On our way to self driving cars....

....And cars that tell you when you are speeding.

When cars drive themselves, we can got on with quieting them down. For kicks, people will drive on racetracks, or buy video games.

"Canoist who returned from the dead charged"

Sometimes, we silent sports folks feel we are not taken seriously enough. We need an image makeover, and here is the headline to do it: Look out for us: Not only can we commit crimes, we can COME BACK FROM THE DEAD!

Thrill Craft

I haven't got my copy yet, but it sounds like a great idea for a book. Thanks to Sue Drum for alerting us to it.

Eliminate speeding....

Click on the link above, then scroll down a bit to read about car surveillance devices.

i had written in the past about sensors in cars that would sound an alarm like a seat belt alarm if the car went over the speed limit. Apparently, the technology is already there, as a program for kids....but why not for adults?

Civil Libertarians might not like the idea. But how about as an incentive-getting reduced insurance rates for having it installed? And as a requirement for people with, say, more than two speeding tickets?

This may seem picky, but wouldn't a mandatory alarm save more lives than any other public policy?

Jackie Codie on bike trails in Oneida County

She is exactly right about bike trails and tourism for Oneida County. Looks like a promising blog!

There are bike trail plans in Oneida county:

http://www.bikeoneida.com/projects.html

Like the 3 eagle trail. http://www.3eagletrail.com/background.html

You would think Woodruff-Arbor Vitae would want to connect up to the Heart of Vilas County Bike trail-only 6 miles or so along highway 70. Just think, for the price of those 6 miles, Woodruff-Arbor Vitae gets to piggyback on the much larger system that towns to the north have already made, and are continuing to make.

Over a year ago, In one of my more grandiose posts, I wrote that Woodruff-Arbor Vitae area would be in a position to market itself as "the bicycle gateway to the North!". Just think-

1. Continue the trail to Lac du Flambeau to the West.
2. Finish the connection to the Rhinelander trail from the Southeast. (The corridor is already in place)
3. Improve an urban bikeway through Woodruff and Minocqua. This would connect people to the Bearskin-Hiawatha bike trail.
4. Connect to St. Germain and the "Heart of Vilas County" trail on 70.

And finally, the crown jewel. Take a bike ride north along Old 51, then along Buckthorn. Notice the beautiful wooded parcels for sale. Notice the mobile home parks with vacancies. Now, imagine that route widened for bicycles. Better yet, a bike path from Highway 41 in Woodruff to the Big Arbor Vitae boat landing. Wouldn't the value of that real estate skyrocket? The idea that you could live on that corridor and easily bike into town, wouldn't that be great for draw for the mobile home parks? And great for businesses in Woodruff? And wouldn't it be great for Woodruff to say it had a bike trail that ran all the way out to a beach on Big Arbor Vitae?

But then, one more piece:

A one mile paved bike trail along the Plum-Vitae road, connecting Witches lake road with Old N and-ta da! You've hit the Sayner-Crystal lake portion of the Heart of the North Bike Trail!

I would call it Big Arbor Vitae trail.

it would require the coordination of the DNR, two counties, three town goverments, and all of the landowners along the way. But even more than that, the Big Arbor Vitae trail wouldn't happen without a strong push from developers who see potential investment along the corridor. People want to live and vacation near bike trails.

I hope I don't sound like a traitor to Boulder Junction by offering this idea. Boulder got things started, has the most scenic trail locations, and isn't standing still. But I think everyone gains when all towns can connect to each other. (and when more and more silent sports tourists make Vilas and Oneida county their destination!)

News of the north....

As soon as I decided to announce a hiatus, I find things I want to post about. I haven't had much time to look over this site linked above, but it seems very promising as an idea. Please look it over.

I see three promising monthly columns, by Ken Krall (of WXPR), by a Forester from the Chequamegon-Nicolet forest, and a column called "Ecologically Yours", which tackles the NHAL ATV plan.

The site also has three local bloggers, lots of other news features. May it be a real alternative to the current local media!

quietnorth on semi-hiatus...

