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My name is Vince Brunasso.
I am one of the Webmasters for the TRT. I also share the responsibility
of http:/www.Glamisonline.org.
Below is one of the comments from the TRT web site survey.
Following that is my response to each of the issues one by one.
I leave the respondent's name off to protect the innocent. I did
respond to the individual by direct email with content very similar
to this editorial.
Comment: "ORV Recreation threatens the environment. If you
want to test your vehicles, why not do it somewhere where the land
is already compromised--like under the windmills near Palm Springs?
If you really like to use your vehicle to get back to nature--do
it on a private vehicle preserve...I don't want my public land compromised
by your noisy, smelly destructive vehicle use. Otherwise, you seem
like a bunch of nice folks--can we work together on this?"
First, I want to tell you that my wife and I are members of the
National Wildlife Federation. We diligently recycle, keep our cars
tuned and make contributions to preserving the planet. Preserving
the environment is forefront in our minds as I'm sure it is in yours.
Second, I must tell you that I do not speak for the TRT. This editorial
is from me personally.
You bring so many issues to mind; I can discuss them only one at
a time.
"my public land"
Pretty much a contradiction in terms, isn't it?
"ORV Recreation threatens the environment".
I've taken a careful look at this. Yes, we do ride on land and
the effects will be seen for generations. I can't imagine it is
any worse than Disneyland's parking lot or a freeway or a housing
project. At least the wildlife has more of a chance in the dunes
- it has little chance once paved over. Besides that, the North
side of the dunes is closed. They are as they were 10,000 years
ago. So are the Kelso dunes, Panamint dunes, etc.
I personally ride the dunes. I see much desert life in them. They
are not as dead or dying, as some would have us believe. Is riding
the dunes impact free? No.
Much of the desert is closed to off road travel. Are we really sacrificing
that much for the recreational benefits provided? I, personally,
don't think so. I prefer it to building another amusement park.
It is much more ecologically sound.
"If you want to test your vehicles, why not do it somewhere where
the land is already compromised--like under the windmills near Palm
Springs?"
For most of us, it is not a test of our vehicles. It is to camp
with family and friends, to smell the chicken over a mesquite BBQ,
to experience the dunes, the weather, the wind and the sights. Look
at the average age of the survey respondents. We are, on average,
36+ years old - I am 46 - too old to care about how fast we can
go and more interested in being healthy for work Monday morning.
The Palm Springs area does not offer the experience of the ISDRA.
"If you really like to use your vehicle to get back to nature--do
it on a private vehicle preserve".
I do not mean to be sarcastic. But, I would like to know where there
is a private reserve similar to the ISDRA - I would go and pay whatever
they asked. Even so, it is still land being used for the same purpose.
" ...I don't want my public land compromised by your noisy, smelly
destructive vehicle use".
I couldn't agree with you more. I have been off roading for over
30 years. I can tell you from personal experience that the oils
required to be mixed for a 2-stroke engine to run are far more clean-burning
than they were just 5 years ago and highly improved over 20 years
ago. Probably, these 2 and 4-stroke engines use far less fuel and
pollute far less than all the poorly tuned automobiles and trucks.
I won't even touch upon gas-powered leaf blowers and weed whackers.
Public is the key word in your comment. I think the BLM has done
a pretty good job of segmenting different use preferences of the
desert. We all have what we want and have learned to share the desert.
Just because we don't agree with another's idea how the public lands
should be used is no reason to prevent him from doing so.
I think the smelliest; most polluting, noisy vehicles in the desert
are the trains. You can literally smell and hear them for miles.
Not to mention the disruption to the landscape the tracks create.
And there's the military. Flying, bombing, etc, etc. Did you know
a 747 takes 2000 gallons of fuel just to get off the runway and
climb to 1000 feet? Now that's pollution. To me, a few hundred small
engines running for about 30 weekends a year (90 days?) is a small
drop in a very large bucket.
"Otherwise, you seem like a bunch of nice folks-"
We really are a nice bunch of folks - well, most of us, anyway.
You are welcome to come with me anytime and tour the dunes as I
see them. Sure, there are the ones out there that are hard to tell
from lower life forms, but that is true of any large, diverse group.
We, my partner in the web sites and the TRT, are working to control
the bad element.
"can we work together on this?"
I am under the impression that we are working together.
In the last 20 years, most of the available riding areas have been
closed down with little or no rider input. That is why the ISDRA
is becoming so crowded. The military controls a full third of the
desert. Railroads are another large property owner. Cattle and mining
make up the rest. And don't forget the north side of the dunes.
Respectfully,
Vincent J. Brunasso
TRT and GlamisOnLine Webmaster
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