Promoting quiet recreation in Wisconsin.
Opposing the coming attempts to sell off Wisconsin's natural heritage.
Fighting denial about climate change. When are we hitting the streets?


Saturday, October 21, 2006

Selling out the Manitowish River?

Read this article on the ATV Stakeholder's group examining a section of the Manitowish River for a possible ATV trail bridge. The article either contains an important factual error, or things are much worse than I thought. The article states the Stakeholder group's mission was to find a site that "would not displace established State forest users".

Something is wrong here. Where did that meaningless goal come from? Even a demolition derby alongside the Manitowish River would not "displace" paddlers on the river. The issue is whether an ATV trail would significantly interfere with other users. We can only hope the slippage in language is an accidental construction of the reporter. (I am checking on it) If not, it is an alteration of the original assignment because an ATV trail along the Manitowish won't pass the test of not interfering with paddlers on the river.

The rest of the article is scary, too, including Dennis Leith's statement that if an ATV trail is found to be "sustainable", other trails can be built. The committee has yet to define precisely what "sustainability" would mean in terms of other users of the forest, and we can be sure who that slipperiness will benefit. We learn, for example, that the "deadline" set for next April is not a firm deadline, which means there will be no end to this process until the ATV interests get what they want.

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