Quietnorth will be on a semi-vacation till the start of the New Year. I have been in an exceptionally busy work period, and I have some outside-of-work projects that will keep me from doing much worth writing to you about. I will post from time to time.

I started this project several years ago, as a way of communicating information about the ATV issue, to promote quiet recreation in Vilas County, and to talk more generally about the importance of quiet "up north".

Tactical questions about silent sports issues can be better addressed now in other formats, including here:

http://blog.silentsportsonline.com/2007/09/. If I have any tactical news, I will go there to post.

Expect that in the future, this blog will be more geared toward the philosophy of quiet, and quiet recreation opportunities in the Vilas County area.

Presque Isle Pedalers fundraiser this weekend...

There is a special BIKE TRAIL fundraising event coming to our
community(Presque Isle/Winchester) this Saturday, Sept 22, at the
Birch
Lake Lodge, located on Hwy W, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. All proceeds
from
this event will go to the Presque Isle and Winchester Bike Trail
Funds.
Great food including unlimited specialty hors d'oeuvres, unlimited
beer
tasting(8 different kinds) and unlimited wine tasting(over 23 kinds)

along with special raffle items will all be available for your
enjoyment.
A donation of $35 per person will give you an evening of fun with
your
friends and neighbors along with showing support for clean, quiet
sports
in the northwoods.
The Birch Lake Lodge supports our efforts to build bike trails in
our
communities and have prepared this event for us.

This message is coming from the "Presque Isle Pedalers", organized

solely for promotion of and funding for a community bike trail.
Thank you for your support of our efforts.


Margo Perkins

Joel Patenaude: ATV's and the Badger State Trail

Click the link above. Another example of why silent sports folks need to be more 'heads up" Joel is the publisher of Silent Sports Magazine, and this seems a good time to plug his new blog again: Silent Sports Sounds Off (see my recommended links section)

"Impact on Other User Groups" part two

Unfortunately, the Stakeholder's group never clearly spelled out how a negative impact to other user group would be measured. ATV supporters act like the schoolyard bully who punches you on the arm-"Why are you crying? I can't feel anything!" Since they don't see noise as a problem, they don't see why anyone else should see it as a problem. But if the following isn't an adverse impact to a user group, what would be?

The money for the immensely popular bicycle trails come from Highway funds, so often, they run along Country Roads. Much of the time, even along those stretches, a rider can enjoy breaks from the road noise. Traffic comes and goes. But the really great moments happen when the trail, for one reason or another, goes OFF of the County highways. Then, a biker can experience the true quiet of the northwoods.

There is only one significant stretch on the bike trail between St. Germain and Sayner where this happens-just south of Sayner to Highway C. Coincidentally, that is exactly where the bike trail will intersect with an ATV trail. In other words, if the ATV trail is developed, there will be NO section free of motorized vehicle noise on this significant stretch of trail.

So why doesn't that constitute adverse impact to a user group?

The pleasure of waysides....

I have a question: How many people a year stop at the wayside on the Manitowish River on their way to somewhere else? Waysides, even when not far from a highway, tend to be little islands of calm on a long trip, or a place for people who can't go far from their cars to enjoy a bit of the northwoods. Waysides are ambassadors, in a sense, to the traveling public.

If "interfering with other user groups" means anything, won't building an ATV bridge at at a wayside constitute significant disruption to a user group? ATV supporters say "it doesn't matter, there is a road there anyway", but the road is on one side of the wayside. You will be taking away any last vestige of peace the wayside can offer.

ATV "Trail Ambassadors" to police the proposed NHAL trail?"

According to one ATV supporter on Wisconsin Public Radio, that is what will happen. Self-policing worked wonderfully in reducing snowmobile noise, and and motorcycles have become much quieter with self-enforcement (does sarcasm come over the computer well?)

The trail proposed here is much too large for any self policing (And that is assuming ATV's stay on the trail.) Especially by an organization that really doesn't particularly think it has a problem.

