Some wise words from Del Albright
07-22-2004, 06:42 PM
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Some wise words from Del Albright
If you don't know who Del Albright is, you should. If you are not doing everything in your power to keep trails open, you are part of the problem.
Get mad, get active! There might not be a tomorrow...
Get mad, get active! There might not be a tomorrow...
A Call to Quills!
(An Alternative to Closures)
By Del Albright
No more Mr. Nice Guy. I've had it! Our recreation is in serous
jeopardy, I don't care what you ride. Whether a dirt bike, buggy, 4wd,
ATV, PWC, sled, or wake skates behind a boat, WE are in trouble.
I am writing this as me, Del. I am not claiming to represent any group
or organization that I work for, represent or am a member of. This is
from my guts telling me we had better change the way we're doing
business, or we're gonna lose our motors. I am getting firmer and
staunched in my positions on land use and access. But we need an army
of people getting in the game so our voice can be heard.
Now I'm not playing Chicken Little here, either. The sky is not
falling. But from my experience around the continent, the atmosphere is
sure shaky. Tune in here and see what I think we need to do before it's
just any further down the road, too late.
To make a long, bring tears to your eyes, story short, this is the gist
of the problem:
1. Our image is so tainted we're an easy target for bad press and
closures due to the few yeh-hoos and dip-wads out there.
2. We deserve some of the bad press - we are not policing our own.
3. By not showing up and speaking out as much as our opponents, we are
the vast minority, under dog, get stepped on groups.
4. We are a HUGE army waiting for the call to help manage our public
lands, but we're not there in mass.
5. We wait until the gate is up before we ask for help or get involved.
Now with that in mind, I have some fixes. If you've read this far, I am
HOPEFUL that you will do more than read. ACT. Act now. Get your
friends to act. Do not take my gut instinct, based on 22 years in this
business, lightly. Stand up and quit rolling over! Get aggressive and
assertive about your recreation. Here's how in simple terms:
FIRST: Let's clean up our web sites and bulletin boards where some
people think they can talk like inmates and make us look like idiots.
Clean them up now. Change the rules of posts if you're a moderator.
Get rid of the idiot behavior and let's start showing some
responsibility towards shaping our image. If you're posting to BBS's,
then post like an adult. Get a private list somewhere if you need to
launch out; but not where our opponents can see you.
SECOND: if you're not a member of EVERYTHING you can afford to be, then
you're not in the game all the way. JOIN every local, state, and
regional organization you can. And JOIN BlueRibbon Coalition. It is
through membership that we build strength and find money to fight the
battles.
THIRD: Be an advocate for your sport. Include others. Do ride a longs.
Get political. Do not think you can let someone else do it for you.
Get some training. Get some help. Do whatever it takes, but do it now,
before YOUR gate goes up. Get a Trail Patrol or Neighborhood watch
started on your trails. Advocate for responsible use; dump the
dip-wads.
FOURTH: Set the example in everything you do in your sport. Ride
responsibly. Camp responsibly. Drink responsibly. Behave like EVERYONE
in the world is watching and evaluating your actions. Have fun, yes.
But realize we are threatened like never before. I've never seen so
many closures and potential closures on the horizon. I've been at this
a long time. Please take heed and act now.
FIFTH: Pick up your pen. That's why I called this article a "Call To
Quills" (pens). Pick it up and write a letter. I don't even care to
whom you send it. Just start to write. Tell your congressman how you
feel about multiple uses of public lands. Tell your Commissioner/Board
of Supervisors how you feel about your right to ride responsibly. Tell
somebody something. Get your voice out there. Be heard. Be in the
game. Tell them you're tired of rolling over and compromising. Tell
them you want no net loss of public land riding opportunities. Tell
them no more unreasonable compromise that means loss for us.
We are not well-represented when the letters are counted at the end of
the day. We have to change that, or just give up the effort. I for one
am not ready to roll over or give up any more. I'm in there with teeth
barred now.
On the other hand, continue to work with the great land managers who ARE
working with us, trying to help us, and seem like they have a balanced
approach to their job. Even if you don't get your way every time, do
support those land managers who you know are trying and fair. Support
those good politicians who believe in giving us a chance to recreate on
public lands. And in both cases, where there are bad land managers, or
bad politicians, put them in the dip-wad category and work to get them
dumped!
Do it now. Do something. Please do not sit by and wait. We can't
wait. Emergency closures should be reserved for when management fails.
Well, if you're not in the game, then chances are, management will fail.
Pick up that quill.
