We all want just a little piece.

You hear about land use issues all the time – trail closures being the biggest concern for four wheelers. But this isn't an isolated phenomenon. Maybe it is because every user group has their concerns and wants just a little piece to do "their thing". For example, in our town they're making a big fuss about dogs. We live in a tourist town and dogs can't run in parks, on school grounds, or swim at the beach. Heck, you can't even legally throw a ball for them off–leash in your own front yard.

The reason this article came about is from a Ham radio course I am taking right now. What came up the first day in the course was the fact the Ham organizations are fighting to keep their Ham bands. Yup, they are fighting for AIR. It's a bit more complicated than that but the essence is there. If they can take away your AIR they can take away anything. 'They' being any special interest group who feels their views are more important, or has deeper pockets to lobby the politicians to make their view into some type of law. We need to co-operate with other users groups, not be adversarial. It's non-productive to think that a sport or activity is more important than someone else's. So what do you do? Join in and participate – make sure your view points are heard and discussed.

On another note...

Recently a board of organizations in BC brought out a series of recommendations for ATV, snowmobile and dirt bike use (yup, more proposed laws and rules to protect us from ourselves). There were 50 recommendations, including mandatory helmet use, insurance, and get this – you must be 16 or older to even ride one of these machines! So much for just buying a sled for my 12-year-old daughter to ride this winter. Can you imagine a 12-year-old kid who takes part in dirt bike races and has done so for years having to put the bike away for four years because he is now under age? While I believe everyone should wear a helmet for motorized sports (Stephanie and I wear helmets for skiing, riding sleds and bikes and she for roller-blading), the kids who show interest in these sports would be losing tons of opportunities for good, healthy outdoor recreation in the face of such an age restriction. Besides that, they are learning valuable riding skills that transfer to their car driving skills later on.

Heck why stop there, kids might get hurt on a bicycle – those are on the road just like cars. What next? Insure and stop anyone under 16 from riding a bike? And what about skateboards? They are on the street too. Can you imaging a license plate hanging from the kick of a board – cool, dude. Might as well ban skiing too – maybe impose a speed limit. Heck, most kids rip down ski hills faster than they drive a quad! Old Ranger Rick can be out there with his radar gun on the ski slope writing tickets.

Motorized sports are getting hammered from all directions – for those kids interested and parents who are willing to be responsible for their kids welfare, taking part in these sports should be commended – not restricted – we have too much of that at every turn these days. If you take part in one of these sports, it is in your best interest to support the groups who look out for your interests (with no pay most of the time). Yes, it will cost you a couple a bucks to support these organizations but what is $100 a year (or less in many cases) to protect your recreation rights when that new sled/quad/Jeep or bike just cost you $10,000 or more? Join in and participate!

Albert Vandervelde
Editor, 4WD Magazine