As I learn this opinion piece from The Salt Lake Tribune, all I might utter have been lengthy, deep sighs. Like most opinion items as of late, it’s from an individual who feels aggrieved about one thing and who despatched a letter to the editor. The publication then hit “Print” with the helluva headline “Opinion: ATVs are spoiling Utah’s canyon country” connected to it. It’s blatant clickbait and one thing that I hope most folk disregard at any time when they see “Opinion: X,Y and Z” in any headline. 

But moderately than clicking away, I stored studying it and have become additional pissed off with each the paper and the author because the phrases inside fail even essentially the most minor of fact-checking, depend on lots of anecdotal proof, and supply such shortsighted ideas and opinions that if any of the author’s phrases have been taken critically by lawmakers, everybody would seemingly lose entry to public lands, not simply these “snarling machines” blowing previous the creator’s campsite. 

I’m at present engaged on a sequence about public land points on this nation, intending to usher in of us from all of the disparate outside camps to speak in regards to the challenges all of us face, together with how greatest to halt federal and state agencies’ progress of eradicating our inherited public land entry. It will embody examples of righteous indignation from inside the outside group’s subgroups, just like the one within the Tribune above, and the way these proclamations do extra hurt than good for all public land customers, not simply their supposed targets. Though that’s on the best way, after studying this story, I knew I needed to interject forward of that sequence’ publication. 

Why? Not solely is this text stuffed with inaccuracies and a failure to do even essentially the most fundamental of analysis by each the paper and creator, it additionally commits what I believe is the cardinal sin of any adventurer: Call into query one other group’s love for the outside.

But let’s first get via the factual inaccuracies, of which there are just a few. 

First, the creator doesn’t know the distinction between ATVs and UTVs, which isn’t unusual. But in his argument, he calls UTVs ATVs, after which tells the reader that solely “utility vehicles” ought to have entry to sure trails. This is the least objectionable instance of his lack of fundamental comprehension of the subject, but it surely’s considerably humorous in that he by chance OKs UTV entry whereas additionally calling for RZRs and their ilk to not have entry. It’s additionally the hero picture for his article.

Less humorous, nevertheless, is that he lacks even a fundamental understanding of present legal guidelines inside Utah, and could not even be bothered to Google his personal matter, saying, “Another solution is to make ATV use contingent upon obtaining a permit. This would allow the state to regulate how many of these machines may visit a given area while providing greater capability to police irresponsible riders.” 

But as of January of 2023, Utah requires OHV operators, together with those that drive UTVs, to acquire a allow. How do I do know? I took the course and have one.

According to Utah’s Department of Natural Resources, “Beginning Jan. 1, 2023, Utah will require all OHV operators to complete the Utah Off-Highway Vehicle Education Course. Operators under the age of 18 shall possess a youth OHV education certificate in order to operate an OHV on public land, road or trail. Operators 18 years of age or older may operate an OHV if they possess an approved adult OHV education certificate. The test will be available beginning January 1, 2023.” And the take a look at contains questions and statements about being good stewards of the atmosphere, in addition to courteous to fellow outside lovers—together with hikers.

I’m not saying there aren’t dangerous actors who do everybody a disservice by not selecting up their litter, going off-trail, and usually being pricks. But that’s indicative with all teams—once more together with hikers—and it’s as much as their communities to tell and police these folks.

For off-roaders, it’s why teams like Tread Lightly! exist. 

Furthermore, his concepts of prescribing occasions or days of the week to restrict entry and cut back intergroup points open the door to additional limiting entry as a result of one group of out of doors fans is louder than the opposite inside a state’s legislature or public. If profitable, that might simply imply hikers might restrict entry to the dust bikers. It might additionally imply dust bikers might restrict UTVs, UTVs vs. campers, campers vs. hikers, and so forth and so forth. I perceive the sentiment, in addition to the wish to cut back these conflicts, however if you’re coping with both the federal or state authorities, you by no means wish to give them an inch to scale back your entry to one thing, as you’ll by no means get it again. And in uplifting one group’s aggreviance over one other, everybody will lose in the long run. 

Far worse, nevertheless, is the op-ed author’s anecdotal perception that UTV drivers, and by affiliation all those that use motorized transportation within the backcountry, are extra in love with the sound of the engine than the outside, stating, “The driver behind the wheel of an RZR zipping through a canyon seems more enamored with the power of their engine or the music blaring through their speakers than the landscape flying past their open window.” 

