ATV Florida Forum

Orlando Sentinel opinion section

Share the forest
Our position: Reasonable limits on four-wheeling will open nature to more people.


Posted May 15, 2006
The Ocala National Forest doesn't belong to off-road-vehicle riders.

It belongs to everyone. Yet reckless abuse of the national forest by those who enjoy plowing through the woods in four-wheel-drive vehicles threatens to ruin the outdoor experience for everyone.
 
Until now, rough paths in many sections of the forest were considered open to off-road vehicles unless they were specifically marked closed.

Thankfully, national forest officials now want to turn that regulation around. They only want the motor vehicles allowed on paths that have been specifically marked as open. This approach already is being used in part of the Ocala National Forest and it needs to be expanded for the entire forest.

The change is badly needed because off-road vehicles have been responsible for causing damage to wildlife and plants within the Ocala National Forest and other public wild lands throughout the nation.

Groups representing off-road fans worry that the regulations limit their ability to enjoy their pastime. And they say they are being unfairly blamed for damaging the environment.

Yet many people, such as hikers, birdwatchers and hunters have complained for years about the damage and disruptions that off-road vehicles have been causing.

For the new plan to work, it's critical that off-roaders have adequate room to roam. Strict enforcement of the new rules also is essential.

Okay, I'll bite. I agree with the last sentence. But, don't try to compare the daily # of OHV riders to the handful of hikers you might occasionally see out there.

God forbid if we disturb the drug abusing lackeys that attend the "rainbow Gathering"

Your in big trouble if you do that, you never know you might get FWC down on you. Seeing as stacktester can't seem to find them in another thread.

LOL  Someone might drive over their cannabis plants or their meth lab ;)

Seriously, we need to start fighting harder, but we should cut down on our destroying the forest. I want to be able to go riding with my kids in 20 years, and them to be able to ride with their kids. My dad was able to ride around wherever he wanted without much trouble 25 years ago when he had his old XR75.

Seriously, I don't think we need to fight harder, I think the forest service needs to fight harder. How many officers do you ever see out on the weekends on patrol in a truck, atv, etc..? How about giving people an alltell number to call when we see people pulling donuts on a trail? We can only do so much, it is a two way street, or is it? Does the forest service really want the trail system to work? Sometimes there is no considering that question. How about support from the forest service?

These threads are always about us doing more, how about some help from the people running the forest?

I'll tell you exactly what you can do to get the forest service to help us. You can volunteer one day out of the month (most likely a wekend day) and go out to the forest and be a volunteer ranger. I'd be willing to bet if you wanted to make it a volunteer / riding weekend you could probably get a campsite for free if you take your camper or whatever. I'm considering volunteering some myself. I don't think you get any authority which I'm not looking for anyway, but it's a way to stop some of the yahoo's who made it get to this point to begin with. Like the guy who said he wants his kids to bring their kids out there, if it keeps getting torn up what will they bring them to? ATV'ing is becoming more and more popular and the state's population is growing which in a way kinda is making the forest smaller because more people are riding there. We need more places to ride obviously and I hope we get them.

No mudding, no donuts, no wheelies, no pits, no night riding, no numbered road riding. 
  Maybe they can pave the trails and I can sell all bikes and my family and I can ride Segways down the trails. They could put battery charging stations along the trails and vegetarian snack bars. Anyone caught looking like they are having fun and not taking their nature tour serious will be taken straight to jail. 

if atvers aren't allowed all over should the tree huggers be allowed to roam all over the place n complain about us ridin 4 wheelers people should be forced to stay on the trail wether it be an atver after mud or a bird watcher after a blue jay or we could ship all the tree huggers to iraq n blow them n the towel heads up together

amen brutha,,,,I WANT to volounteer, but I can't imagine telling someone that they can't do a donut when all the pits are closed down.

and I do miss being so unbelievably lost that I thought I'd never get back home on a night ride by myself in ONF ;-)

but seriously, I do miss it.

Id@

If I volunteer a day out of the month, how is the forest service helping me. I'm helping them again. My point is they should make it easier for the rider, to assist them in anyway possible. If I am out riding I should be able to contact a FS through an alltell number or nextell number, I should be able to go up to the campground host, and have them call FWC or the forest service if someone is cutting up in the campground. I shouldn't have to do that, myself.

The problem is there isn't enough room to ride, so the forest gets over crowded. If the town commissioners would realize this, maybe things would get better.

It seems like the FS is making it as hard as possible on us and not giving in an inch.