Land use...the very title kept some readers skimming for something more interesting to read. If they do accidentally start in on the article, their eyes quickly glazed over. On most online four-wheeling forums, Land Use is the topic which gets the least attention, but post a thread about which seat covers to buy or which gears to install and everyone jumps in gleefully.

The irony is that Land Use is the most critical topic for the continuation of four-wheel drive as a hobby, sport, or even a profession. Without public trails, what recreational options are left?

This article addresses basic land use ethics, but what it all comes down to is this: Take RESPONSIBILITY. ASK questions. Be RESPECTFUL.

There are many wonderful organizations which promote responsible recreation on public land, like Tread Lightly, Leave No Trace, Friends of the Forest, and various recreation clubs.  They are all very polite and politically correct about introducing ethics to the public.  I am no longer inclined to be so polite.  Yet, I have learned that, in a discussion, it is important to criticize the behavior, rather than the person.  So, let me criticize some behavior. 

Take Only Pictures, Leave Only Footprints

Take only pictures and leave only footprints seems like a simple rule to follow.  Almost everyone should have heard this rule by now.  Then why is it that many people think that it doesn’t apply to them? 
 
Recently, I visited four different trails in one day, and saw four different public land abuses: 
 
First, I saw an old refrigerator dumped at a trailhead.  Chances are that the dumper drove just as far to dump it there as he would have to drive to the proper waste station.  This behavior is disrespectful, irresponsible and ignorant, not to mention lazy and stupid.  
 
Second, I drove through an area frequented by campers.  There was a pile of trash, neatly bagged and boxed, but left at the campsite. The last time I checked, the trash truck doesn’t make stops on Jeep trails.  This behavior is disrespectful, irresponsible and ignorant. 
 
Third, an ATV sped past me on a dirt road, kicking up so much dust that I had to stop and wait for a few minutes so that I could see the road and breathe.  Bad manners not withstanding (see my article on Offroad Etiquette), “tearing up the trail” is just that—destroying PUBLIC land.  And if that were not enough, I saw him again a few minutes later “turning donuts” in a field.  It is behavior like that which makes me question our “right” to recreate on public land, as well as ponder the ramifications of exercising certain aspects of my second amendment rights <grin>.  On a related note, in the National Forest Road and Trail System, roads with three-digit numbers (i.e. 179F, 361) require vehicles to be street legal.  This event occurred on a 3-digit road.  His ATV was not legal.  This behavior is disrespectful, irresponsible and ignorant. 

I also visited one of my favorite spots and found tracks all over the place--"over hill, over dale"-- over shrub, over cryptogamic soil.  This is a trail which the Forest Service had considered closing, but locals begged them to keep it open.  Now?  Most likely, the people who did the damage are not regular visitors to that spot. Most likely, it did not occur to them that their irresponsibility affects everyone else.  Will they know or care if that trail gets closed?  Who suffers the most from their actions? The entire community pays. This behavior is disrespectful, irresponsible and ignorant. 

Last but not least, I witnessed a guy filling up the back of his expensive SUV with red rock, probably for some home improvement project.  For $15, you can purchase a permit from our local Forest Service to take up to three tons of rock from designated areas, not alongside a scenic trail, like he was.  Likewise, for $20 you can purchase a permit to cut up to four cords of firewood.  They even give you maps!  One would think that a person who can afford a $60,000 SUV could afford a $15 permit.  Is it conceivable that he did not know he was doing anything wrong? His behavior was disrespectful, irresponsible and ignorant. 

I will be the first to admit that, years ago, I collected rocks, gathered firewood, and committed other seemingly trivial impacts.  My behavior was disrespectful, irresponsible and ignorant, even back then.  Now, not only do I better understand the fragility of our ecosystems, especially in the Southwest, but also I have seen the exponential increase in public land usage, and realize how much more significant the damage is when people “just take a little”.  Don’t exhibit disrespectful, irresponsible and ignorant behavior!

Education

Ironically, the people who most need to read this article are not reading it. Chances are, if you are reading this, you are already a proponent of responsible public land use. Many people spout off about needing more regulation, but a fellow 4-wheeler put it to me this way:  “We already have rules and laws against this stuff.  How will making it more illegal stop the damage?” 
 
Education and enforcement is what is required.  Shame on people who abuse our public land.  Shame on us for allowing it to continue. 
 
The challenge is this: How do we get this message to the guy who blew by me on his ATV, and then proceeded to turn doughnuts in the desert before blasting off over the hill? How do we get the message to the family that enjoyed their camping trip, neatly packed up their trash, then left it sitting? How do we get the message to the 4-wheeler who thought it was okay to perform a complete turning radius over virgin soil, instead of using the nearby pull out? 
 
Some people just go about doing things “the way we’ve always done it.” These folks remind me of the kid who sticks his fingers in his ears and says “la-la-la—I’m not listening!” because the  “way we’ve always done it” doesn’t work when there are ten times as many people using the same trails. 
 
Some people ignorantly act as though “it’s okay just this once.”  No, displaying behavior that is disrespectful, irresponsible and ignorant is never okay.  Didn’t these people ever get a spanking or get put in timeout when they were kids? 
 
There is enough information readily available these days that even “honest” mistakes should be few and far between.  Yet heinous infractions still occur on a regular basis.  Those of us who do behave are often reluctant to speak up when witnessing a misbehavior.  We can not look the other way.  We cannot accept mistreatment of our public lands.  Call it tattling if you will, but get your local law enforcement phone numbers programmed into your cell phone. 
 
Here is a suggestion that a fellow four-wheeler uses:  he approaches people in a very friendly manner, and says in a helpful tone “You know what you are doing is illegal out here—if a ranger catches you, it will be big fines.”  I like that approach, because you are giving someone the information without criticizing or blaming.  It is possible that they don’t know, but if they do, at least they may get self-conscious and leave, and think twice about it next time.  Your local law enforcement officer will want the license number of the vehicle, and a description of both the vehicle and the driver. 
 
Let this be a rallying call for all of you who do enjoy our trails, and do conduct yourselves responsibly—stop putting up with behavior that is disrespectful, irresponsible and ignorant.
 
Happy trails!

Resources:

USDA Forest Service
http://www.fs.fed.us
 
Bureau of Land Management
http://www.blm.gov
 
Arizona State Trust Land
http://www.land.state.az.us
 
Tread Lightly
http://www.treadlightly.org
 
Leave No Trace
http://www.LNT.org