Del
Visit my web site for more help: www.delalbright.com
<http://www.delalbright.com/>
(An Alternative to Closures)
By Del Albright
No more Mr. Nice Guy. I've had it! Our recreation is in serous
jeopardy, I don't care what you ride. Whether a dirt bike, buggy, 4wd,
ATV, PWC, sled, or wake skates behind a boat, WE are in trouble.
I am writing this as me, Del. I am not claiming to represent any group
or organization that I work for, represent or am a member of. This is
from my guts telling me we had better change the way we're doing
business, or we're gonna lose our motors. I am getting firmer and
staunched in my positions on land use and access. But we need an army
of people getting in the game so our voice can be heard.
Now I'm not playing Chicken Little here, either. The sky is not
falling. But from my experience around the continent, the atmosphere is
sure shaky. Tune in here and see what I think we need to do before it's
just any further down the road, too late.
To make a long, bring tears to your eyes, story short, this is the gist
of the problem:
1. Our image is so tainted we're an easy target for bad press and
closures due to the few yeh-hoos and dip-wads out there.
2. We deserve some of the bad press - we are not policing our own.
3. By not showing up and speaking out as much as our opponents, we are
the vast minority, under dog, get stepped on groups.
4. We are a HUGE army waiting for the call to help manage our public
lands, but we're not there in mass.
5. We wait until the gate is up before we ask for help or get involved.
Now with that in mind, I have some fixes. If you've read this far, I am
HOPEFUL that you will do more than read. ACT. Act now. Get your
friends to act. Do not take my gut instinct, based on 22 years in this
business, lightly. Stand up and quit rolling over! Get aggressive and
assertive about your recreation. Here's how in simple terms:
FIRST: Let's clean up our web sites and bulletin boards where some
people think they can talk like inmates and make us look like idiots.
Clean them up now. Change the rules of posts if you're a moderator.
Get rid of the idiot behavior and let's start showing some
responsibility towards shaping our image. If you're posting to BBS's,
then post like an adult. Get a private list somewhere if you need to
launch out; but not where our opponents can see you.
SECOND: if you're not a member of EVERYTHING you can afford to be, then
you're not in the game all the way. JOIN every local, state, and
regional organization you can. And JOIN BlueRibbon Coalition. It is
through membership that we build strength and find money to fight the
battles.
THIRD: Be an advocate for your sport. Include others. Do ride a longs.
Get political. Do not think you can let someone else do it for you.
Get some training. Get some help. Do whatever it takes, but do it now,
before YOUR gate goes up. Get a Trail Patrol or Neighborhood watch
started on your trails. Advocate for responsible use; dump the
dip-wads.
FOURTH: Set the example in everything you do in your sport. Ride
responsibly. Camp responsibly. Drink responsibly. Behave like EVERYONE
in the world is watching and evaluating your actions. Have fun, yes.
But realize we are threatened like never before. I've never seen so
many closures and potential closures on the horizon. I've been at this
a long time. Please take heed and act now.
FIFTH: Pick up your pen. That's why I called this article a "Call To
Quills" (pens). Pick it up and write a letter. I don't even care to
whom you send it. Just start to write. Tell your congressman how you
feel about multiple uses of public lands. Tell your Commissioner/Board
of Supervisors how you feel about your right to ride responsibly. Tell
somebody something. Get your voice out there. Be heard. Be in the
game. Tell them you're tired of rolling over and compromising. Tell
them you want no net loss of public land riding opportunities. Tell
them no more unreasonable compromise that means loss for us.
We are not well-represented when the letters are counted at the end of
the day. We have to change that, or just give up the effort. I for one
am not ready to roll over or give up any more. I'm in there with teeth
barred now.
On the other hand, continue to work with the great land managers who ARE
working with us, trying to help us, and seem like they have a balanced
approach to their job. Even if you don't get your way every time, do
support those land managers who you know are trying and fair. Support
those good politicians who believe in giving us a chance to recreate on
public lands. And in both cases, where there are bad land managers, or
bad politicians, put them in the dip-wad category and work to get them
dumped!
Do it now. Do something. Please do not sit by and wait. We can't
wait. Emergency closures should be reserved for when management fails.
Well, if you're not in the game, then chances are, management will fail.
Pick up that quill.
Del
Visit my web site for more help: www.delalbright.com
<http://www.delalbright.com/>
07-22-2004, 08:11 PM
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We ALL need to be doing our part. It never ceases to amaze me that the people who b!tch the loudest at a closure are the ones I never see at the public meetings.
