Re: RC: Misc. Responses

[BMcCrary27@aol.com]

In a message dated 08/15/2000 2:17:45 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
rides2far@juno.com writes:

<< an
 environmentalist."  I said, "Oh really, do you spend much time in the
 woods"?  "Oh no, none at all".  So, I couldn't help myself, I said, "Are
 you *for* increasing the amount of Wilderness lands in the U.S.?" She
 said, "Absolutely". By now I am leaning forward and starting to grind my
 teeth. Here I have a focus for all the frustration I feel when I see
 these stupid polls asking me to "click here if you are in favor of more
 wilderness".  I said, "Listen, there is a State Forest near here with 80
 miles of hiking and horse trails. EVERY time there's an ice storm there
 are hundreds of trees that fall down blocking that trail. There are about
 12 horsemen who VOLUNTARILY go down there and work all day with chainsaws
 to clear it. If you get it declared Wilderness, it can only be cleared
 with a crosscut saw...which means it WILL NOT BE CLEARED. We're out there
 using these places and donating our time and people who like the sound of
 the word "Wilderness" but who NEVER LEAVE AN AIR CONDITIONED ROOM are
 ruining everything...If there's 100,000 acres and you rule people off of
 90,000 of them, what do you think that does to the other 10,000 acres?
 There's the same amount of people and you have now increased the impact
 horribly."  
 
 I could tell she still thought she was right, and she managed to mention
 *again* that she'd been PUBLISHED (but that she hadn't been paid)...so I
 happened to *mention* that I write for a couple of magazines...>preen<
 
 I think I'll be eating large slabs of red meat in front of this teacher
 in the lounge. >eg<
 
 Angie, you are SO right about the wilderness designation and its 
restrictions.  The problem is the same here on the coast of CA.  Frustrating 
is putting it mildly.  The city folks love the sound of "wilderness" but some 
of them never see it.  However, they are the majority that elect our 
government officials and those are the ones who vote for "wilderness".  It 
can drive a sane person stark raving mad if you let it.

Barbara