and there, carry out trash for people, and certainly to lend a hand when you run into someone who needs it. A little good PR goes a long ways too.

[hatfieldcb]

Yeah, we're usually only a week or so in the aftermath of EJS when we run Cruise Moab. We've always been very conscientious about trail ettiquite; staying on the trail and picking up after yourself and others, and we brief our participants urging them to be that way too. We give out flyers in our registration packet that talk about the cryptobiotic soil and the need to preserve it. Since the beginning we've tried very hard to keep a positive image for our event. That's maybe part of the reason we're somewhat strict about tech inspection for Cruise Moab. All we can do is continue to be responsible 4 wheelers and encourage others to be the same.



Chris Hatfield
Cruise Moab Planning Committee Member
Rising Sun 4 Wheel Drive Club of Colorado

[rgsiii]

It is really a terrible situation. Abuse like this is very likely to shut down much of the public land to any vehicular traffic.

Do you think a move to Chit chat might generate more interest in the posting?

[woody]

Originally Posted by calamaridog

Personally, I'm shocked that more people haven't expressed an opinion with 62 views. I'm also surprised at the lack of content in the ih8mud land use forum?

Don't people realize what is happening to their recreation opportunities? Or do they get their 411 somewhere else?

Sadly, I'm not shocked at all......I'd love to see more traffic in here, but the 4wd community as a whole, because we are almost all driving vehicles that are streetable, has a great deal of apathy towards issues which result in the loss of lands. Snowmobile, ATV and MX users have a much more limited trail access base since they cannot be used at all on public roads, and are forced onto private/designated-only trails. Additionally, they have a fee structure within each state that licences their use specifically, and a portion of those fees return as trail dollars in many places.

From all I've heard, Bill's writings are accurate about the event, and he does an excellent job of summarizing things....thanks for adding the info.

BTW: might be nice to have a land use guru to pimp stuff here....I know there are 4-5 regulars with expertise in the area....

[sanjuancruiser]

As a regular of the Moab area I am also absolutly disgusted w/the irresponsiblity going on on our public lands. The disrespect in the desert isn't only just 4 wheelers but also the sheer #'s of people riding, walking, driving, climbing, rafting, biking, etc... that decend on that area each year. Most don't understand the fragility of the area and don't know the damage until its too late.


IT IS YOUR/OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR PUBLIC LANDS NOT SOMEONE ELSES!!


Lets get the word out and police the violators before we lose everything.

Rant.

A move to Chit Chat might be a good idea.

[timbercruiser]

I think EJS needs to take the lead in cleaning up our image. This is one of-if not the-most popular wheeling events in the U.S. It is certainly the most covered by the mags.

I think it needs more structure. The area should be closed to non-registered participants. And everyone goes on a specific run (no "bootleg" runs), so the crowd can be better controlled (or at least the bad apples can be identified and fined accordingly!).

The mags make it sound like a free-for-all weekend that has no crowd control in place, and that needs to end.


P.S. Move this to chat!

[woody]

PPS no reason there can't be two threads.....this IS relevant to Land Use, start a new one there and let both run....

[FirstToy]

It's a great thread. I hope to learn more about it, not just in Moab but everywhere. I realize 4wheeling has a bad rep more and more. But I also see that the reputation is ill-deserved in the circles I run in.
Anti-4wd's almost sells itself as propoganda since they can perpetuate the stereotype.

[Curran]

I'm glad that someone with the national visibility and recognition of Bill took the stance against such behavior and attitudes. It's interesting to read the difference in responses from this thread v. a similar post in the Pirate BBS . There seems to be much less interest in the topic here (likely 'cause it's in "Land Use") then at Pirate where it is posted in General 4X4 Discussion. However, it seems that the Mud crowd is rather in strong support of Bill unlike the folks at Pirate who are rather mixed in their responses. Again this could likely be because it is posted in "land use" and draws a narrower segment of the Mud population.

Nevtheless, I agree with Bill on this subject. From Tube Buggy down to Stock Mall Cruiser and from seasoned expert to the newest newbie, we have to start cleaning our act up.

[NorCalDoug]

The people I run with are very consciencious about treading lightly and picking up garbage...but based on the amount of trash we tend to pick up, it's easy to see that many more do not care as much as we do.

Similar slovenly behavior has resulted in the closure of one section of the Rubicon Trail to camping.
One of my favorite quick in-and-out trails -- Bassi Falls is closed alltogether to vehicle travel because of idiots on the trails.

Most of these people are stupid. Until it starts hitting them in the wallets, they usually don't care. That said, it's not feasible to have cops/rangers all over the trails citing people for littering. Education only works for those who care. This is very unfortunate.

[rgsiii]

Originally Posted by NorCalDoug

Most of these people are stupid. Until it starts hitting them in the wallets, they usually don't care. That said, it's not feasible to have cops/rangers all over the trails citing people for littering. Education only works for those who care. This is very unfortunate.

Doug--I think you are absolutely correct. The people don't care and will not be concerned until something affects them--likely it will be after major restrictions to off road usage.

