Wilderness is Cool

[Phineas]

Our president has declared that Sept 2009 is Wilderness month in recognition of the 45th anniversary of the passage of the Wilderness Act! Forty-five years ago, President Johnson signed into law the Wilderness Act. Since then, it's ensured that more than 109 million acres have stayed wild nationwide.

New York created the Adirondack Park Forest Preserve way before the Federal Wilderness Act back in 1885 and passed the Forever Wild clause in our State Constitution "Article 14" in 1894. This is widely regarded as the blueprint for the federal wilderness Act.

Bob Marshall a native NY'er is also credited w/ helping to pass the federal wilderness act!!

We need wilderness because in the protection of wilderness is the salvation of the world!!

When whitey first set foot on our great nation a squirrel could scamper off the beach in NJ up through the dunes and climb into grand white pines and make his way all the way to the mighty Mississippi River w/out ever touching the ground...

It blows my mind how fast taker culture has drastically altered our planet.. Quite frankly I wish…

I was a trapper
I would give thousand pelts
To sleep with Pocahontas
And find out how she felt
In the mornin'
on the fields of green
In the homeland
we've never seen.

http://www.publicnewsservice.org/ind...rticle/10406-1

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_...ss-Month-2009/

[I Dunno]

Native americans methodically shaped their environment with fire and tree planting, hence the amount of american chestnuts that existed before the blight. "wilderness untouched by the hands of man", as some people believe, hardly existed.

But we should definitely do more to protect our land from development.

[Phineas]

Wildfires were not put out so nature altered itself as well.

The Native Americans for the most part believed in taking/altering only what they needed and there wasn't 250 million of them.....

[Blurred]

I think we should dedicate parts of the Nevada desert for the morons. Just build big fences and pack them full of people like Phineas.

[LittleYellowFriend]

How about we protect our land from greedy environmentalists?

[mtnbikerskierchick]

I like the concept of Wilderness. But, I think we need to reconsider how our Wilderness is managed. Last October, goldenboy and I went to hike Capital. We went through miles and miles of "Wilderness". But, it felt far more like some guys personal cattle ranch. There were cows everywhere. Cow dung all over the place-- even right in the center of where we had to set up our tent at the designated campground. The cows trampled the area. Plants were crushed and the cows even "rerouted" trails. The trails were wider because the cows had been driven through the area. What kind of Wilderness is this? It was no Wilderness experience to me! It pisses me off that they allow cows to destroy our precious public lands but cut-off access to mountain bikers, who barely cause more erosion than hikers.

There is no doubt in my mind that we need to preserve land for future generations. But, I think designating something "Wilderness" is not helping that preservation as long as cattle are allowed graze and destroy at the levels that I've witnessed here in Colorado. Wilderness lands need a serious overhaul in land-management.

[Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo]

I like the concept of Wilderness. But, I think we need to reconsider how our Wilderness is managed. Last October, goldenboy and I went to hike Capital. We went through miles and miles of "Wilderness". But, it felt far more like some guys personal cattle ranch. There were cows everywhere. Cow dung all over the place-- even right in the center of where we had to set up our tent at the designated campground. The cows trampled the area. Plants were crushed and the cows even "rerouted" trails. The trails were wider because the cows had been driven through the area. What kind of Wilderness is this? It was no Wilderness experience to me! It pisses me off that they allow cows to destroy our precious public lands but cut-off access to mountain bikers, who barely cause more erosion than hikers.

There is no doubt in my mind that we need to preserve land for future generations. But, I think designating something "Wilderness" is not helping that preservation as long as cattle are allowed graze and destroy at the levels that I've witnessed here in Colorado. Wilderness lands need a serious overhaul in land-management.

Whatever happened with some of the trails they were trying close or get designated wilderness over in CB. I remember gb starting a thread in sprockets with who to write letters too and everything. Is it still up in the air??

[leroy jenkins]

When whitey first set foot on our great nation a squirrel could scamper off the beach in NJ up through the dunes and climb into grand white pines and make his way all the way to the mighty Mississippi River w/out ever touching the ground...

Actually, the old growth mature forests were made up of larger trees more widely spaced, so what you say is probably not true.

Almost all the dense pine forest that we see out west these days are young forests, they are the result of the miners overlogging, then new young (dense) forests growing up afterward. The condition nature will settle into given time is a much less dense forest. Now, the young trees are fighting for space, and over time will literally choke each other out, some will die, and some will grow big and old, and things will be more evenly spaced.


Not that you're wrong about everything else, but I just had to say it.

I like the concept of Wilderness. But, I think we need to reconsider how our Wilderness is managed. Last October, goldenboy and I went to hike Capital. We went through miles and miles of "Wilderness". But, it felt far more like some guys personal cattle ranch. There were cows everywhere. Cow dung all over the place-- even right in the center of where we had to set up our tent at the designated campground. The cows trampled the area. Plants were crushed and the cows even "rerouted" trails. The trails were wider because the cows had been driven through the area. What kind of Wilderness is this? It was no Wilderness experience to me! It pisses me off that they allow cows to destroy our precious public lands but cut-off access to mountain bikers, who barely cause more erosion than hikers.

