I was (and I still am) going to keep my opinions out of this thread because this subject just pisses me off to no end. I started riding at 909 in 1984. I miss that place!

This whole subject is why I recently purchased my own land to ride on. Nobody can tell me what I can or can not do on my land.
Come on up boys and bring the big saws. Tear up the landscape as much as you want. If a tree is in your way, cut it down.
I would ask that you do respect the few rules that I have. No littering, spark arrestors manditory and stay in my boundry lines. Women buggy riders are welcome too.

Roy

How do I start this. @#*^$#(#$^@#$@#$^$%#@)$*%#$^$#%($#%)(^$%#$)#$%#*$%
THIS person is one of a few that are in the middle I guess, but leaning to the left at bit more. Blaming people for riding offroad tearing up things. They need to take a look alittle deeper instead of what they have read someplace. We ride at several areas that are public and privately owned land. We schedule and hold clean up days to clean up things left by others. If there is some reason a tree needs to be cut it is usually because it has fallen across the trail and is dead or because of storm it will die. When we cut new trails we only cut the smaller trees and saplings so we aren't cutting mature trees. We RESPECT the land we ride on because we have seen and taken notice of land closures. We have started a club because of Tellico being closed to buggies called TORC (The Off Road Coalition) because another club worked to get us banned from there. When it comes to respecting the land we ride on, most offroaders are more aware of the land than some treehugger that only sees the land from pictures someone else has taken and never step foot in the woods. The pictures I took from last weekend are of the nature we got to expereince and see. To see the Bald Eagle fly over, gave me gooose bumps, not many people get to see that ever.

I should stop now.

First, I am not saying shame on anyone for rideing Livingston. What I am saying is if you go to Livingston be sensible about it. Ride the trails that are there. Everyone that has posted has said they go to Livingston to meet up with people that they usually don't see unless they go riding. I am saying great , this is what Livingston means to me. A place to go be with family friends and loved ones. My pet peeve is going up hill sides that aren't trails. Letting a "tree hugger" or enviromentlist take a picture of the type of riding you have been doing is an arsenal for them. If you stay on the trails that are there and take care of it like everyone says they do they will have nothing against anyone and Livingston stays open. Apparently it means alot to everyone, not just me. When they come and try to say something about how everyone is destroying that area what arguement are they going to have. If there are no new trails or hills shaved, or been cut or dug up, that will only help us as riders on down the road.
As for off roading being a money thing and people who make more money pay more taxes and that entitles you to do what you want, where you want, I see this statement as being sort of prejudice. We are there to ride whether it be a $1,000 buggy or a $30,000 buggy it shouldn't matter. We are there to ride and be with people who share the same interest, not who has the biggest wallet. As for making it different, try riding trails that haven't been riden on for years. I know they are there, I try to ride them as much as possible, and you will find the covered trails have been neglected can be challenging. The land that most ride on once we get off 909 isn't paid for by Kentucky resident's taxes. It is privately owned land so that doesn't entitle us to do anything on that land no matter how much money you make or how much money is paid to the businesses in that area. I have been riding at Livingston for about 8 yrs now, except during the time they pushed hard to close that area, once I found out you could ride there if your buggy was legal. I went to a guy and had mine licensed so i could ride there again. I don't want Livingston to be closed down because pictures or videos have gotten into the wrong hands. I would/have said something to anyone that has gotten off the trail when i was there before. I am not picking on anyone i just want my kids to enjoy it as I have for many years to come. I would like to make one last statement...as far as the logging that has happened there in the past. Logging is part of our economy and a fact of life, but there is a right and wrong way to do it. I DO NOT AGREE WITH THE WAY IT WAS HANDLED AT LIVINGSTON. I know that trees need to be weeded out so the smaller ones have a chance to grow, but stripping all trees is not the way to accomplish this.

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have to look good doing it

I hope you didnt get the wrong idea about what I said about the how much we pay in taxes. What I meant was that we (all offroaders) pay alot in taxes and our opinions and ideas should be just as important to our government as that of the evironmentalist. And even though you are right that the more areas look like no one uses them the better chance they have of staying open, doesnt mean its fair that we should have to be on pins and needles every time we off road.

Im sorry, it just pisses me off that they give us small sections of land that no one was using anyway and then continually threaten to take it away from us if we dare mess anything up. Then close the place down because we are destroying the environment, and then sell the land to developers who bulldoze the whole property to put up shopping centers!