Re: [RC] the best places to ride - Barbara McCrary
Interestingly enough, some of the best areas to ride
are forests that have been harvested and have forest access roads built
there. Many privately owned forests allow riding by special permission
during times when harvesting is not actually taking place.
Two active forests tracts are used in our 100-mile
ride; one of them is ours. The owners and managers of the other one have
graciously allowed us to use their roads for our ride for 25 years.
Without the forest access roads, no one would be able
to ride there at all, due to the inaccessibility of the terrain. I've
always maintained that forest access roads make some of the greatest
riding.
Most of the riding areas in our local state park were
once such.
One of the best places we ride has been
preserved by Elk Hunters. They purchased a calving area and graciously
allow the public to use it for recreation when the elk are not
calving.
Some groups would like everyone to forget that
HUNTERS do a tremendous job of conservation. Billions (that's right
billions) of dollars have been raised by the voluntary (that is hunters
lobbied hard for it) 10% tax on firearms and ammunition. I won't even
mention ducks or pheasants unlimited.
Yesterday on the radio I heard a commercial for
a well known group that was soliciting folk to put their land into a trust to
prevent development etc. The only thing that bothered me was that they
specifically mentioned that this would protect the area from (apparently) evil
hunters.
Ed
PS. While I endorse regulated hunting (the
only kind we have), aside from scaring a few pheasants I have never
hunted.
Ed & Wendy Hauser 2994 Mittower
Road Victor, MT 59875
