FORESTS: Give back to the people

One of the many great things about North Idaho was that a family could grab a National Forest map and head out with dirt bikes and ATV’s to explore some new territories, looking for wildlife, huckleberries, new prospects for hunting or just to have fun riding and getting back in to enjoy how beautiful our state is. Well, those days are over.

The last several times we have headed out to explore new areas by heading down old logging roads that go back into areas out and away from the main forestry roads guess what we saw? If you like to use the Coeur d’Alene mountains like we and most of our friends do then you know what we saw every time we turned on to any old logging road that would take us into the country that used to be our areas for recreation. You all know what I’m talking about: The infamous red Closed Road steel gate.

I’ll be the first to admit that I used to grumble about ATVs that would come rambling into an area I was trying to hunt. But the CRD (Closed Road Disease) has gotten way out of control when the only form of exploring our forest land is on horseback or foot. People don’t invest in ATVs and dirt bikes (and pay the related vehicle taxes) to ride on primary forestry roads along with other autos and logging trucks. We have however noticed and do appreciate that there is a lot of money being spent on some token little ATV trails that are being designated to contain the little ATV families and keep them out of the real country. It would be especially meaningful if the Department of Forestry and Fish and Game would embellish these designated areas with some stuffed and animated Elk, Deer and Squirrels. That way the hundreds of ATV riders could be packed together in these designated areas and take glee in the real back country together. Please add some photo vista platforms.

The Fish and Game folly of protecting the elk has gotten way old and every hunter and logger knows that the modern elk is more like the Whitetail and doesn’t run to Montana or Canada when they see or hear a motor vehicle. Guess what, they just go over the ridge to the next drainage and continue in their business of eating and fighting off the wolves. It is time to give back the mountains to the public and limit the governmental establishments from over controlling one of our most important resources for recreation. At a bare minimum all of the closed roads should be opened for the Spring and Summer periods except those that have proven access to critical Elk calving and rearing grounds. Just as with our “other” government, our Forestry and Fish and Game departments need to start remembering who the public is, what the public wants, and design their strategies and business accordingly.

JAY MARTIN

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