Why Tread Lightly!...?

CO 2.0 · Jun 23, 2011

I have been following this thread since you started it Tread Lightly.

There is so much land in every area, every state that you cannot use motorized vehicles. Why does it seem then all the time, that people purposly go into motorized areas for things like hiking and skiing, and then get pissed when they hear motors? It is my right to go into public lands and ride a motorized vehicle. I pay taxes for it. The others who pay taxes and don't want motorized vehicles can go fly a kite since that's the law, and there are millions of acres of non motorized areas in each state they can go and enjoy their peace, quiet, and granola. If it were up to them and what they want then the motorized groups would have nothing to ride because small motors would probably just been banned in general.

You keep saying to "respect others". We do, from what I've seen the majority of motorized users have more respect to the common man than any non-motorized user. Lots of non-motorized groups disrespect us so badly they try to inflict harm, confrontation, etc in either aggressive or passive aggressive ways just because we don't share their view.

Snowmobiles don't leave a "footprint" either when the snow is gone, just like a helicopter. But which ones leaves a bigger carbon footprint? Yeah, the one that uses leaded av gas.

You are on a snowmobile forum let me remind you. I understand your intentions and why everyone should "thread lightly", but your replies to everyone is like a debate. Get a grip on reality here, and quit posting what seems to be generic and repetitive information.

MT Backcountry · Jun 23, 2011

We do Repect the Land

The Issue is they ( the Enviro's) want to close it ALL, NO JOKE. They don't care about the economy or the impact on the closures. All they want to do is wake up in the morning (TAKE TAKE TAKE) and find some way to close us out of the woods. I was brought up in New England and the majority of the people are nice, but there are some that its there way or no way at all. I had to leave the area to live in MONTANA and they have followed with there BULL S*** out here now. I have LOST the best areas of riding and have to poach and try not to get caught and may even lose my sled. I think its worth it to BREAK THE LAW! They have made me and (snowmobiling)OUTLAW. :face-icon-small-fro

DOO DAWG · Jun 23, 2011

Hey TL you might want to try some preaching to your choir!

http://www.welcomehome.org/rainbow/sites/annual-site.html

some video of previous events

http://vimeo.com/5828272

Stay clear of Skookum Meadow out of Woodland for a while

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The consensus from the Pennsylvania gathering was for the 2011 gathering to be someplace in the state of Washington.
Directions

From Portland, take I-5 North 30 miles to Woodland, Washington, Take exit 21, and go east on Road 503 which becomes Forest Service Road 90. Continue on FS90 (when it come to the intersection of hwy 25 and rd.90 stay to the right and continue on 90). Turn right right on Curly Creek Rd. Drive 5 miles. (Curly Creek may become Forest Service Road 51). Turn left on Wind River Road and drive 2.5 miles. Turn left at Forest Service Road 32 and drive 1/4 mile to Road 3211 and parking. Here's a google map. If you're coming from points east - Take I-84 to Hood River Oregon. Go north on the Hood River Bridge (Hwy 20) to Hwy 14 in the state of Washington. Go west on Hwy 14 to Carson, Washington. Take Wind River Road north 26 miles to Lone Butte Snow Park. Turn left on Forest Service Road 32. Drive 1/4 mile to Road 3211 and parking. Here's a google map.
Entrances to this area from the east and the north are not passable at this time because they are blocked by snow. SNOW SNOW SNOW. Do not go this way and get stuck in the snow.
We'll be at Skookum Meadow which is at 3,200 feet

snowmobiler · Jun 23, 2011

i just dont see how riding a dirt bike off trail in the forest or desert hurts anything.its dirt.

snengineer · Jun 24, 2011

DOO DAWG said:
http://vimeo.com/5828272

LOL!

Tread Lightly! · Jun 26, 2011

CO 2.0 said:
I have been following this thread since you started it Tread Lightly.

There is so much land in every area, every state that you cannot use motorized vehicles. Why does it seem then all the time, that people purposly go into motorized areas for things like hiking and skiing, and then get pissed when they hear motors? It is my right to go into public lands and ride a motorized vehicle. I pay taxes for it. The others who pay taxes and don't want motorized vehicles can go fly a kite since that's the law, and there are millions of acres of non motorized areas in each state they can go and enjoy their peace, quiet, and granola. If it were up to them and what they want then the motorized groups would have nothing to ride because small motors would probably just been banned in general.

You keep saying to "respect others". We do, from what I've seen the majority of motorized users have more respect to the common man than any non-motorized user. Lots of non-motorized groups disrespect us so badly they try to inflict harm, confrontation, etc in either aggressive or passive aggressive ways just because we don't share their view.

I don't disagree with you in the least. Respect is a two-way street, and we expect it just as much from the non-motorized side. Also, its not just that you "pay taxes" for it, you also probably have your registration for your sled, which provides for grooming, bathroom and staging area construction, signs, etc etc etc... That's something that very few, if any, other users groups can claim. And those benefits go far beyond the snowmobile community.

