[Vision2020] LMT -- Everyone hears this tree fall

[Art Deco]

Dan,

I am glad we agree that usage fees are not unreasonable.  You pay the 
off-road fee.  My wife and I pay an annual state park user fee and an annual 
Park 'n Ski fee.  I consider it money well spent, although I wish there was 
a little more enforcement to keep snowmobiles from tearing up designated 
x-country ski/snowshoe trails in Park 'n Ski areas.

I know we don't agree about the percentage of bad-asses in the motorized 
recreation group.  Regardless, we both know that there are a number of users 
who will continue to perform destructively and unsafely and no amount of 
education will alter these people.  However, one would hope that stiff 
fines, jail sentences, and perhaps equipment forfeiture might deter some of 
them.

I might add the problems that motorized hunters bring are very sobering.  I 
say this after being shot at 2 or 3 days after deer season closed this year 
by a hunter who heard me step onto and break the ice of a puddle.  Without 
being able to see me, he fired apparently in the direction of the noise 
which I assume (hope) he thought was animal stepping through the ice.  After 
hearing my response (and being very modest, I can't repeat it here), he sped 
off down the mountain, off-road very quickly -- probably destroying some of 
Bennett's young trees in the process.

Respectfully,

Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)
deco at moscow.com




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Area Man (Dan C)" <areaman at moscow.com>
To: "'Vision 2020'" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Cc: <Brett at blpi.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2006 10:58 AM
Subject: RE: [Vision2020] LMT -- Everyone hears this tree fall


> Wayne,
>
> I agree there are those nutballs out there that give us responsible
> motorized recreational users a bad name.  I would venture a guess that
> the bulk of the abusers do NOT buy an off-road recreation sticker for
> their vehicles (motorcycles, ATVs).
>
> I would be totally in favor of PFI or BLP requiring some kind of access
> permit to be filed with them to allow recreational use of their
> property.  Whether it be fee based or not, doesn't matter.  I pay ten
> bucks a year for that off road sticker to the State of Idaho, I could
> swing a 5 or 10 to Bennett's or Potlatch to allow me to "play" on their
> land.  That way they have a record of who's supposed to be there, and
> who's not.  I'd like to see something like that put into effect before
> totally closing the land off.
>
> I can understand the timber companies wanting public funds to ensure
> public access.  "You want public access?  Pay for it with public money."
>
> In a conversation I had today with coworkers, one guy said "$300,000.00
> worth of damage to 670,000 acres?  That works out to 50 cents an acre."
> When you put it in those terms, it doesn't seem like as much, even
> though it is a lot of money.  Another guy put it in the terms of a
> farmer who has to deal with deer and elk and the damage they cause to
> fields.  A farmer has to figure that in, and maybe the timber companies
> should figure in a certain amount of "depredation".  I'm not saying
> those are MY opinions (I *DESPISE* the irresponsible nutjobs), they're
> just a "man on the street" opinion I heard today in discussion of the
> article.
>
> The biggest issue is education and enforcement.  You know and I know
> that, while there are still problems on Moscow Mountain, the abuses have
> decreased drastically over the last few years.  I think the efforts of
> Friends Of Moscow Mountain did a lot to help that situation.
>
> DC
>
> _____________________________________________________
> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>               http://www.fsr.net
>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
>
>