So, the DNR says it won't have significant resources for enforcement. And we know that self enforcement is a joke. So by opening up these trails, we will be opening up the entire NHAL forest to unauthorized trail riding, and to people buying easy-to-acquire loud exhaust systems. Look in any ATV magazine to see what I am talking about.

Communities legislate against noisy motorcycles

Nothing proves the inablity of motor sports to regulate themselves more than the ever-increasing din of motorcycles. With all of the motorcycles in the northwoods this last weekend, did you notice how many had overly loud exhaust pipes? My guess is there was plenty of opportunity to have those folks confronted and shunned. I bet it never happened once.

Whether its snowmobiles, cars, ATV's or motorcycles, we need active enforcement by people who have the power to fine and confiscate.

From Merrill Horswill-UP sulfide process mine

Hi Folks,
I’m in Marquette, MI, where people here fighting a
Kennecott sulfide process mine (remember Ladysmith?)
where copper and nickel have been found under the
headwaters of the Salmon-Trout River, which empites
into Lake Superior and is home to reproducing
endangerd brook trout. Thie proposed mine entrance is
in the Escanaba State Forest , which the state is
planning to lease to Kennecott (this is unprecidented)
andvery near the McCormick Wildnerness. The sulfide
mine would have a 50 ft stack emitting 20 tons of
sulfide dust per year and pollute lakes, rivers and
groundwater with acid runoff thruout the area.The Dept
of Environ. Quality is attempting to rubber stamp this
application and is having hearings right now.
According to the EPA Kennecott, which is foreign owned
by Rio Tinto, is the largest polluter in the US.
You can help this fight by simply taking a poll at
Channel TV6 News. Naturally the question is much more
complicated than jobs (about 75 short-term) vs. the
environment, but that’s how they framed it. Right now
jobs are wining. Please vote for the environment asap
(don’t know how long the poll will be up) and send
this email to anyone you think would too. For more
info go to www.savethewildup.org
And we think ATVs are bad!
Thanks,
Merrill

Responding to ATV supporters...

Hello, everyone;

I am going to respond to some of the better points made by some ATV supporters who have been posting. I think they have had a great deal of space to lobby their views, so in the future I will moderate the posts that seem to make repetitive or unnecessary points. Supporters who want to promote their views more than they have are free to start their own blogs. It really is free!

There are two main problems with ATV's in the NHAL forest. There is the problems that will happen IF all ATV users use the trail as designed, and the problems that will be created if 10 percent use the trail in unauthorized ways.

I want to address the second point first, because many supporters said there is something different about ATV users than motorcycle users and snowmobile users. There will be no "ten percent" problem. But I really dont think that there is any evidence that this is true. I have talked to and listened to officials in charge of areas that have ATV trails, and they report frequent damage to off-trail areas. What disturbs me is that the ATV industry is marketing to the kinds of people who AREN"T likely to follow the rules. And noone from the ATV side expressed any concern that this is a problem.

One of the posters suggested that ATV's could be made to follow the rules through enforcement. But the DNR has said they don't have new resources for further enforcement. If you are talking about "self enforcement", we are back to where we were with snowmobile noise. And look how well motorcyclists are doing with 'self enforcement" of exhaust systems. (I have to believe that the police don't make this any sort of priority). One poster said a majority of Utility ATVs have stock mufflers. But there is no law that only utility ATV's will be goig through the quiet portions of the NHAL forest. My guess is that ATV's are going to get faster and louder as they can get away with, just as snowmobiles did and motorcycles are doing.

My personal experience with ATV noise: Experience one: A person on the other side of my small lake had an ATV that obviously wasn't mufflered properly. Experience two: A relative loaned me his properly mufflered ATV to do some work on my property (very handy, by the way.) Experience three: On a trip to the UP, we were on a beach along Lake Superior near an ATV trail. At least two of a string of 6 or 7 ATV's had very loud exhaust systems. So far, we are well over the "10 percent" mark.

