bpa (bonniville power admin ) upset about four wheel drive

a little history

for 30 years I have been going into the woods to target shoot .

40 years ago , you could legaly go nearly any where , getting there was hard but you could .

you followed the logging trucks to the clear cuts , which were the best area's .

the protesters made the logging companys nervious... so they chained or gated the access to private land.

the mushroom pickers and pot growers got out of hand , so the fed chained and gated the really nice places .

under ragan and bush(1) they spent millions of dollors putting in nice roads , then the 4X4 and off road guys got busy and you had access to nearly every where ... the pot growers and mushroom guys got very upset ,
so 10-15 years ago under clinton they ripped up the nice roads for nature trail and wilderness access only ... putting in 8 to 10 foot ditch's across access roads ... gateing and chaining everything else for hiking trails to keep the mountain bikes away from the pot growers .

you can't get to the clear cuts , but they are not nice any longer .
they are covered with derbis , like a camp fire waiting to happen .
which started happening under bush(1) 15 years ago .

but when the forest fires happen , the "moon scape" is good for target shooting , when you can find a way into them .

the pot grower get nervious when people with guns are around , or when guys are roaring around in 4X4's , dirt bikes and quad's , mountain bikes.

I have seen first hand , a group of " non english" speaking guys show up as I am shooting . if I stay for more than 20 minutes others will appear . with 4X4's roaring around on the road , nothing ever comes of it , but the pot growers are getting bolder .

any one walking alone or in pares will get the same treatment .
the national forest I don't use any longer , and most off roader's don't.

...

update : the BPA is now upset because... the target shooters and off road guys are useing their access roads .
this would be funny if you didn't see the whole picture .

in a fish bowl , with out history , we are the bad guys .
in practical terms , the pot growers have taken control of the forest , and this is the result .

the answer : legalize pot or open more area's for offroad , target shooting , and other non-nature trail use of national park land .
fill the ditches , take the chains and gates down . open up the national parks for people ... and get the collage kids who want to count spotted owls to back off and leave the rest of us alone .

today , the national parks rangers are the same as they were 40 years ago , polite , helppful and friendly , but they carry gun's , which I never saw 40' years ago .

people are still friendly , and for the most part , the 4X4 croud are funny , silly and loud . the shootists are polite , responcible and very senstive about safty ... and a bit shy .
the mushroom pickers are seasonal , territoraly , polite and keep to them selves .
the hikers , and mountain bikers go the same places , and seem a bit brainless , and get lost alot ...
no one I have ever seen uses a nature trail except pot growers .

the tree planters are good to stay away from , the crew cheif is not good about having guns around these guys .

the point is : BPA is now having problems with their access roads .
DERRRR!

drive the honest people out of one place , and they go some place else ! get a clue !

frankly I think its kinda funny .