I personal a Can-Am UTV and trip dirt bikes and ADVs. I additionally hunt, fish, hike and camp. I’ve spent extra time within the woods than most individuals will ever do of their lifetimes. But who’re you to inform me, or anybody else, how I ought to benefit from the outdoor? Or moderately, how I don’t truly benefit from the outdoor simply because I accomplish that behind the wheel of a UTV or the bars of a mud bike? 

The creator then quotes “Famed writer and radical environmentalist Edward Abbey”, repeating Abbey’s declare that “A man on foot, on horse-back or on bicycle will see more, feel more, enjoy more in one mile than the motorized tourist can in a hundred miles,” including that, “In many ways, I agree with Abbey.”

There’s so much fallacious with that, chief amongst them being Abbey’s views appear to have solely wished the nationwide parks preserved for himself. But I’ll simply say that with out motorization, we wouldn’t have Ansel Adams’ pictures, David Attenborough’s total profession as one of the well-known conservationists, and numerous others who’ve impacted our views of untamed locations during the last 100-plus years. And that’s to not say machines don’t have their evils, all the things does, however discounting their occupants’ love for nature simply since you really feel personally aggrieved and don’t perceive the attraction is a “you” drawback, not a “we” drawback. And it results in combating a bunch of like-minded people, moderately than the true villain, which I’ll get to in a second. 

And although I might get into how ableist this argument is, detailing how my dad who suffers from a leg incapacity would then be barred from nationwide and state parks (along with countless others) if motorized transportation was banned from these locations, I’ll give the creator the good thing about the doubt that he simply didn’t take into consideration these folks. I imply, he didn’t take into consideration so much. 

What’s extra irritating is that this creator and his piece prominently featured in The Salt Lake Tribune miss the precise subject going through himself and everybody who loves the outside: Diminishing public land entry for everybody. 

He says, “If we don’t act now, we risk allowing one of the last bastions of these precious resources to become just like the bustling cities that so many of us are trying to escape.” Guess what, these UTVs and dust bikers and off-roaders aren’t the precise danger. Neither are hikers, hunters, fishermen or campers. The actual danger comes from our state and federal governments promoting or leasing off public land to the best bidders, and you could possibly open up the very pages of The Salt Lake Tribune to see it taking place nearly each day all through the nation, however particularly within the state of Utah the place each the creator of the opinion and I reside. 

You have closures of public trails in Moab, together with big tracts of land being probably optioned by The HOUSES Act that’s at present making its approach via the state legislature, and the selling off of public land to developers. These all do way more harm than any perceived slights by UTVers, as each state and federal governments do not care whether or not you hike, fish, hunt, or drive a UTV. They’re simply going to take the land. As they’ve completed so many occasions earlier than. 

At the top of the day, do you assume decreasing the dimensions of who will get to like the outside will make it easier to cease these public land encroachments by these large-scale actors? No. You’ll lose. And within the technique of combating amongst ourselves, we’ll all lose these public lands everybody loves. 

Maybe that received’t be right now or tomorrow due to teams like Tread Lightly!, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, onX, and numerous others fighting these grabs with the assistance of some political allies. But quickly sufficient, we’re going to lose if we don’t cease this sort of finger-pointing, as these land leases and sell-offs are taking place everywhere, and each at a federal and state level. Governments see greenback indicators as housing builders and mineral companies are lining as much as offer billions for land state and federal businesses simply don’t wish to handle. 

These are everybody’s lands, not simply hikers, UTV drivers, hunters, anglers, campers or another particular group. They’re all of ours, and if we don’t get our shit collectively and cease this tit-for-tat name-calling each within the press and amongst ourselves, we danger all of it. We danger our kids not having something to struggle for and luxuriate in, not to mention ourselves.

There’ll be extra I’ve to say on this topic within the coming weeks, so keep tuned for that. But for now, I’ll go away you with this. Dear creator, and people studying at dwelling, how will all the things said above have an effect on your love for the “peace, quiet and the majesty of nature”? Cause it will certainly be quiet, as you will be sitting in your house, bemoaning the lack of your rights after all the things will get closed off to you.