My real concern is that the trend could get worse before it gets better. Why? Because the ATV industry knows that a significant number of people will buy these machines for the competition factor. There are probably many people, like the supporters who posted to this blog, who see ATV's as a gentle way to drift along quietly through the woods seeing the sites, but I don't suspect that is where the industry sees the growth potential.

More to follow.

Wisconsin Public Radio Report this morning...(scroll down for the transcript)

One problem is that the story was framed as a user group versus "environmentalists and conservationists". I suspect that many more people are against the trail than "environmentalists"

I though the comment by an ATV proponent, made in the original story but not fully quoted in the transcript, was revealing. Listening to the broadcast, He said ATV's have to be "trailered" out of the county now. That phrase struck me as very revealing. After all, if we are only talking about a couple of trails in the whole county, won't nearly everyone have to "trailer" their ATV to the new trails anyway? What is revealed is important: My guess is that some ATV users are really imagining being able to drive their ATV's out of their yards, onto town roads, and into the forest to get to the new trails. We are looking at a "snowmobile trail" system for ATV's. Or, some ATV users will be riding the forests that way, anyway, creating a "de facto" trail system throughout the forest.

No time for responding right now to the good natured replies I have been getting. I will get back to you soon!

ATV's and Tourism

I have talked about this before as well. When I grew up in Vilas County, my family owned a summer business that was dependent on tourism, so I am sensitive to the economic argument. Don't we want to welcome all potential recreation?

(By the way, to answer one question, I don't make my money in Vilas County, but I bring it there, along with 40 or 50 guests each year around who come to appreciate the quiet. We spend a lot of money in restaurants and stores, but we don't wear helmets or outfits to identify ourselves)

My answer is that some kinds of recreation can be "folded in" to the current mix without detracting from the tourist industry that exists, and some can't. (Horseback riding and geocacheing, for example) . IF the ATV trails are as busy as the backers claim they will be, it will certainly detract from other people's experience, and they will prefer to go somewhere else to get their peace and quiet.

Now, here is the final point: There ARE other places to ride ATV's. There are very FEW places like the Star Lake-Sayner area or the Manitowish River, to be enjoyed in relative peace.

One more point about snowmobiles before I get flooded...

Those of you who have read this blog all along will know that I am NOT OPPOSED to snowmobiles or snowmobiling, I will own one myself someday soon . I am against excessive snowmobile noise, and the culture of noise that makes it OK to punk the northwoods and its residents. I often cross snomwobile trails when skiing, so I know how quiet snowmobiles CAN be. The fact that many aren't quiet means somewhere between "a few" and "a lot of" people are choosing to have loud machines.

Good reading...

Hello, everyone;

I've been locked into work things the past couple of weeks, so I haven't had a chance to post. I see ATV supporters have made some interesting replies to my last post. I encourage you all to read them, I will respond later. On the whole, there are some good points, some bad points, many "missed points", and one personal threat, offered I hope, in jest.

I will respond later to some of the arguments, but the last one seems important. Yes, there IS a decibel limit on ATV's, just as there is on snowmobiles, but in winter you can hear snowmobiles in nearly every corner of Vilas County. Is this what we want in summer?

Snowmobile noise is a result of speed and popular after market mufflers The DNR has only begun to try to get snowmobile speed and noise under control in Vilas County, lets give the experiment a couple of years before we introduce another noisemaker.


I agree with all of the posters that most ATVers are good, responsible people, just like everyone else that uses the northwoods. I don't hold the same for ATV manufacturers, who are just in it for selling more vehicles to whoever will buy them. They know there is a big "racing and mudding market". They don't have the family recreational ATVer's interests at heart, any more than they do when they turned snowmobile trails into winter racetracks.

New Polaris ATV ads: marketed for the "ten percenters"

I hope everyone sees the new Polaris ATV commercials on television. The finer points: The purpose of ATV's are to go over terrain you didn't think you could go over, and get there faster than anyone else.

I posted on the duplicity of the ATV industry a day or two ago. They know that only a certain number of people are going to buy an ATV to ride gently along trails you could traverse with a golf cart. They know the money is in competition, speed, and aggression.

