hunters, anglers want roadless areas kept intact

[montana500]

www.wilderness-sportsman.com

"DENVER -- Four Colorado fishing and hunting groups, fearing their message will get lost in the public debate, are urging Gov. Bill Owens to support keeping the state's millions of acres of roadless forest land off-limits to development.

The groups also sent letters to a 13-member task force created by the Legislature to help determine the fate of the sites in national forests protected by a Clinton-era rule but opened to development under a Bush administration policy announced in May.

"We felt the needs of the sportsmen really need to be heard in this process. Roadless areas provide important habitat for wildlife and they're important for hunting and angling," said Brian O'Donnell of Durango, a member of Trout Unlimited."

[bryant69]

1. The Simple Mythology of Environmentalists vs. Business

Is often times so simple as to be deceptive.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[leftstreet]

2. If only wildlife could vote

Great article, thanks for the link.

[danalytical]

3. I would rather see hunters

and anglers hunting responsably then developers COMPLETELY ruining the environment with roads, homes, and industrial parks. I don' hunt, but hunters are usually conservationists, they see the land up close and don' want to see it changed.

[blueknight]

4. the problem is....

even though i am an avid outdoorsman and hate to see the enviroment destroyed for ANY reason,i bet most of these guys are nra members and bush backers

[montana500]

6. alot of them are, a good chunk are not

Hunters and gun owners are going to play *the* key role in winning back the red states.

[Hubert Flottz]

5. "hunters and anglers hunting responsably."

The sportsmen should have seen all this coming in 2000, when they let the NRA and the GOP scare them into voting for Bush. Now they have their assault weapons, but they don't have anywhere to hunt and even if they did still have a place to hunt, they can't afford the gasoline to get there. Bush will find them something to shoot at in the Middle East and even give them a ride over there.

Tally-Ho you goofy Mo?her-F?ckers!

[danalytical]

7. Good one

LOL, the irony is so thick you could cut it with a spoon.

[Xithras]

8. I'm a hunter and an environmentalist.

You can't hunt if they clearcut the forests, and you can't fish if they pollute all the rivers. Most hunters and fishermen are ardent environmentalists. Preserving natural habitat is as important to us as it is to hikers and backpackers who only want to "look" at nature.

We may disagree when it comes to WHY nature should be preserved, but the end result is the same. Keep roadless areas roadless. Keep clean rivers pure. Don't let developers pave America.

[Toots]

9. Sure are a lot of wonderful fishing spots made accessible because of roads

I like Clinton's road less areas but I am not of the opinion there should not be any roads. I don't own a boat or a plane and the only way I have access is by road to many many beautiful spots. We need to be able to appreciate nature from a realistic vantage point and roads provide that. There are drawbacks but I think there are with most anything...

[B Calm]

10. After you build the road, why not a boat ramp too. Then you'll have

lots of company when you're on that use-to-be pristine lake in the wilderness....

[aquaman]

12. Don't forget the gas station too.....

[montana500]

11. well...

"" like Clinton's road less areas but I am not of the opinion there should not be any roads. I don't own a boat or a plane and the only way I have access is by road to many many beautiful spots. We need to be able to appreciate nature from a realistic vantage point and roads provide that. There are drawbacks but I think there are with most anything...""



That's not how the Clinton plan worked. What it does is keep the status quo. It says "no new roads in roadless wildlands (which are almost all gone). It doesn't close roads anywhere. It doesn't close roads at all.

I will also tell you that roadless lands provide the best hunting, fishing , hiking and scenery in the nation. All the best national forests have wild roadless cores. Roadless areas keep rivers downstream ( that area roaded) pure and clean. They keep habitat intact for big game. They act as "cores" to the national forest and park system , keeping things clean, wild, and pure.

[Xithras]

13. That's not quite true.

What it did was say that no roads could be built or maintained in areas designated as roadless wilderness. I know that one of the problems people had with it was the fact that many areas designated as "roadless" actually did have dirt roads in them. These roads would have been closed and given back to nature.

In the Stanislaus National Forest alone this amounted to a few hundred miles of roads being closed. I'm not familiar with other areas, but I hunt and fish in and around the Stanislaus often and remember the controversy over the announcement.

[montana500]

15. It's absolutely true

""What it did was say that no roads could be built or maintained in areas designated as roadless wilderness. ""


It never used the term wilderness. Wilderness can only be designated by congress.


""
I know that one of the problems people had with it was the fact that many areas designated as "roadless" actually did have dirt roads in them. These roads would have been closed and given back to nature.""


Not "many". There were some illegal ATV trails that did not belong. That's not closing a road. And in fact the Roadless plan allowed for existing legitimate ORV use to occur i nroadless areas.


""In the Stanislaus National Forest alone this amounted to a few hundred miles of roads being closed. I'm not familiar with other areas, but I hunt and fish in and around the Stanislaus often and remember the controversy over the announcement. ""

Then you were lied to. Illegaly created dirt trails by ORV's do not constitute offical roads.

[Xithras]

14. Ever heard of walking?

Sling your tacklebag over your shoulder, tie your pole to a pack frame, and hike in. I do it all the time...it's fun, it gets you to the best fishing holes, and it gets you a lot closer to the nature we're there to visit in the first place.

I understand that there will always be highways in the forest for people to reach the more remote areas, but the side roads are really the ones that do the damage. Roadless areas, areas where human visitation is limited to foot traffic, are the only truly natural areas left and shouldn't be spoiled by people who want to see a pretty view but don't feel like walking.