There is no doubt in my mind that we need to preserve land for future generations. But, I think designating something "Wilderness" is not helping that preservation as long as cattle are allowed graze and destroy at the levels that I've witnessed here in Colorado. Wilderness lands need a serious overhaul in land-management.

Yea, the capital drainage is an especially horrible example of what is wrong with the current system of managing cattle on public land.

The wilderness area starts way down low in the valley, but I've seen cattle several miles past there, just below the lake, trampling a fragile high altitude wetland into a giant mud pit. I felt like slaughtering a cow for dinner.

Just for the record, cattle aren't supposed to be allowed to graze in wilderness, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Not sure why those transgressions go unnoticed/unpunished year after year, but they do.

[Sir Jongalot]

I think we should dedicate parts of the Nevada desert for the morons. Just build big fences and pack them full of people like Phineas.

I for one am glad you're back Blurred. This place has had a real dearth of belligerent assholes.

[f2f]

[Blurred]

I for one am glad you're back Blurred. This place has had a real dearth of belligerent assholes.

Yeah, it's a stark contrast to the humorless, faceless, boring non-contributing yammering of those like yourself....right?

[summit]

[Sir Jongalot]

Yeah, it's a stark contrast to the humorless, faceless, boring non-contributing yammering of those like yourself....right?

You're right I should emulate you and through out more insults.

How's the biz as a limo driver?

[Blurred]

You're right I should emulate you and through out more insults.

How's the biz as a limo driver?

It's "throw" dumbass and I don't drive a limo.

So how many people have you skied with here? Can you answer that?

[Sir Jongalot]

It's "throw" dumbass and I don't drive a limo.

So how many people have you skied with here? Can you answer that?

Thanks captain spelling!!!!

More than a few, just they didn't know it per se. I'm shy so I usually just follow people quietly.

[Blurred]

Thanks captain spelling!!!!

More than a few, just they didn't know it per se. I'm shy so I usually just follow people quietly.

It's not spelling, it's grammar, dumbass.

So you're admitting you're a stalker in real life too, eh?

Man, you really are pathetic.

[stuckathuntermtn]

This one time, I road bikes with tone capone. Also, in the words of Queen, "I want to ride my bicycle / I want to ride my bike!"
Oh yeah, and I have a maggot room mate!

[Sir Jongalot]

It's not spelling, it's grammar, dumbass.

So you're admitting you're a stalker in real life too, eh?

Man, you really are pathetic.

Just a lurker of sorts.

Really, do you really think I'm pathetic? Maybe it does hurt my feelings what you think.

[mtnbikerskierchick]

Why watch soap-operas on television, when you can watch them live on TGR?

[Chainsaw_Willie]

No kidding. Boy, this thread went off the tracks...

I love that I live in a state that has one of the largest allotments of wilderness as a percentage of land area. I enjoy it quite frequently. For the most part, cows don't roam the Cascades near the crest so haven't had the kind of negative experience mtnbikerskierchick had.

If you want to see what real mountain wilderness looks like sans cows, check out some of the albums in my photobucket account.

http://s114.photobucket.com/albums/n..._07/?start=all

http://s114.photobucket.com/albums/n...2008_24-29_09/

http://s114.photobucket.com/albums/n..._08/?start=all

http://s114.photobucket.com/albums/n...2008_03-08_06/

http://s114.photobucket.com/albums/n..._09/?start=all

[Phineas]

I think we should dedicate parts of the Nevada desert for the morons. Just build big fences and pack them full of people like Phineas.

You could never fence me in bro. it's just not in my nature to be fenced in. I need open space. I cant live where there is no access, readily available access to wide expansions of open space..

Just how I was raised. I'm not one for the reservation. I need land to roam. If that makes me a moron then I’m a moron. But even you must realize that w/out protection the takers would take it all..

[bean]

Actually, the old growth mature forests were made up of larger trees more widely spaced, so what you say is probably not true.

Almost all the dense pine forest that we see out west these days are young forests, they are the result of the miners overlogging, then new young (dense) forests growing up afterward. The condition nature will settle into given time is a much less dense forest. Now, the young trees are fighting for space, and over time will literally choke each other out, some will die, and some will grow big and old, and things will be more evenly spaced.


Not that you're wrong about everything else, but I just had to say it.

Flying squirrels, bro.

[bean]

You could never fence me in bro. it's just not in my nature to be fenced in. I need open space. I cant live where there is no access, readily available access to wide expansions of open space..

Just how I was raised. I'm not one for the reservation. I need land to roam. If that makes me a moron then I’m a moron. But even you must realize that w/out protection the takers would take it all..

Unfortunately "Wilderness" = no mtb, yet shitloads of cattle for some reason. Reverse that (and ban those fucking horses too) and you've got a management plan that makes a little more sense.

[f2f]

It's not spelling, it's grammar, dumbass.

no, in this case it was actually spelling.

[Sir Jongalot]

no, in this case it was actually spelling.

Pawning yourself while trying to pawn someone else = priceless