These are excerpts from one page of the Sierra Club web page
that I downloaded on May 10, 1998.

"We're mostly fighting off mining, off-road vehicle use..."

"In California, 15 percent of the state is set aside as wilderness. But advocates aren't resting on their laurels; they're eager for more."

"New Mexico volunteers have created a citizens' proposal that recommends wilderness designation for 2.5 million acres of the state's striking red-rock formations and narrow slot canyons."

"America's Redrock Wilderness Act" (S. 773/H.R. 1500), designates 5.7 million acres of BLM land around the state as wilderness. It includes most of the lands located in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, America's newest national monument. But these lands need the stronger protection of wilderness designation because, for instance, the BLM can still allow motorized use by off-road vehicles.

"We've only proposed wilderness designation for 6 percent of the BLM lands in Wyoming, so we're being very reasonable", "We'll push harder when there's a more friendly political atmosphere in Congress."

"So the real battle is in protecting roadless areas; one by one we fight the proposals for timber sales, roadbuilding, oil and gas leases, and off-road vehicle use."

In case you failed to notice the Sierra Club seems to have a penchant to declare everything that doesn't have a house built on it and a few things that do have houses built on it as wilderness. Other articles recently published back up this statement by verifying that the Sierra Club's position is that they will not stop seeking designation as wilderness for every acre it can, and only then will it negotiate with recreational users for access by any means other than by foot.

That's right, their plan includes keeping out bicyclists and horses not just motorized vehicles.

There really is only one reason that the Sierra Club is fighting to protect everything as wilderness. "We the offroad and outdoor recreation community are letting them". Either by apathy, those who don't know or care that their sport is getting locked out, or a misguided belief that it can't happen to their sport because theirs is environmentally friendly.

Well guess what Bucko? Your sport, unless it's walking on your own two feet, isn't green enough for the Sierra Club, and for good measure you better take public transportation to the trailhead.

So unless you want to use that pack horse, fancy 4x4, mountain bike, atv or dirt bike to do the grocery shopping I suggest you do something about it before its to late.

There are a number of OHV friendly organizations listed on this web page that are begging for your help to stop the likes of the Sierra Club.

Give them a call, Join the ones you like, and get involved, or get used to looking at last years trip pictures 'cause there won't be any next year.

Written By:

Glen S.

(one of our good trail friends and one of the good guys.)

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