Dirt bikes!
- Thread starter dogg57
- Start date
I can't speak with any exact knowledge but I can take a educated guess Freerider. I would think the permitting system makes sure that the roads used are established, and possible don't contain T/E species habitat. I know one of the eduro comes dangerously close to a denning area of a certain species....fortunately known were crushed this year.
One of the problems with these races is that most people do not know they exist until they are smack in the middle of it. Better communicating and signs listing their dates and routes would help others to avoid them.
I also think some rules should be put in place so that some of the riders don't think they own the pines on that day. One rule would be to allow parking on Carranza road (and other roads) on only one side of the road. I made the mistake of going down Carranza last year during one of these runs, and had to give up. At least a half mile north of the memorial had virtually turned into a parking lot for the riders and their support groups.
Then again, this type of problem occurs nearly every weekend in the summer if going from Speedwell to Hawkins bridge with the canoe rental vehicles unloading and blocking the road.
Sadly, part of the problem as a whole is that the pines has become more popular, accesible and drawing more people. Just think what the popularity of the 4x4 or SUV over the last 30 years has done to pulling people into the woods.
I also think some rules should be put in place so that some of the riders don't think they own the pines on that day. One rule would be to allow parking on Carranza road (and other roads) on only one side of the road. I made the mistake of going down Carranza last year during one of these runs, and had to give up. At least a half mile north of the memorial had virtually turned into a parking lot for the riders and their support groups.
Then again, this type of problem occurs nearly every weekend in the summer if going from Speedwell to Hawkins bridge with the canoe rental vehicles unloading and blocking the road.
Sadly, part of the problem as a whole is that the pines has become more popular, accesible and drawing more people. Just think what the popularity of the 4x4 or SUV over the last 30 years has done to pulling people into the woods.
All of these things: riding enduros, watching birds, looking for interesting plants or ruins, are human activities that have nothing to do with the plants and animals that make up the woods. To say that one group of humans "has nothing to do with the pines" when they ride an enduro, is to imply that other groups have "something" to do with the pines when they engage in more acceptable activities. If you want to be a preservation purist then nobody should be in there, ever, except for accredited naturalists of course. I think the only viable model for that kind of preservation is the one the Nature Conservancy follows: they buy the land, and can do what they want with it. Hard to argue with that. If the land is a public trust, maintained by public funds, then the public has the right to access it and use it for approved purposes.
Enduro riders are drawn to the pines for the open space and interesting terrain; birders and naturalists for the plant and animal life; people like me for the history and sense of discovery. I maintain that all of these types of people have equally "something" or "nothing" to do with the pines.
They have everything to do with the plant and animals if you are riding over them, and they did, en mass.
I would agree with this. I think people are taken by surprise when they see hundreds of dirt bike riders race by in an area they normally would not be.
Part of the problem though is the signs that mark the course go up the day before and have to be down the day after. If you noticed on Sunday the trail markers should have been taken down. I'm sure it's part of the deal with the state to allow to hold the enduro. They want as little impact as possible. At the very least though it should be mentioned on certain websites, such as the state website or some of the pine barrens related sites to warn people. You would have people that would stay out of the pines that day but you could also have people that might want to spectate?
Don't the enduros ride on the roads? I drive on the roads too, and it's not like they run enduros every day. I have no sympathy with the aggressive ATV riders and "mudders" who go out there just to tear things up. But I think faulting the enduros for ruining the peace and quiet a couple of days a year by driving on existing roads and trails seems a bit ungenerous.
I have to agree with you Mark. As for the spectators what is needed is more police presence to keep the main road clear.
Guy
i agree too. ranger were out there keeping things right. everybody was polite and respected me!
i was upset with the mountain bikers on the Batona. they were wrong. same with the horse crap i had to step over. motor bikers were in THEIR rights.
id say it but, the kettle comment is not politically correct any more.
One of the problems is the sheer volume of them, they overloaded the place. At 9:30 AM there was no park police presence at the start on Carranza Road. I drove Carranza, Tuckerton, Push Line, and Quaker Bridge and saw only one Park Police SUV on Quaker Bridge west of the little bridge between 206 and Quaker Bridge.
