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RE: [RC] Wild Horses - heidiThere's wilderness that we ride through up near Salmon La Sac. It's absolutely gorgeous. Incredible trails, and nothing built by people anywhere you can see. I don't think the part we ride through has been logged but once. You can maintain the trails, just not with power equipment. This does make it harder - you have to drop back to techniques used 50 to 100 years ago. This scenario is practical only if "wilderness" tracts are quite small, so that hand maintenance is doable. Here in Idaho, where wilderness extends for millions of acres, what you describe is only practicable for tiny bits around the edges. I do agree with you that not all of the restrictions make sense - for example, they ought to be able to bring in a helicopter to get injured people out. Alas, the restrictions are part of the package, though. What I think we need is something between wilderness and taxpayer funded tree farms. Maybe a recreational area designation that only allows certain activities, but not as restrictive as wilderness. I find it ironic that a national park is less restrictive than wilderness. There might be ways already on the books to do this. Right--and yes, there ARE designations that do this. Just management areas with restricted activities. There's an area near here that might get marked wilderness. It is a good candidate - good bit of old growth in there. The thing that bugs most people is that we have a nice trailhead we'd lose because they'd take out the road that gets you there. It would make riding up there a lot harder - fairly well limit things to people capable of overnighting and maybe endurance riders if they get up early enough. It isn't the occasional road that hurts--it is what is done with it. Seasonal restriction of roads or restriction to specific uses both work well. Heidi ============================================================ One would think that logic would prevail. But then, if logic did prevail, men would ride sidesaddle. ~ Bob Morris ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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