C'mon folks, show up at a meeting, write a letter or donate to someone who will. Make yourself known before the greenies manage to convince the lawmakers that they are right.
When that fancy rig you built out for wheeling is no longer allowed off the pavement, will you be able to live with the poser you have become?
At the rate we are going, there may not be a tomorrow.
C'mon folks, show up at a meeting, write a letter or donate to someone who will. Make yourself known before the greenies manage to convince the lawmakers that they are right.
When that fancy rig you built out for wheeling is no longer allowed off the pavement, will you be able to live with the poser you have become?
At the rate we are going, there may not be a tomorrow.
07-23-2004, 03:24 AM
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Rob, Thanks for the post. It never ceases to amaze me what people will spend their money on for their rig, but when you ask for $40 per year membership to the Blue Ribbon Coalition, they act like they are poor.
These are some of the people who are fighting the good fight. And they are horribly outgunned by fancy lawyers and DEEP pockets.
I can't imagine having nowhere to drive my Tacoma or Jeep. The enemy is at the gate, and he's got a pad lock.
These are some of the people who are fighting the good fight. And they are horribly outgunned by fancy lawyers and DEEP pockets.
I can't imagine having nowhere to drive my Tacoma or Jeep. The enemy is at the gate, and he's got a pad lock.
07-23-2004, 08:34 AM
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Thank you for the reply. I have seen the same thing. People spend hundreds of dollars on a new set of rims and thousands of dollars on their rigs, but they can't be bothered to show up for a meeting or even to write a letter/email.
To me, a poser is not somone with a built rig who doesn't wheel, it's someone who claims the sport as their own, but who doesn't support keeping the trails open. All those fancy rigs are going to look pretty silly when it's OBVIOUS that they never get taken off road, because there is no place to go...
anachronism
n 1: something located at a time when it could not have existed or occurred [syn: mistiming, misdating] 2: an artifact that belongs to another time 3: a person who seems to be displaced in time; who belongs to another age
To me, a poser is not somone with a built rig who doesn't wheel, it's someone who claims the sport as their own, but who doesn't support keeping the trails open. All those fancy rigs are going to look pretty silly when it's OBVIOUS that they never get taken off road, because there is no place to go...
anachronism
n 1: something located at a time when it could not have existed or occurred [syn: mistiming, misdating] 2: an artifact that belongs to another time 3: a person who seems to be displaced in time; who belongs to another age
07-23-2004, 08:46 AM
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I'm sure there are more poseurs than actual roaders all over this country so it is important for the actual roader community to get involved and I know I'm going to since off roading is new to me and I don't want it to end just as I'm learning what a joy it is to see the rest of Colorado that many will never see.
07-23-2004, 08:54 AM
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Originally Posted by WATRD
I have seen the same thing. People spend hundreds of dollars on a new set of rims
How about the goofs who spend a few $1000 on 22"s or bigger and take any 4wd capability and throw it completely away for the sake of looks? I think you can blame the Hiphop/gangster rap community for starting the whole "Hummers/4wd on rediculous wheels" thing. I see 50-60 year old guys doing it now it's become so trendy.
07-23-2004, 08:56 AM
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Thanks for getting involved. That is all anyone could ask of you. Write a letter, donate, whatever, but add your voice to those who want fight the wave of closures and restrictions. There's plenty of us to see a reaction from the lawmakers, but we sit around and grouse instead of arguing our point BEFORE the closure happens.
Let's show the greenies that it's our land too and we care what happens to it.
Let's show the greenies that it's our land too and we care what happens to it.
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07-23-2004, 08:59 AM
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perhaps what would be most helpful to those of us who are ignorant would be a list of links to groups and informative sites so we can educate ourselves.
heck, i didnt even really know this stuff was going on!
heck, i didnt even really know this stuff was going on!
07-23-2004, 09:18 AM
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We are in the process of building such a list for the WATTORA site. The legislative section of it will be pretty Washington specific, but the organizations listed will probably be a good place for you to start.
In the mean time, take a look at these;
http://www.sharetrails.org/ <---- If I could only donate to one place, this would be it.
http://www.treadlightly.org/
In the mean time, take a look at these;
http://www.sharetrails.org/ <---- If I could only donate to one place, this would be it.
http://www.treadlightly.org/
07-23-2004, 09:58 AM
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I may only have a squirrley 2wd, but I try to have just as much fun as the next guy on every trail I can.
For some time now its been a goal of mine to one day build up a 4x4, and if there's no place for me to use it when I finally do then, well, I wont be too happy.
