Historic Roadways Protection Act

[Mountain4x4]

Indulge me for a little political activism here. Lets face it we are mostly outdoorsman, and overlanders here, and we all know the closures of our favorite places have accelerated the last 4 years. Please consider contributing to Blue Ribbon if you have not and support this critical legislation. Comment HERE.

I added this personal comment to the boiler plate;


As someone ready to retire in the next few years, it saddens me to see the non stop whittling down of access to government lands. These are treasures and resources for ALL Americans, not just extreme environmental groups with deep pockets and there ability to make some politicians "feel good" despite no science or logic going into this land grab. It is essential existing trails and roads be left open, and ones that were closed for political reasons over the last few decades must be re-evaluated for re-opening. We have endured the loss of freedom, access, and the ability to explore this great country since the late 1970s, its time for law makers to look out for its average citizens, and disabled citizens and turn back these terrible closures and losses of freedom. And the title of this bill is VERY appropriate! We are also losing our HISTORY. Ghost towns buried in wilderness areas, historic land marks in-accessible, old railroads, mining camps and so on. Those historic losses are added to the loss of solitude, and the ability to explore and enjoy the beautiful lands of this country. And lets not forget we need these roads to manage lands, do research, conduct CRITICAL fire prevention activities, access desperately needed mineral resources and more. While this issue fall short of the Debt Crisis, Work Force Crisis and threats from abroad the weighty ness of this loss of freedom and quality of life makes it an issue that needs to be near the top of the list for lawmakers to take on.

 

[landmannnn]

Good call.
Think yourself lucky. A bit different in the UK (and Ireland). The top 10 landowners are all dukes, having acquired the land from William the Conqueror or Henry VIII, constantly lobbying parliament to keep the proletariat off their land.

 

[Mountain4x4]

Good call.
Think yourself lucky. A bit different in the UK (and Ireland). The top 10 landowners are all dukes, having acquired the land from William the Conqueror or Henry VIII, constantly lobbying parliament to keep the proletariat off their land.

No doubt. But the USA, and others like Australia have so much to lose with so much open land. And with our recent election, the discussion on how to reverse the recent path the USA was on losing freedoms, racism, socialism, work force and debt crisis that are crushing so many other countries in the world today is prevalent. So the time to act is now. Great societies make a lot of mistakes. But as democracies we can right those wrongs, and stop the minority from costing us our futures.

 

[Bayford]

Good call.
Think yourself lucky. A bit different in the UK (and Ireland). The top 10 landowners are all dukes, having acquired the land from William the Conqueror or Henry VIII, constantly lobbying parliament to keep the proletariat off their land.

Actually the Forestry Commission, MOD, National Trust, Crown Estate, and RSPB are the top 5 landowners. One suspects that with the exception of the Crown Estate the rest probably acquired their land because some poor old Duke was forced to sell off his acres to meet Death Duty liabilities imposed by one of our left leaning governments.

 

[mcdoogs]

You read these kinda of bills that use language like "support the Historic Roadways Protection Act and save our Moab trails by enacting funding restrictions on public land closures" but one of the reasons BLM looks to close roads is a lack of funding for transportation maintenance. BLM owns like 10% of the total surface area of the US and has a hilarious small budget for transportation maintenance according to https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2023-03/fy2024-bib-blm-508.pdf.pdf and https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/documents/files/BLM_TranspoBrochure_OnePager_Fact Sheet.pdf

First things first, vote for people who don't cut funding for these land management agencies. Ship has probably sailed on that, and so they are naturally going to be much more amenable to closing roads than if they were properly funded. FAFO moment

 

[CRH]

Good call.
Think yourself lucky. A bit different in the UK (and Ireland). The top 10 landowners are all dukes, having acquired the land from William the Conqueror or Henry VIII, constantly lobbying parliament to keep the proletariat off their land.

We lost a lot of our green lanes here in UK a few years back when they set out a load of reform to BOAT & byways network and reclassified a lot to restricted byways or footpaths. More and more are being neglected and closed off to our use. There was a plan to review what is left of the network and if you couldn't provide proof of use pre a certain date it would be lost. I think this is currently on hold but GLASS is a supporter of our rights and provides legal battles against councils that are being obstructive. If you are not a member, please join

Green Lane Association UK

Green lanes are used by the public at large on foot, cycle, horseback, carriage, and mechanically propelled vehicle, and our membership reflects this

glass-uk.org

They are working hard on our behalf, England and Wales.

