by Dan Carney » Tue May 17, 2011 7:01 am
While I went ahead and contacted my Senators to support this measure, I must point out that improved access is a two-edged sword. When access is increased so is the number of people who use the area, and so is the impact on the land. Most dedicated sportsmen find a way to enjoy their sport, but I believe “too much” access brings more of the general population and not sportsmen. In areas with easy access look at the amount of litter left in those access sites. Additionally, as access increases in wilderness areas (roads) more people cause increased impact to the land, do damage outside of the developed areas, harass wildlife, get stuck and need rescued because they don't have the requisite skills to take care of themselves in the first place.
It’s not that I want to keep it all for myself, but I have seen first hand many knuckleheads that caused a problem; or needed to be rescued because they had no business being where they were.
My two cents!
Dan