[sport]

I'd just like to keep this thread going over here on the Land Use forum. Knowing Bill personally, I can really appreciate the passion that he used to write the letter with. I agree with most here that we as individuals do a lot to keep trails open and clean. The bigger problem is that land use issues are not glamourous and require time and patience to see results. The sad thing is that most 4x4er's want to live the life that they see in the magazines and on the tv. It's also these mediums that are used against us. The bad guys (Sierra Club, SUWA...) are using these against us in the fight to keep everyone off public lands. They can show the images from these or flip the channel and show how bad we as 4x4er's are. The good things that we do are never shown by the mainstream media.

Sorry to rant, just another concerned 4x4er,

Sport

[calamaridog]

Law Enforcement on the trails is almost non-existant. The gov't will add another 30,000 Border Patrol agents but will balk at spending another million to Police federal lands. Simply amazing...

[GeoRoss]

Originally Posted by sport

The bad guys (Sierra Club, SUWA...) are using these against us in the fight to keep everyone off public lands. They can show the images from these or flip the channel and show how bad we as 4x4er's are. The good things that we do are never shown by the mainstream media.

Sorry to rant, just another concerned 4x4er,

Sport

I agree Sport. The sad thing about this is that these areas are being destroyed. Even if it is by just a few bad apples, the roads should be closed/regulated unless the community can police its own somehow. I really hate saying that too. The 'bad guys' are right to use this behavior against the offroad community. It is part of the offroad community that is actively doing this. It sucks that everyone will pay for this abuse of the land and conscientous offroaders pay for the sins of the rest.

It is our responsibility to police our own and to push for publication of our good works. I have no idea how to police people who don't care though. I just see more road closures ahead unless it stops.

Ross

[pappy]

Originally Posted by hatfieldcb

Yeah, we're usually only a week or so in the aftermath of EJS when we run Cruise Moab. We've always been very conscientious about trail ettiquite; staying on the trail and picking up after yourself and others, and we brief our participants urging them to be that way too ... All we can do is continue to be responsible 4 wheelers and encourage others to be the same.

I'm not quite sure I should say this, but I seem to recall at CM04 a run up Onion Creek (I think this was it), literally up the creek. There were signs posted to stay out of the creek bed, and there were campers along the creek who were quite angry. This was not a good example to set, nor was it a smart PR move. Permit or not, the behavior was not acceptable.

I would like to believe that TLCA is as honorable as its leadership portrays, but I suspect the same environmentally abusive mentality does exist, and in greater numbers than will be admited. I hope the planners at CM05 don't make the same mistake again this year.

[cruiserdan]

I think they had a permit to run up the creek.


But, in hundsight, maybe they should have passed on it.

[hatfieldcb]

Originally Posted by pappy

I'm not quite sure I should say this, but I seem to recall at CM04 a run up Onion Creek (I think this was it), literally up the creek. There were signs posted to stay out of the creek bed, and there were campers along the creek who were quite angry. This was not a good example to set, nor was it a smart PR move. Permit or not, the behavior was not acceptable.

I would like to believe that TLCA is as honorable as its leadership portrays, but I suspect the same environmentally abusive mentality does exist, and in greater numbers than will be admited. I hope the planners at CM05 don't make the same mistake again this year.

This is true. I was the trail leader. We kept the run as advertised. Our BLM permit grandfathered us in for it. We were as shocked as anyone, but we decided to proceed with it last year. I was mortified to confront the people on the river part of the trail, but we were allowed by our BLM permit. Needless to say, it's not part of our event this year, nor will it be in the future.

Hey, we made an on-the-spot decision to go ahead with our planned run. Didn't want to disappoint our paying customers. Water under the bridge. It won't happen again!

Chris

[65swb45]

I've been mulling this thread over for a couple of weeks now, and I think the next logical question here is to ask yourself, 'how far would YOU go to be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem?

First off, since I am 6'3 and 200# plus, I have a certain comfort level in approaching a total stranger about trail etiquette that others might not. That said, I would still prolly approach my run leader about a group intervention, as there is something in numbers that helps drive a point home. On the other hand, I can think of times where a group confrontation just makes the infringer more defensive, not more cooperative. Hmmm

Next question, if you had a camera with you, and you could take pictures, would you? Closeups with licence plate numbers? Who would you give them too?
I personally would have NO PROBLEM with letting the infringer[s] know that 'evidence'was being collected, but I would have to think very hard about turning it over to the authorities. I say that because as part of the public record, I could just see the eco-nazis using my jpegs to lock me out of my own public lands.

Would you consider disabling the vehicle in question? I have heard of an instance or two where an asshat was so drunk that someone had the sense to take the guy's keys away. This definitely requires a group effort to accomplish safely. You basically tell the guy the keys will be turned in to the local authorities as a simple lost and found, and that he better be sober when he goes in to pick them up!


Where do you stand?

[timbercruiser]

I like to approach these situations in a slow, calm-yet firm-manner. Some go charging in and put the offender on the defensive ( I don't think that Mark is charging in).

The yahoo is already showing aggressive behavior by driving like an idiot, I'm not going to get in a pissing match with him right off the bat. I'm going to ask him to think about the larger picture.
If it gets to the point where he needs an attitude adjustment, I'll need backup-as in group intervention.

Dave (Dr. Phil wannabe)