 |
|
|
NEWS & OPINION
Across the Country, November 2008
Posted: 11/15/2008
ACROSS THE COUNTRY...
As we end one year and begin the next, it's time to reflect and look forward. Many changes are coming - but some things will stay the same.
We, the snowmobile community, have always been good stewards of the land. If fact, we're among the best stewards. We're reasonable and rational - and that will not change. We cannot change our stewardship.
We've always been good at building relationships from the ground up, and that can't change unless it's for the better. We must maintain the relationships we have formed - and build more. We need to increase this endeavor.
I recently attended a conference where the attendees were encouraged to continue to let the on-the-ground Forest Service land managers know they are out there. They were encouraged to be a thorn in the side of all land managers. That's never been our style, and I would hope it would not become our style.
We've always operated as partners. Through the good times and bad times, we've been there, shoulder to shoulder. We've been partners in on-the-ground projects, we've been partners in brainstorming, we've been partners in trying to figure out how to finance projects. When there are problems, we've been partners in trying to resolve the problem. Our partnerships should not change - they should only become stronger.
Do you realize some of the non-motorized trail users actually complain to the land managers, with phone calls, emails and letters, whenever they encounter a motorized user? They let the land managers know how disruptive and disturbing their encounter was - how their solitude was interrupted...just from an encounter. Encounters are considered to be conflicts by some people.
There is also a movement to look at multiple use trails as motorized trails. The goal is to have an equal number of miles of non-motorized trails. That means the multiple use trails, motorized and non-motorized, will be mapped on their maps as motorized only, even though they are still open to non-motorized users.
The desired outcome is to have seas of non-motorized areas and islands of motorized use.
That is a challenge we will face. Challenges are not new to us. We must continue to face them head on.
There are some changes that we must initiate. We must get better at working with natural partners, like the travel and tourism community. They promote their areas for their natural resources - many of the same natural resources that draw us to their areas.
We must find a way to work with mainstream media. We currently work with the snowmobile media and many of the outdoor media outlets, but we are not persistent with mainstream media. This must change.
We must continue to work with those folks that make and enforce the rules and regulations, starting with the county commissioners and working up. We live in many of these communities, we're actually voting constiuents. Many people that try to influence rules and regulations do not live in the impacted areas. Many of the people trying to influence the rules and regulations have never visited the impacted area and have no plans to visit. The working relationships that we have with decision makers cannot change.
We must continue to promote snowmobiling as a family recreation. Many of us grew up on the back of a snowmobile - and now have our kids growing up the same way. That's not a bad thing - it's so important to get kids outdoors. It's so important to teach stewardship to the next generation, our children. The time20to start is now.
Children today are not growing up in a quiet use environment. How many kids do you know that have their I-pods going at the same time they have a stereo or television on?
It is alarming though to think of the number of kids that are always in their homes, surrounded by their technology, communicating with other kids via text messages rather than talking. It is alarming to think of the number of kids that are in constant contact with their computers or cell phones rather than in contact with nature.....actually getting outdoors. This must change. We must do our very best to get kids of all ages outdoors. We must work at making these introductions.
So, as we end one year and begin the next, we have changes that will face us. Some are changes that will be natural, and will require minimal work. Others are changes that will take some thinking and planning. But just as important, there are areas that will not change. We have many personality traits where we excel - like partnering, like finding solutions not problems, like finding friends and allies not enemies - and those personality trails must continue well into the next year.
Mother Nature has already blessed many of us with the first snowfall, hopefully these snowfalls will regularly continue through the next few months. Hopefully we will all find quality time with friends and family to enjoy our favorite trails. Hopefully we will all find the time to take a friend snowmobiling this winter too.
Enjoy the remainder of 2008. I'm looking forward to 2009 and hope you are too!
|
|
|