How will the Department of Natural Resources keep ATV's gently and peacefully rolling along trails in the NHAL forest when they are being sold and promoted as "OUTLAW" machines, capable of tearing up any terrain, faster than opponents?

"one of the great sensations of life, the first view of a new lake"

A special place in the Northern Highland forest....



Come and see for yourself.
Photos and quote from John Fleming...

Meetings on the ATV trail proposals in the NHAL forest....

Since I learned that Pro-ATV people have been reading this blog, I have shied away from any strategy posts regarding ATV's in the Northern Highland forest. But since the information is out there, I have linked to the DNR website. Read over the recent letters that show when the meetings are being held. Go to the meetings. Write to the DNR board (email me to ask how to do that)

If I could boil down my opposition to ATV's in a nutshell: The name stands for ALL TERRAIN Vehicles, not Amiable TRAIL vehicles. Manufacturers are playing a dual game: To sell as many machines as they can, they market them as able to race and tear up any terrain. The machines are way more powerful than would be necessary to gently roll along a highly maintained trail. But when it comes to presenting themselves to the DNR, manufacturers and their paid interests present the machines as if they were another green form of recreation.

Once a trail is approved, I estimate that at least 10 percent of riders will be yahoos who want to do with their machines what they paid for. Why 10 percent? Because if I complain about snowmobile noise in winter, or motorcycle noise in summer, I am told by someone who shakes their head, "YA, MOST riders are good, but it is always the 10 percent". But that 10 percent has a significant impact on the environment, when there is no way to stop them. (I am listening to some idiot on a motorcycle with illegal pipes riding up and down our rural roads right now)

If as many ATVers come to the northwoods as pro-ATV people suggest, that will be a lot of people riding off trails, and riding with noisy exhaust systems.

News from the Fox River Trail

The trail was my first "marathon training" route. Starting from downtown Green Bay, it takes you south with many great views of the river in the first miles. If you haven't been to Green Bay in years, give it a look. For years, Green Bay seemed to turn its back on the river, it was after all merely the means by which industrial chemicals were washed to the magical place called "away".

But now the Fox is back, at least visually. It is a reminder that natural areas can be reclaimed and sustained in the middle of industrial and commercial development.

This is a real "people trail", lots of bikers, skaters, baby strollers, and runners. If the communities in the area South of Green Bay ever connect this trail with the contoured, park-focused East River trail, which roughly runs parallel to it, Green Bay will have a wonderful scenic, natural loop that would be an asset to residents and a draw for "Green" tourism.

Good news! New Silent Sports Blog from Joel Patenaude!

Its called Silent Sports Sounds off. (You can link to it by clicking on this post title, and it will be in the links section to the right)

Music and silence

A kindred spirit here. Silence exists! (when we let it)

The Perseids

We were in Boulder Junction with good friends this last weekend. On Friday we made an easy 20 minute bike ride into town for fish, and later sat in the screen porch and played an electronic version of "Catch Phrase". Stepping outside around midnight, we looked up in the sky and were shocked by how bright the stars were. Someone mentioned that the Perseid meteor shower was coming, so we walked down in the darkness to the dock. Sure enough, one person, then another, saw a shooting star. We saw around a half a dozen. But they were just the icing on the cake. We lay on our backs on the dock, in the quiet, moonless night, looking up at the Milky Way, the satellites , The North Star and the Big Dipper. Often, everything on earth seemed as still and quiet as the stars.

Highway M to St. Germain on the Bike Trail...

I finally rode the new section of the "Heart of Vilas County" bike trail. Gina and I started at the Junction of M and N, and rode to Crystal Lake, where I jumped in for a swim. If you are new to the trail, and wanted to do a "beginner's section", this would be it. It is relatively flat, and you have the reward of ending up at Crystal Lake,(15 minutes, one way) or, by going a half hour, at the Corner Store for ice cream. Getting into Crystal Lake by bike is a real treat. I recommend on the way back taking the path to the Firefly lake campgrounds-there is a beautiful little run through a red pine forest that takes you off of highway N.

