Maryland Closing its OFFROAD Trails if Nothing is Done!!!

[wallidon]

Offroad Enthusiasts,

Please read the following:

http://times-news.com/local/x1281095860/DNR-may-close-some-off-road-trails
http://times-news.com/local/x598324077/Garrett-off-road-vehicle-trail-closedHere is what is happening with the off-roading trails in Maryland...if offroading enthusiasts don't act now and contact:

ppeditto@dnr.state.md.us

and

JOHN R. GRIFFIN, Secretary of Natural Resources
Office of Secretary
Department of Natural Resources
Tawes State Office Building, 580 Taylor Ave., Annapolis, MD 21401 - 2397
(410) 260-8100; fax: (410) 260-8111; tty: (410) 260-8835
e-mail: jgriffin@dnr.state.md.us
web: http://www.dnr.state.md.us

If comments and outcry are not sent to these people by the last week of April, the offroading trails in Maryland will be lost.

Green Ridge will be open for one month due to reservations made last year, but intends to close before May of 2011 never to reopen...

Green Ridge is the MOST POPULAR OFFROADING TRAIL in Maryland and they want to close it!! I am only one person and have already made contact with the abovenamed, but you have access to many Maryland offroaders as well as other states who enjoy the Maryland trails through your group and something can be done about this if everyone contacts the Maryland DNR!

The decision has already been made not to open the trail in Garrett County, Maryland, this year at all! Is this what all offroaders want to happen?

Thank you! With numbers, this plan CAN BE defeated!! Forward this information to any groups or people who can help, please!

[dirty anton]

letter sent! man this would really suck! maryland is down to almost nothing.

[Diacom]

Though I do not anticipate having an opportunity to go to Maryland and drive on any trails, any trail closure is a bad thing. I sent an e-mail to Secretary Griffin in support of keeping these areas open as well as encouraging more Off-road club involvement and stiffer penalties for offenders.

I also encouraged education to the public with the assistance of Tread Lightly! and the Blueribbon Coalition as possible sources of educational materials.

I hope everyone that is interested takes the time to express their thoughts.

[Diacom]

Wow, here's a reply from Secretary John Griffin, on a Sunday no less from the email I sent earlier today. Included was the email I sent.

Hi Noel, thanks so much for taking the time to write and for your very constructive suggestions. I should add that the underlying and precipitating event is our upcoming audit by the 2 national forest sustainability certification organizations. These organizations have put us on notice already about permanent closure of the trail in our state forest on the Eastern Shore--for which we previously were granted dual certification--and will require closure of the 2 trails in our Western part of the state. These certifications are most important to the balanced use of these forests and also to meeting increasing market demands for sources of dually certified wood sources.
So, I am copying Kristin Saunders Evans, our Assistant Secretary for Land Resources, so that she can follow up with our Forest Service managers with you regarding your suggestions. I am very hopeful that we can with together with our orv community to find alternatives for these trails. Best, John


From: Noel's Rangeweb [mailto:nornamlin@rangeweb.net]
Sent: Sunday, April 03, 2011 03:32 PM
To: Griffin, John R
Subject: Proposed Off-Road closures in Maryland


Mr. Secretary Griffin,

Though I am not a resident of your state, I do value access to “off-road” trails. I am also a member of offroadtb.com (http://www.offroadtb.com/). This is a community of like minded enthusiasts that encourage responsibility and safety to our members.
We have members from coast to coast as well as several other countries.

I have read several recent articles online from the Cumberland Times-News (http://times-news.com/homepage). All of these articles indicate the costs to the state and damage incurred by non law-abiding citizens that choose to drive off trail and more importantly not support a Tread Lightly! philosophy. While I understand the need to protect stream beds for native trout as well as protection for rare plant species, I would also like to encourage the legislature of Maryland to propose new laws that support a Tread Lightly! standard and increase penalties for offenders. Perhaps up to and including mandatory community service assisting local officials in repair and promoting their actions as un-lawful and harmful to the environment.

I would also encourage local municipalities to contact local off-road groups as well and hiking and mountain biking groups to assist in trail repair, maintenance and suggestions on improvements and relocations to further benefit both nature, your states citizens and tourists who may wish to enjoy these areas. Some of whom may be handicapped and will only have access via motorized vehicle. It may be possible to restrict or limit access to these areas to more desirable months to ensure the protection to the states waterways.

Perhaps education on the subject would be preferred after a temporary closure to show that the matter is serious to local communities as well as the State. I am sure you are aware of the Blueribbon Coalition (http://www.sharetrails.org/) as well as the aforementioned Tread Lightly! (http://www.treadlightly.org/?gclid=CI65 ... KgodNBR1qg). Both organizations promote education of responsible recreational access and usage of public lands. Their involvement of these closure areas could help further national interest of Maryland’s support of public access and enforcement of offenders.

Respectfully,

Noel McGlothlin
Diacom

Maryland has quite a dedicated politician in John Griffin, Secretary of Natural Resources, to take the time to answer a non residents email concerning closures on a weekend. There may be some glimmer of hope for Maryland yet.

[The Roadie]

Fascinating reply, and great work!

The root cause of this, the certification for meeting increasing market demands for sources of dually certified wood sources is a shocker, though. They need certification to SELL MORE TREES to MAKE MONEY for the state AT A HIGHER PRICE than they could get by just managing the forest normally as a renewable resource like all other managed forests are doing nowadays? I've got to look for more references to needing this certification, since it might become an issue out here in the west as well.

I've never heard of needing certification to sell trees - there's a huge lumber industry that will mill anything they can get, and the usual problem was lack of trees coming off the managed forests.

[Trail X]

Thanks Donna, I got your emails and will be forwarding the information to the clubs and groups that I know in the area.

I'll be writing Mr. Griffin a letter tomorrow.

[Diacom]

James,

Would you either post the information here so I can put a link to them or would you prefer to gather the club information for Wyoming and send them yourself?

Other ideas would work as well. Suppose if we can be proactive, it would be helpfull to members and the site. Guess it would depend on how involved folks would want to get on these subjects, they could require their own section if there is any merrit.

[navigator]

It looks like the key is $$$.
it would be interesting to see the type of $$$ that offroading in Maryland brings to the state and the areas around those parks.
When you think about fuel and hotels and food and tires and parts, the offroading industry invests a great deal of $$$ in the community that they are in. Areas with good places attract folks that aren't from the area. if you just think about guys like Mark and Mike the investment in things like tooling to make lifts and bumpers etc and the re-investment that they do in their local area, folks just don't think about what is involved. Think about the taxes on the fuel when you are getting 8mpg crawling over a trail.

It is kind of like hunting and fishing. Folks that aren't involved in those activities might think that they are being barbaric and irresponsible with the resource but they miss the investment that the sportsmen put back into the sport in conservation and education as well as the items they purchase to support their hobbies. They miss all the jobs that the investment helps to contribute to the local areas where the sports are performed and how much good it actually does for the communities that they are close to.

Folks forget that especially with teenage and early 20's boys that if they aren't lifting trucks and riding trails they are spending that money and time doing other things that might not be as wholesome.