Re: endurance trails closed?

["Duncan Fletcher" <dfletche@gte.net>]

Logging only is equally false. But there is some truth to both charges. Read
Gore's book and you will find an extreme environmentalist, but as President
a number factors will restrain him somewhat. Any further expansion of
Wilderness will reduce areas for endurance (due to the heartbeat rule), but
not necessarily horse use and that is far more likely under Gore. The
Endangered Species Act has effectively closed a number of trails to all use
and I would expect more of that to occur. A Gore administration is far more
likely to roll over to threatened law suits than Bush in this area. Bush
will undoubtably allow more logging. But logging only - that has never been
the case - other than short term restrictions during actually logging
operations the forests have been open to recreational use. And, like Gore,
there are constraints on what he can do to allow logging. From an endurance
standpoint, logging is not serious problem. From the standpoint of those of
us who like to ride singletrack, road building that goes along with logging
has been responsible for trail loss - roads built over the tops of trails.
But endurance requires roads as much as trails to allow vet checks to be set
up. On the other hand, logging provided much of the money for trail
maintenance.

I agree to vote based on fact (and there are many other issues not the least
bit related to horses or endurance), not propaganda. But the only propaganda
that has come to this list is this post.

Duncan Fletcher
dfletche@gte.net


----- Original Message -----
From: <guest@endurance.net>


> Edie Booth desertbred@USA.net
> Hi guys...
>
> It has just come to my attention that the story is being circulated that,
if elected, Al Gore will close us out of our trails on Federal property, ie
US Forest Service etc.
>
> I am educated on this topic and I can assure endurance riders that Gore's
environmental beliefs in no way resemble those held by the so-called
environmental `purists` (a percentage of the Sierra Club, etc.)  Al Gore has
expressed his commitment to the policy of multi-use, which is inclusive for
us.  The changes (in most areas) of use of our Public lands has been a great
improvement over the past 8 years of Democratic Administration compared to
the impossible struggles some of us undertook during the times of Reagan and
Bush.
>
> so please be aware that this story against Al Gore is baseless propaganda
so frequently distributed during political campaigns.  Vote for whom you
want, but don't base it on a false rumor.  I personally think we will
continue improved access and communication with the Forest Service with Gore
and might return to `only logging` interests under Bush.
>
> Edie Booth   (trails experience since 1979!!)       TX