But I digress...After an ice cream at the Corner Store, (the kids working were real pros at customer service, and the ice cream cones were huge, but I digress again...)

After the ice cream, Gina and I parted ways, she back to the car, me onward towards St. Germain. I have already rode the section from the Corner Store to Sayner, which goes over a scenic bridge, and a nice view of Plum Lake. If you want an added scenic detour, head off to Plum Lake Campground.

It was in Sayner that I was on a new adventure. The trail follows through town on a very pleasant backstreet. Lots of businesses are putting up signs welcoming bikers. Out of Sayner on quiet town roads, and then into the quietest, most pleasant part of the Sayner-St. Germain section.

Editorial comment: Its important to know that the proposed ATV trail would run parallel to this section. Because bike trails need to generally run along highways and roads, there are fewer places for bikers to get away from road noise altogether. Bendrick drive along Trout Lake is one, the section into Crystal lake another, and this would be a significant third. If ATV's can run in the area, they will be taking away a significant part of the soundscape value of the bike trail. Please write the Natural Resources board and tell them you oppose ATV's in the Northern Highland-American Legion forest. You can write to: Laurie.Ross@Wisconsin.gov, and she will pass on your views.

Highway C is a relatively quiet road, making for a pleasant ride to Highway 70. Highway 70 is pretty much a straight shot into St. Germain, with a nice wayside at the bridge on the St. Germain river. Two detours I didn't make, but will investigate: A public fishing area off of Highway C, and a road to a natural area off of Highway 70. Both roads are gravel, as I remember.

As far as I can tell, the one thing I find lacking on the St.Germain part of the trail is a good swimmin' hole. If I am wrong, correct me. For that reason, I might recommend that if you did the entire heart of Vilas County trail, you start in St. Germain, so you could hit Crystal and Trout lake for a swim when you needed one.

thoughts on "framing"

I was just looking at the picture of the albino deer and thinking about framing. Not sure what I mean here, but its worth an exercise. Perhaps the danger for the northwoods is when we want to do OUR activity, but "frame out" the consequences to the environment. So, we want to own a house with a great view of the lake, but do whatever we want with our septic systems. But we have our view. Or we want to feed the pretty deer in our yard, but "frame out" the destruction of the forest that occurs when deer are concentrated. But we have the deer in our yard.

Every activity you do, stop for a moment and pay attention to what goes on around the actiivty itself. When you are water skiing, what do you smell? What do you hear when you first come up after falling in the water? What do the waves look like?

If you are visiting someone with a lake house, and they show you the beatiful "view of the lake", say "Yes, but what does it sound like?" You actually get a much different sense of being alive from hearing a lake as opposed to seeing it.

IF you are really bold, ask if you can taste the lake.

I suspect we can have most of our actiivities, once we really and truly stop "framing out" the environment.

The Albino Deer are still around!

They are harder to see in the summer, but its nice to be surprised. Another reason to come to Boulder Junction.

The surrounding stillness and quiet is part of what makes seeing wildlife special Its not just a visual vacation you are taking!

(Photo by Bruce Card, frame effects by me playing with iphoto)

The Air Car

From time to time, I note technological developments that will have an impact on the environment and, more particularly, the soundscape

I have been hearing about "The Air Car", a car that runs on compressedair. (I guess you could say it runs on electricity, since that is what powers pneumatic pumps). It may or may not be true that this car is far enough along in development that it is going to be mass-produced in India.

I imagine that if it works, it would eliminate a great deal of smog in the cities around the world. It would shift Green House gas emissions to the electric grid, but there are several reasons why this would be much easier to contain.

So, what quietnorth wanted to know: How will this impact the soundscape? According to one web site, since there is no internal combustion, the sound created is much less than conventional engines, though not as little as an electric car.

Mid summer quiet!

I have noticed myself getting a little shrill lately about noise-a paradox, I suppose.

