Are you saying that any new technology that generates any new hobby is acceptable? And if not, how would you judge the degree of acceptability of a new hobby?
No, but what I am saying is that there needs to be some flexability. You're saying that ORV use is a new thing, and I'm saying that hiking, kayaking, etc. is also a relatively new thing in the Pines.
I don't think you have any evidence to make that claim, but supposing it were true, what would that have to do with any of the points I made?
The point is that people are making out that ORV use is going to "ruin" the Pines, and that even before ORV's were outlawed, the Pines are in much, much better shape then they were in the 1970's and before.
Remember that the Pines were once clearcut for charcoal, towns like Harrisville dumped tons of toxic waste into the Wading River, furnaces like Batsto pumped out tons of soot into the air. In the 1960's there was serious talk about taking a ton of land and building a gigantic airport. In the 1970's companies were running rampant with mining sand, lots of people were burning stolen cars in the woods, etc.
The Pines are a MUCH better place today then they ever have been.
This all sounds reasonable on a theoretical level, but where are these designated areas, these places not heavily used by hikers?
Who knows. Lets say that the state wanted to take a few acres out of Wharton? Or a few acres out of Byrne? Or Greenwood WMA? What does it matter? And it doesn't even need to be on state owned land. Those are just examples.
You can't sit there and say "give me an example of where you want a park" because nobody knows where anybody could even build one. You're asking for specifics for something that nobody has even been remotely able to agree on, and honestly it's getting ridiculous.
I'm surprised by your tone. I'm not punishing anyone. I was just calmly expressing an opinion.
It's just that I am so tired of the typical "we have to punish everyone" and "why should we have to do any work" attitude that gets spouted by the PPA. As I have said ad-nausem everyone needs to work together to find a workable solution that everyone can walk away from and feel somewhat happy with. The PPA has the ability to take a leadership role and work to get this problem solved so that everyone is happy. The riders also need to realize that they have work to do to get parks off the ground as well, and that they need to operate those parks in an ecologically responsible way as well.