 

[Krabby]

This is an important topic of discussion but a potential political powder keg. Please be mindful to not let it wander into "other" politics - please keep it focused.
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[landmannnn]

Actually the Forestry Commission, MOD, National Trust, Crown Estate, and RSPB are the top 5 landowners. One suspects that with the exception of the Crown Estate the rest probably acquired their land because some poor old Duke was forced to sell off his acres to meet Death Duty liabilities imposed by one of our left leaning governments.

I missed off "private" landowners, yes you are correct. Actually nobody is sure exactly how much land they have. The land registry was introduced in the 1870's so these dukes don't feel it necessary to register.

 

[GrenADV]

I imagine that most of the closures of trails are a result of people being reckless, careless, and disrespectful to the land and others. For example, lots of trash being left behind, driving off established trails/creating new, and just causing havoc in general (whether with loud aftermarket exhausts, speeding, drinking…). Ya know, not exhibiting the “tread lightly” principles and not being responsible, good humans.
In general, most good things usually come to an end for all, because a small percentage of people don’t respect things. I think that where the saying “this is why we can’t have nice things” comes from.
Perhaps if we want to keep our freedoms, we need to do a better job of cleaning-up after the idiots trying to ruin it for the rest of us. Also, we need to call-out those idiots if/when we see it happening. Maybe lead or volunteer trail clean-ups. The reality is that the politicians and government is symptom of the core problem which is people being irresponsible. In my mind, to stop the politicians from making the decisions, we must first do what we can to prevent it from getting to their desk as an issue to resolve in the first place.

 

[Mountain4x4]

Trash and bad behavior are NOT the cause of closures. That is the Environmental religion that demands no more open public lands PERIOD. That being said, it IS a weapon for land mangers and extremist to use, or a talking point. But it pales in comparison to the billions in Environmentalist lawyers that just threaten an agency and everything gets locked up. I am working on a BLM trail ambassador program soon for the San Juans, that could be a pioneering program and draw in every day users to make contact, support LE and help stop some trail abuse.

 

[CRH]

The argument of damage by recless users is being pushed in the UK. GLASS are raising money and carrying out repairs but the 'anti's' are still trying to get the lanes closed. If they were all closed the illegal driver & riders will carry on as they don't care anyway, it's the law abiding that will loose out.

 

[Krabby]

If they were all closed the illegal driver & riders will carry on as they don't care anyway, it's the law abiding that will lose out.

This is nearly a universal truth. Sad, frustrating, and yet true.

 

[Zimm]

Trash and bad behavior are NOT the cause of closures.

But it is. Freedom to use public land doesn't mean public anarchy, and when rangers and other land managers see trash and destruction caused by vehicle based hoodlems that they cannot control because there simply are not enough of them, the land needs protected for future generations to use. We are making more people, we are not making more land, and eliminating underfunded agencies that are failing to protect that land in a manner that permits use, simply because they are underfunded, is counter productive.

The easiest way to make strides is to limit WHAT goes back there.

1) no motorized vehicles over 750w of power that do not meet USDOT specifications to be sold as a passenger vehicle or can be legally driven on a highway. --- Most of the closures around here were directly attributable to the advent of quads. They don't stick to trails crushing fauna and flora, and are in the hands of kids that party and burn. Enough bullshit disguised as freedom.

2) 33" tire limitation/2" lift limit from crash test. That puts an end to the other issue, which is the land erosion from massive ruts caused by the 37" norm, and greater. Class 4 roads that were once passable by off the shelf jeeps (jeep trail on the old maps) now have tank traps dug into them. I'm upgrading to 35's because that's what you need anymore to prevent damage. I recall when 33" on ford highboy were badass. I'd happily stick to 33's.

Want more? go to a private park.

Our "Freedom" is the freedom to govern ourselves, but that does mean there is going to be a government, it does not equate to anarchy where you get do wtf ever you want. Other citizens of our country that don't "wheel" have legitimate concerns, because actual destruction DOES happen. As such, we need to work with ALL citizens and be willing to compromise. It's not going to get less crowded.