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Issues like this point to the poor organization equestrians in general 
have. An organized group of equestrians should be working with the NPS 
to address the issues. Fifteen years ago - the science of trail building 
was not even on the radar. Many of the older trails were not put in 
locations that could sustain the use or they were designed and laid out 
in such a manner that they would not sustain the use. There are examples 
of this in just about every trails system - trails running down the fall 
line of hills that have become eroded, trails running through 
traditional boggy areas without any armor to keep the chewed up bog from 
getting larger and larger are but tow examples.

Instead of a fist fight with the NPS - equestrians should be working 
with the NPS to redesign a trail system that is minimizies the 
footprint, minimizes the environmental impact while providing for a 
positive recreational experience. minimizes Trails in many placed need 
to be rerouted and/or repaired - the reroute may be major or minor. But 
if we don't step up to the plate as a group - we will lose out.

The fist fight should not be coming from the equestrians but from the 
local business leaders and the congressmen in the area. As far as 
letters - they should be directed to the congressmen and local 
politicians in the effected areas. Western Kentucky is one of the poorer 
areas of the country and Mammoth Caves is a big draw for tourist 
dollars. The arguments of economic impact is a local issue and the 
congressmen and local politicians from the areas impacted will be the 
people with the most to gain or lose economically by actions of the NPS. 
While impassioned arguments from hoards of letters about "how I'll never 
set foot in Western KY again and will never spend another penny there" 
wouldn't make much of an impact on the NPS - they will make an impact on 
the congressmen and local politicians of the area. They also count the 
numbers of letters.

A good example of how organized numbers can make a huge difference. Some 
years back the local state forest was going to "throw out" all OHV 
traffic from the forest. They didn't even pretend to go through the 
necessary motions. With sufficient letters written to both state 
legislators and local politicans - DOF was forced to hold a public 
hearing on the matter. It was held in the Hernando county fair grounds 
outside of Brooksville, FL. The OHV people delivered six or sever bus 
loads of people for the hearing plus those that drove. The DOF 
(Department of Forestry) supervisor got up and basically said - the 
forest is closed to OHV. One person in the audience got up and started - 
you will create a special area for OHV in the forest. We will help you 
set it up. We will help you get grants to build a campground, etc. The 
DOF supervisor getting a little miffed asked "who the Hell are you." The 
guy from the audiance said I thought you would never ask and pulled out 
a petition with 34,000 signatures. It was the size of a phone book and 
said "this is who we are."

A local stat rep stood up and said we will work this out. Today there is 
a 2500 acre OHV area with a nice campground in one corner of the forest. 
For this resource the OHV groups agreeded to stay out of the rest of the 
forest with OHV's. agreed The OHV people help run the area and help 
maintain it. It is a for fee area and brings in about a million bucks a 
year. DOF still doesn't like it but they had no choice. It brings in a 
lot of money to the local economy because a lot of people come from all 
over to use this area.

This war has to be waged both on the political level and on the agency 
level. It just has to be wagged differently. If we are not there to aid 
the agency to make equestrian recreation more sustainable and have less 
impact on the environment (the trail science is here today to do that) 
we will lose. If we don't fight the political battle to put downward 
pressure on the land managers to make them want to love us because it is 
too painful if they don't we will lose.

The bottom line is we first have be willing to get out of our saddles 
and work. Second we have to become organized and become politically 
involved.

Truman

Dawn Carrie wrote:
> Below is the reply I posted to the new 100 milers list, where this was 
> also posted...
>  
> Just a word of advice, from someone who works for the federal 
> government (Forest Service) and thus deals with public input on 
> environmental assessments (EAs)/environmental impact statements 
> (EISs).  The number of "votes" for a particular alternative or option 
> does not matter.  *Especially* in the form of form letters such as 
> this.  The first one to arrive is read and any pertinent issues raised 
> are noted.  All subsequent ones are just added to the "pile," so to 
> speak.  No, they are not counted.  This is not a voting contest.  In 
> order to have any effect, one needs to write original letters, raise 
> pertinent ("significant" in govt. lingo) issues, offer alternatives 
> that are reasonable, explain how the preferred alternative is 
> unsuitable, etc.  *A key tip*...read the first part of the EA or EIS, 
> the part entitled "purpose and need."  Make sure your offered 
> alternatives MEET that purpose and need.  For example, if part of the 
> purpose and need of this project were to reduce conflict between bikes 
> and horses, then building a separate bike trail (as noted below) would 
> meet that purpose and need (just as the preferred alt. of closing the 
> existing trail to horses meets it).  If stopping excessive trail 
> use/erosion is part of the purpose and need, then a separate trail 
> might also work.  But whatever you propose, make SURE it meets that 
> "purose and need" stated in the document.  Otherwise, your comments 
> will appropriately be dismissed as "outside the scope of this 
> project."  Oh, and don't resort to any kind of inflamatory remarks, 
> accusations, etc. in your letters.  Stay rational, concise, and to the 
> point.  Your input will be received much better, and the equestrian 
> community as a whole will be looked on as a serious, 
> professional-acting community.
>
> Best of luck,
> Dawn Carrie, Texas


--

"It is even harder for the average ape to believe that he has descended 
from man." H.L. Mencken


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