Snowmobiles don't leave a "footprint" either when the snow is gone, just like a helicopter. But which ones leaves a bigger carbon footprint? Yeah, the one that uses leaded av gas.

As an avid supporter of heli-skiing, I won't argue against that one. :face-icon-small-ton

Tread Lightly! · Jun 26, 2011

DOO DAWG said:
Hey TL you might want to try some preaching to your choir!

http://www.welcomehome.org/rainbow/sites/annual-site.html

some video of previous events

http://vimeo.com/5828272

Stay clear of Skookum Meadow out of Woodland for a while

:boxing:

Definitely not "my choir"... but nice try :becky:

I actually got into a huge debate with a professor in college about this exact thing. We had satellite photos of the area before and after their Colorado event, and the damage was obscene. She tried to say that it wasn't that bad, but using her own geo-referencing and image registration methods, it showed the impacted "treaded HEAVY" area to be well beyond a square mile. And we're not talking a little bit, we're talking complete destruction of the vegetation in the area and a spiderweb of trails going everywhere :faint:

So yeah... The rainbow folks = bad example of responsible use.

Tread Lightly! · Jun 26, 2011

Oh, and since its Sunday...

Decided to step it into a new direction this week. Instead of a tip of the week, we'd like to know the answer to a simple (potentially) question.

Why do you ride? Lets hear it. Where did you start? Who hooked you? Etc, etc.

snowman*150* · Aug 11, 2011

Have you guys ever thought about this... I am be wrong.

Have you ever thought about how nobody really worries about the dirt bikes and 4wheelers? But yet they crap themselves when we ride off the trails. Have you ever thought about the huge fires that happen from those dirt bikes? And how much more dammage they do compared to us riding on snow that melts and you cant see anything?

wiley75 · Aug 11, 2011

Holy smokes I can't believe that people are questioning the reason to Tread Lightly. Several on this thread have griped about closed access but also question the reason to Tread Lightly. Hmmm. Let's pull our heads out of the sand folks.

Tread Lightly! · Aug 15, 2011

snowman*150* said:
Have you guys ever thought about this... I am be wrong.

Have you ever thought about how nobody really worries about the dirt bikes and 4wheelers? But yet they crap themselves when we ride off the trails. Have you ever thought about the huge fires that happen from those dirt bikes? And how much more dammage they do compared to us riding on snow that melts and you cant see anything?

I will admit that i'm confused as to how you reach the conclusion of "nobody really worrying about the dirt bikes, etc". The recent change to designated routes only for the summer crowd has been one of the biggest challenges for the USFS and educational organizations such as us. Irresponsible use of summer OHVs also tends to make headlines fairly frequently, despite the vast majority of users being responsible and respectful.

Proper use of a summer/winter OHV does not leave an impact outside of what is accepted and mitigated for through the designation of areas and trails.

Oh... and I have ask about dirt bikes starting "huge forest fires". I don't mean to :boxing: but can you give me examples? Every OHV used on public lands is required to have a USFS-approved spark arrestor, and with modern engines, the fairly-efficient combustion alone usually prevents much in the way of burning material being expelled. Campfires and cigarettes are the most common causes behind man-made forest fires.

But on that note... a funny spoof video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66wEA5yx2B8

(This video was done in response to an Ad Council PSA that was released a couple years ago, basically saying that ATVs started forest fires. After a massive response from the OHV community, the original Ad Council PSA was pulled.)

Tread Lightly! · Aug 21, 2011

Time for a long over-due tip of the week...

Labor Day is coming up here in a couple weeks. I'm sure everyone is excited, and hopefully has some plans to hit the trails (since I assume most of you ride something in the summer too)!!

Labor Day also happens to be one of the busiest weekends on public lands, so with that in mind... We would like to make a couple recommendations, if we may.

-Play it respectful. There will be thousands of people out enjoying the public lands. Please keep that in mind, and slow down around high-traffic areas and areas of low visibility. You never know what could be around that blind corner...

-Play it safe. Use all the proper safety gear, and seat belts on vehicles designed to use them. We want you all to be around to talk trash about how "insane that obstacle was" or how "great that trail is". For the more visual learners... A video from our friends at Stay The Trail in Colorado: http://www.youtube.com/user/StayTheTrail#p/u/8/GyJk37z0yLs

-Play it sober. Beers are best enjoyed in camp after the tires have stopped turning. A gentle reminder that you can still get a DUI in many areas, even on the trail.

