A new group complains it’s too noisy in the Pike-San
Isabel national forests. “Machines are over-running our public
lands,” says Quiet Use Coalition board member Dick Scar. Founded in
Buena Vista, Colo., the 100-member group hopes to convince the
Forest Service to restrict motorized use in 16 areas of the forest
to ensure a more peaceful visit for other recreationists. To do
that, it has armed hikers with a report form to record any
encounters with drivers of all-terrain vehicles or snowmobiles. By
spelling out specific incidents of recreational conflict or
motorized trespass, the group hopes to show the Forest Service it
needs to set aside more areas where motors aren’t welcome. The
coalition faces opposition from groups such as the Upper Arkansas
Motorized Recreation Coalition, which says plenty of places are
already closed to ATVs, motorbikes and snowmobiles. “If people are
truly seeking a quiet experience, we have a million acres in this
valley available to them,” says Paula Bullington of the Motorized
Recreation Coalition.
To learn more about the
issue, contact the Quiet Use Coalition at P.O. Box 164, Buena
Vista, CO 81211,
www.chaffee.net/QUC or the Upper
Arkansas Motorized Recreation Coalition at P.O. Box 1569, Salida,
CO 81201.
* Juniper
Davis
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Pipe down!.
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