Routt temporary trail closures

[Red_Chili]

From Gene King:
Subject: COHVCO Committees: Routt National Forest Issues Temporary Trail Closures


See http://cohvco.org/news/news.php?item=106

More info on 'the Rainbow Family':
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_Family
Apparently they fail in living their ideal of 'living lightly' in terms of impact. 20,000 people in one place just doesn't equal low impact. Ah, idealism....

 

[Seldom Seen]

9NEWS

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS - The Rainbow Family gathering in Routt County is over, but the group left its mark on the area.

Monday, the Forest Service released two photographs of the scene in the Routt National Forest. The first shows the area where the gathering took place before the group arrived. The next photo shows the same area after they had left.
The Forest Service says much of the vegetation was trampled upon and the Rainbow Family created 50 miles of new, unwanted trails through the area. Officials say it will take years for it to return to its natural state.
The Rainbow Family was never granted a permit to gather in the area, but they showed up anyway.
Around 300 of the estimated 15,000 participants were cited for camping without a permit.

Before:

After:

Hummm....So much for "No compromise in defense of Mother Earth!"

 

[Red_Chili]

Aw, Brian, there you go puncturing an idealist worldview again...

Dennis Prager has suggested that ALL of the worst atrocities of the 20th century, and continuing into the 21st, are due to idealism coming to power. It ain't left, it ain't right, it ain't religion, it ain't atheism... doesn't matter. It's the 'no compromise' folks of any stripe.

We should print out bumper stickers saying, "Disempower the Idealists!".

Of course no one would have any idea what that means and they would certainly look at an Iron Pig with that sticker even more oddly than they already do, but still...

 

[nuclearlemon]

so if the rainbow family is so in tune with mother earth, why don't they come back and fix her?

 

[Red_Chili]

Because in reality they aren't? Seen many Sierra Club members doing trail maintenance or rehab/revegetation lately? (Lefthand Canyon being a welcome exception, except even there the bulk of the work was done by the USFS and OHVers.)

 

[Hulk]

We should print out bumper stickers saying, "Disempower the Idealists!".

Funny. I first read this as "Dismember the Idealists!"

 

[Red_Chili]

Naw, that would be too idealistic...

Seriously, we need idealists, much as we need crazy people around. To determine if we have drifted off into insanity ourselves I guess... they just should not be in charge of the asylum.

I would say the Rainbow Family falls into that sort of category. They are cautionary. Not all who love 'Mother Earth' have what could be rightly called 'love'.

 

[Red_Chili]

Gosh, Bill, kinda biased, ain't ya???

OK, in all fairness:
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/9503310/detail.html

 

[nuclearlemon]

saturday, valerie from cohvco mentioned they were camped next to the rainbows and ran into a few while stopping for lunch. she asked one, in polite conversation, where she was from and the rainbow answered

"god is all around, so i'm from all around"

.....i don't think i need to say anything about that

 

[Red_Chili]

Life is simpler when you fry those annoying higher brain functions...