No ATV Precedence

Written by The Salt Lake Tribune

Friday, May 29, 2009

Linda Marion

I wish all-terrain vehicles had never been invented.

My family has a cabin in the mountains north of Park City. My brothers built it, and it has been a family refuge from the noise and pollution of the city for more than a decade. During the summer, we go to the cabin almost every weekend to enjoy the quiet and fresh air.

But over the past decade, that tranquility has been increasingly interrupted by the drone of two-stroke engines and the odor of ATV exhaust. And why, pray tell, should the pleasures and freedoms of ATV riders take precedence over mine and my family's?

Given the enormous size of the ATV industry, and the clamor made by those ATV aficionados who feel they have the right to go wherever they want unhindered (think of the recent Paria River protest), it's clear that the rights of those of us who appreciate nature devoid of noise and dirty air are destined to lose out.

How ironic, and how tragic, that humans continue to invent and embrace ways to destroy their quality of life on planet Earth.

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_12479599

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“During the past decade, I have personally had six out of seven elk hunts ruined by the careless intrusions of ATV operators. This epidemic has forced me to abandon one prime hunting area after another, only to encounter the same situation elsewhere. The shameful part of this picture is that the overwhelming majority of these ATV’ers are young and healthy, not decrepit or physically challenged. Maybe these riders would be more respectful of other people's outdoor experience if they knew we could ID them."

- Bill Sustrich, Colorado Backcountry Hunters and Anglers