Where I live in Arkansas most of the timber company or any other commercially owned land has already been leased by hunters. People around here will pay big bucks and lease a huge tract of land then only use it for deer season. Unfortunately, our small bike clubs can't compete and pay enough to get and keep a lease. Also, the timber companies around here will absolutely not allow ANY form of racing, competitive event, or even an organized dual sport ride unless the lease holders have a very good/expensive insurance policy protecting the company, not the club.
As for buying land, that is always the best, but any land in Ar that would be suitable for what we do is expensive. We only have 3 clubs in Arkansas, and all have very low membership numbers. They don't take in enough money to buy very much land, even scrubby remote land away from cities.
I think the only way that we will have singletrack in the future is to seperate ourselves from the ATV crowd, at least until, and if, they ever get their act together and start acting responsibly, meaning not riding drunk, wear helmets, stop littering, and start making and maintaining their own trails, not destroying singletrack. I doubt any of the aforementioned things will happen in my lifetime. I don't think the ATVers will even begin to organize and become responsible until all the areas are closed, there is nowhere to ride, and they are forced to change how they act in order to get back some areas. In this region it seems impossible to get the ATV riders in general to do anything more than litter, destroy, and then complain when riding areas are closed.
As for the USFS, we'll have to eventually file lawsuits like the enviro groups do to force them to allow us to use what is really our land. Way I see it, we own it and any federal officials who manage public land are our employees. Regretfully, I think we'll have to resort to what seems to work: Sue!
Which brings up another question: What would we sue for? What would be our grounds if any? Could we start a nationwide legal fund using donations of money and maybe labor if there are any lawyers out there willing to volunteer some time?
What can we learn from what the enviros are doing that seems to work?
I think that we will have no choice but to somehow learn what it takes to gain and re-gain access to previously lost riding areas that are on public land.
Would it be possible to lease or buy land for riding, then allow it to be managed by wildlife or game and fish agencies? I mean could we somehow work a deal whereby we get to ride on the land, but have it legally set aside as "wilderness"?
Obviously this would be tough since most agencies think we are the devil and we are harming wildlife and land, but we know that is incorrect. Are there any tax breaks, federal funds, grants, etc available if a club aquires land then allows it to be managed by an agency? On the surface it sounds impossible due to the current bad relations with most government land managers. Sometimes the seemingly impossible turns out to be the best way. We all know that an 18" wide singletrack trail takes up very little space, can be managed for erosion easily, and wildlife thrives. If we had land that we agreed to maintain trails/parking/camping to a high standard, and allowed the enviros to get something out of it in the preservation department, could we actually work together? Again, I know this would be very hard, but timber companies do it all the time.
Someone mentioned the Ross property here in Ar. It is a huge timber farm, owned by a trust and managed for profit, but they allow the state Game and Fish commission to do timber research and experiments there, and they get a big tax break. Why couldn't we do the same thing in cooperation with state or federal managers? Yes, we are back to having to own or lease land, but we might even get some grant money from the feds. Has anyone heard of such a thing anywhere being tried or done? I think that if we could do such a thing it would mend alot of fences with at least some of the enviros and feds. Of course I understand that many of the hardcore enviro-nuts will never be happy until everything with an engine is destroyed but in any group there exists some practical thinkers.
The fact is, we and the enviros want much of the same things. We both want standing timber. We both want erosion control. We both want responsible management. I've never seen a dirt bike kill any animal. I've seen a guy hurt pretty bad from hitting a deer on a dirt bike, but the deer was fine! Jumped right up and ran off with nary a limp. Essentially, us and the enviros want wooded land preserved and properly managed. I think we have more in common than is seen currently. We may have to sue, work with land managers and enviros, or both! Often the worst enemies become best friends.