Slag heap here we come baby!
Let be so bold as to opine.
Every (somewhat local) human group throughout history has had something to do with the pines.
For the early indian inhabitants the pines were essentially an obstacle between the various life sustaining water bodies in the pines and the Atlantic Ocean. The pines themselves were a poor source of sustenance otherwise.
For the early industrialists, the pines were viewed as a source of fuel and a fair source of iron bearing materials and supported a substantial economy based on them.
One industrialist, Joseph Wharton, would have sucked all the water he could suck out of here if he could have.
For earlier and present day agricultural entrepreneurs, the low ph and the well drained soil has been utilized for berry agriculture wherever possible and where alteration through liming and fertilizing has been performed, other types of agriculture.
Berry operations are now under strict control by the "Commission" because of their dependency on a high water table, ipso facto, wetlands .
For those that enjoy the pines for the warm and fuzzy feeling of hugging a tree, poking a frog with a stick, trodding through swamps, shooting a deer, driving a truck through the woods, participating in an enduro or watching a bird preen, you have to realize and accept that those are much more recent phenomenon and a reflection of the luxury of leisure time that we are able to enjoy.
We all happen to be part of a generation that is only 75 or so years removed from those who had to break their ass trying to make a substandard living and stay alive in these barren woods.
The early inhabitants didn't have the time to sit back and enjoy all of the esoteric things that these woods provide.
We have to be tolerant of all users of the pines and the few organized and permitted enduros that are run each year are hardly an infringement on our overall enjoyment of the woods.
I don't like my dog eating horseshit from the middle of a dirt road but I don't plan on grandstanding against horseback riders in the woods.
Scott
Right. From "Iron in the Pines"
Aug 15; Jacob Williamson done little work this day. Slept most of the afternoon on the shop bench.
Jan 29: Terrence Toole made a clandestine retreat from the Chopping. Left his ax, blankets, etc.
Jul 28: Molders all agreed to quit work and went to the beach.
Jan 22: Williamson drunk as a lark.
Aug 17: Molders a deer hunting. (worms my foot).
Jan 4: Luker doing nothing but walk about gentleman like.
Apr 1: Captain Townsend was so intoxicated that he did not know the duties of a Captain.
Damned fine dissertation Scott. Educated and passionate.
Leave it to you Bob to cite those memos you, lout.
Ahh but life was grand, or was it?
I dig anybody's appreciation for the Pine Barrens as long as it's expressed in a way that shows one loves, enjoys, and respects them.
I don't know where I fall but I like it out there and I don't "F" it up so that's O.K. right?
My youngest, once on a walkabout when asked his opinion of the pines, would give you the simple Zen answer you see in my signature.
If only we could all simplify our passions for the region through a child's mind.
g.
Leave it to you Bob to cite those memos you, lout.
Ahh but life was grand, or was it?
I dig anybody's appreciation for the Pine Barrens as long as it's expressed in a way that shows one loves, enjoys, and respects them.
I don't know where I fall but I like it out there and I don't "F" it up so that's O.K. right?
My youngest, once on a walkabout when asked his opinion of the pines, would give you the simple Zen answer you see in my signature.
If only we could all simplify our passions for the region through a child's mind.
g.
Not a bit, HawkinNative. I didn't read anything into it at all, and I hope my reply didn't come off as if I felt differently.
As to your last question, really it's just all illustrative of how pointless any attempt to make this distinction is. We all use the woods like we use the rest of nature, as every species does to the extent of its abilities. We humans often have different uses and purposes, but we're all on equal moral footing in my book as long as the uses are nondestructive and compliant with regulations intended to enhance everyone's ability to share and enjoy the woods. I'm very wary of "those people" arguments. They usually start from misunderstanding and advance rapidly toward ignorance.
Well Robert, I would counter that you are giving examples of pepole who didn't choose to travel to and enjoy the pines for their recreational ameneties.
These were people who were engaged in scratching out a tough living and when presented the opportunity for time away from the grind, they just so happened to be in the pines.
Hmmm...sounds just like me and you.
Oooops, forgot one:
April 1: Largo doing nothing but walk about gentleman like. Sheriff took him in for impersonating a gentleman.