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You can get spray chalk used by and they but that would probably cause 
the same problem. If you are going to use this stuff you need to show 
the land managers and get his approval instead of go out and put it up 
and he has to defend it - no knowing anything about it.

One thing you can do on a ride that has problems with vandalism of 
markers - I've sure had a few - is use plastic pie plate markers were 
the encoded with an orientation.  I used a "smiley face." The vandals at 
that particular location are very good. They didn't rip down the 
markers, they remarked the trail, getting people turned around. If a 
vandal turns the pie plate upside down (it happens), it is obvious and 
the riders can still follow the trail.  If the smiley face was right 
side up they followed the arrow. If it was not rightside up they could 
turn it around mentally and follow the trail. That ride was was the only 
ride in that particular location where many riders didn't get lost 
because of trail vandalism. The vandalism was there (and clever) but we 
were a bit more clever. I am sure they paid no attention to the smiley face.

Of course this requires a) riders that pay attention at the ride meeting 
and  b) riders that can think on the trail. But at that ride it sure 
worked.

Truman

Nancy Mitts wrote:

> Cindy,
> One of our rides in Missouri got in big trouble over that paint. 
> Somebody called the game warden and he got the ride managers name 
> (since we're one of the few groups that actually gets a permit.) and 
> issued a ticket for VANDALISM. She tried to explain that the first 
> rain would wash it away, so he agreed to lessen it to "littering". The 
> state forester we got the permit from, said he never said we could use 
> that paint, although it had been used there for several years with no 
> problem. But, we always seemed to get a big rain within a day or 2 of 
> the ride. Anyway, I helped the ride manager go out with a spray bottle 
> and brush and remove it, not fun.  We also took pictures--that really 
> helped.  Someone found a "horsey" lawyer to take up our cause with the 
> proscutor pro bono. The club didn't have to pay anything, but were 
> told no more paint, or anything that looks like paint, no matter how 
> temporary. I don't think we realize how much flack some of these land 
> managers take from the public, (or how gaudy some of our marking look 
> to others who have no idea why it's there, and how soon it will go 
> away) and **** runs down hill.
> I've had good luck with drawing arrows on plastic plates with 
> indelible marker (helps if you cut the raised rim off). Get a few 
> rolls of the CLEAR packaging tape at Wal-Mart, same company that makes 
> duck tape. I place the arrow and wrap the tape aroung the tree & sign 
> several times. So far I've never had one come down in weather, twist 
> in wind, or taken as a snack by deer. Doesn't damage the tree either. 
> Don't forget a knife or scissors to cut them down.
> Nancy Mitts



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