I'm sending a check to the BRC tomorrow.
Thanks for the info and the link!
For some time now its been a goal of mine to one day build up a 4x4, and if there's no place for me to use it when I finally do then, well, I wont be too happy.
I'm sending a check to the BRC tomorrow.
Thanks for the info and the link!
Last edited by Pretacopower; 07-23-2004 at 10:00 AM.
07-23-2004, 10:22 AM
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X-AWDriver, nobody forced anyone to buy rims, if you buy them that size, it's because you wanted them. Secondly, it's a matter of preference. If you want to spend thousands of dollars to do body lifts, superchargers, etc, that's your perogative. Some people might think that's a waste of money for a hobby.So no matter what your hobby is, whether it is making your car look trendy or making it capable of off-roading, you need to respect that. Don't blame anyone but the individual who bought it. Better yet, don't judge it because some people think the same about your hobby.
07-23-2004, 02:16 PM
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Okay, I believe we can all agree that this topic is important enough that we don't need the tangents. There are plenty of other threads that debate/argue these tangents and let's leave them there.
Again, let's keep this thread topic where it needs to be.
Again, let's keep this thread topic where it needs to be.
07-23-2004, 02:32 PM
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FIRST: Let's clean up our web sites and bulletin boards where some people think they can talk like inmates and make us look like idiots. Clean them up now. Change the rules of posts if you're a moderator. Get rid of the idiot behavior and let's start showing some responsibility towards shaping our image. If you're posting to BBS's, then post like an adult. Get a private list somewhere if you need to launch out; but not where our opponents can see you.
On that note, I've posted waay too much for one day, so I'll go away for a while. (let the cheering begin!)
07-23-2004, 04:40 PM
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Originally Posted by Scottiac
This is one point we should probably pay more attention to, especially in the threads like the ones bashing Ranger R. I don't know if Yotatech would qualify as a BBS that would be watched by others, but some of the bile-streaming on some of those topics probably doesn't come across as all that credible. Just as an example. On that note, I've posted waay too much for one day, so I'll go away for a while. (let the cheering begin!)
On that note, I've posted waay too much for one day, so I'll go away for a while. (let the cheering begin!)I have VERY strong objections to the way that Randy does or does not do his job. I think he's a tool and a pawn of the green movement and an enemy of the very idea of "public land for public use". But you are probably correct.
I guess it comes down to, it's okay to dispute his policies, hell, even his competence, but we shouldn't get personal. Is that what you are saying?
07-23-2004, 04:53 PM
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I think one of the problems is there is no central place to go to see all the upcoming meetings for land closures or restricting land use.
I did see once a meeting on TTORA So. Cal. for the land closure of Pismo. The meeting was taking place in La Jolla however, down here in San Diego. HUH?! I think a lot of times these meetings go unnoticed by the average Joe, me, because the people trying to close the land have these meetings as quietly as possible and possibly in an area nothing to do with the land proposed to being closed?
I did see once a meeting on TTORA So. Cal. for the land closure of Pismo. The meeting was taking place in La Jolla however, down here in San Diego. HUH?! I think a lot of times these meetings go unnoticed by the average Joe, me, because the people trying to close the land have these meetings as quietly as possible and possibly in an area nothing to do with the land proposed to being closed?
Last edited by Darx; 07-23-2004 at 04:54 PM.
07-24-2004, 11:06 AM
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Originally Posted by WATRD
I guess it comes down to, it's okay to dispute his policies, hell, even his competence, but we shouldn't get personal. Is that what you are saying?
I thought about going back and finding a couple pro and con quotes, but y'all know what I'm talking about.
Our credibility is the one that goes down the toilet when we settle for "Ranger Randy is an gutter-licking, maladroit penguin with delusions of replacing Emperor Ming in the next galactic concorde", not his. While I'll admit it's fun, this is a public forum. shrug. Make your own call...
Last edited by Scottiac; 07-24-2004 at 11:07 AM.
07-24-2004, 11:16 AM
#17
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Originally Posted by Darx
I think one of the problems is there is no central place to go to see all the upcoming meetings for land closures or restricting land use.
CA4WDC (California Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs) looks like they are pretty active in this regard. I'll ring their chimes and see what I can find out about for CA. (http://www.cal4wheel.com/)
Anyone in the Gettin' Off club have a line on this sort of thing for CA? Robinhood150?
Edit: Just saw who was on the "Environmental affairs" page of CA4WDC... None other than Del Albright!
Last edited by Scottiac; 07-24-2004 at 11:21 AM.
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