-Play it fun. Get out there and hit the trails. The forum should be VACANT over the weekend...!

snowman*150* · Sep 10, 2011

Tread Lightly! said:
I will admit that i'm confused as to how you reach the conclusion of "nobody really worrying about the dirt bikes, etc". The recent change to designated routes only for the summer crowd has been one of the biggest challenges for the USFS and educational organizations such as us. Irresponsible use of summer OHVs also tends to make headlines fairly frequently, despite the vast majority of users being responsible and respectful.

Proper use of a summer/winter OHV does not leave an impact outside of what is accepted and mitigated for through the designation of areas and trails.

Oh... and I have ask about dirt bikes starting "huge forest fires". I don't mean to :boxing: but can you give me examples? Every OHV used on public lands is required to have a USFS-approved spark arrestor, and with modern engines, the fairly-efficient combustion alone usually prevents much in the way of burning material being expelled. Campfires and cigarettes are the most common causes behind man-made forest fires.

But on that note... a funny spoof video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66wEA5yx2B8

(This video was done in response to an Ad Council PSA that was released a couple years ago, basically saying that ATVs started forest fires. After a massive response from the OHV community, the original Ad Council PSA was pulled.)

Well there was a fire started about 5-7 years ago from some kids riding dirt bikes. They were riding where they shouldn't have been and riding in grassy fields, that was the summer where every thing was extremely dry. One kid out of the three didn't have the proper spark-arrestor and started one big fire. The kid was around 16 I believe some of my friends knew him and now he is over a million dollars in debt because of this accident.

And that was a pretty funny video lol

Tread Lightly! · Sep 11, 2011

snowman*150* said:
Well there was a fire started about 5-7 years ago from some kids riding dirt bikes. They were riding where they shouldn't have been and riding in grassy fields, that was the summer where every thing was extremely dry. One kid out of the three didn't have the proper spark-arrestor and started one big fire. The kid was around 16 I believe some of my friends knew him and now he is over a million dollars in debt because of this accident.

And that was a pretty funny video lol

Yikes. That's too bad. Appreciate the clarification though.

snowman*150* · Sep 12, 2011

Tread Lightly! said:
Yikes. That's too bad. Appreciate the clarification though.

No problem. We actually just had another fire a month ago that burnt over 200 acres. And then another one yesterday. But I think that one got put out really fast.

snowman*150* · Sep 12, 2011

Just a quick question... Are the younger kids going to have to take a snowmobile safety class? Kinda like what we had to to to be able to drive a boat?

Tread Lightly! · Sep 16, 2011

snowman*150* said:
Just a quick question... Are the younger kids going to have to take a snowmobile safety class? Kinda like what we had to to to be able to drive a boat?

To tell you the truth, I haven't heard of that regulation being put into place. Many western states don't even require it for ATV use, although they have minimum age limits and some have driver's license requirements for use on public roads.

However, it would not be a bad idea. We often encourage riders to take safety and education classes (especially avalanche safety for those among us who love winter). You would want to check with your state snowmobile program to see what regulations/requirements or class options they have in place.

Tread Lightly! · Mar 15, 2012

Good afternoon everyone! Just wanted to toss out a quick hello to let you know what Tread Lightly! has been up to recently, and where we're headed...

Past Events:
Phoenix International Sportsmens Expo - Phoenix, AZ
Salt Lake City International Sportsmens Expo - Salt Lake City, UT
Scouting University - Greenville, NC

Upcoming Events:
Denver St. Patricks Day Parade (Guest appearance by LightFoot, with Stay The Trail) - March 17 in Denver, CO
National OHV Safety and Education Conference - March 26 and 27 in Sacramento, CA
Easter Jeep Safari - April 4 to 8 in Moab, UT
Stewardship Day @ The Capital - April 19 in Denver, CO
Scout-O-Rama - May 5 in Salt Lake City, UT
Overland Expo - May 18 to 20 in Flagstaff, AZ

We are scheduling Tread Trainer and Master Trainer courses coming up, so if your organization, club, business, school, or agency is interested in hosting a course, please visit our Tread Trainer page: http://www.treadlightly.org/page.php/programs-treadtrainer/treadtrainer.html

Stewardship Grants application deadline has been extended back to April 1, so if your member club is interested in some money for projects, please visit the page here for details: http://www.treadlightly.org/page.php/stewardshipgrants/

We've also recently added a $60 dollar, three year option for our members, and with over 90% of your donation going directly towards our education, outreach, and stewardship programs your contributions are being put to good use!

Tread Lightly! leads a national effort to protect recreation access by promoting ethics education and stewardship programs nationwide.
Get involved, and Do your part to support responsible enjoyment of America's lands and waterways.

OuraySledder · Mar 18, 2012

Why tread lightly?

Because that is what the establishment wants you to do. That way they can control your recreational opportunities.

Using this plan you can expect your liberties to be further violated and restricted.

EricW · Mar 19, 2012

I was curious Tread Lightly, how is your organization funded? I know it costs to do advocacy work and hold events. Just wondering. Thanks. EW

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