Last night we were sitting outside with guests, and cataloguing the soundscape. It was very quiet for a Saturday night at the beginning of August.

We heard mostly pileated woodpeckers and loons. About 5 minutes worth of firecrackers. From time to time, motorcycles with ornamental exhaust systems.

The Milky Way was nicely visiible, and I saw a shooting star.

The night before, with a bright moon, the coyotes were close, closer than I ever remember them here, on our side of the lake and across as well.

Don't let my ranting from time to time fool you. I am a little obsessive about noise. If you come to Vilas County, you will usually find your fill of quiet if you know where and when to look for it. Come on up!

Boredom is fear

Why do we bring music to the quiet of a Northern Lake? Boredom. What is boredom but fear?

What are we afraid of that we need to crowd out silence?

Motorcycle noise

I have been hearing more and more loud motorcycles the last few years. What is up? I suppose if ATV folks are feeling unfairly targeted, motorcycle noise might be one reason. There is a group out there that feels they have the right to make as much noise as they want. It doesn't matter if it is only "10 percent" if the other 90 are too afraid to stop it.


If you have a motorcycle with louder than factory pipes, you fall into one of three categories.

You are unaware that you are disturbing many people's right to peace and quiet.
You are aware of it, but think you have a good enough reason (i.e. safety)
You really like to annoy people with the sound of your loud pipes.

I suspect that most of the people with really loud pipes fall into the third camp. In that case, we need tighter laws. I like what Chicago and New York are considering.

If you are in category one, then think about it for a bit. Most people don't like to hear your loud pipes. Most can't afford to live so far away from you that they can be free of the sound.

If you are in category two, and you are concerned for your safety and believe "loud pipes save lives", I have four things to say. 1)you must be in the small minority of loud pipe owners who wears a helmet. 2) you must be in the even smaller group that doesn't ever just blast their pipes because they like the sound, or are riding past people you want to impress 3) you must be one of those who only use your bike for transportation, not pleasure, and 4) If you come to the northwoods, take a car and not a bike. It is "safer", and will keep things quieter for you and everyone. 5) By the way, there IS no real research as far as I know that loud pipes save lives. There IS real research that noisy environments impact public health.

Banning fast cars!

Instapundit, the libertarian, doesn't like it. But this British minister is talking about preventing cars from GOING OVER 100 MILES PER HOUR! Public roads are not a totally free space (hence speed limits and driver's licenses)

New Yorkers tackle noise

Mayor Bloomberg calls it a "quality of life" issue...

The "Glass of Water" impression....

Silent Sports advocates could learn a lot from snowmobilers and snowmobile clubs, and, being generally friendly people, they will give advice. One thing I have heard on several occasions is that the word is out that bikers don't spend money-they bring their own food and equipment, and only stop at local businesses to buy a bottle of water-or worse-ask for a glass of water!

I think this impression is two parts false, and one part true. Let me cover the parts that I think are false.

I think the false impression is created by the fact that silent sports people are kind of invisible. When we go out to eat, maybe we have already finished biking or canoing or birdwatching. We don't always carry anything to show who we are. For that reason, it would be good if we developed a "calling card" to let people know who we are and what we do.

Secondly, I think once a story gets out that a biker did only ask for a glass of water, it gets spread around like wildfire. People hear it from a friend, who heard it from a friend, it becomes a "meme", or something that seems so true it must be true, and happening all the time.

But I think that part of the story IS true, for the following reasons. ( I am going to engage in some stereotyping and amateur sociology here, but it is the kind of lesson that silent sports people need to learn.)

Snowmobilers spend money. They come up here not just to vacation, but to have a good time. Snowmobiles are not cheap, nor is paying for the fuel to get them up here. But that doesn't make snomwobilers cheaper, it makes them more willing to spend money to make sure they have had a good time for their investment. They eat and drink and tip well.

That doesn't mean that snowmobilers are only spending on themselves. They gladly pitch in for charities and for trail maintanance. Their giving is part of their enjoying their sport responsibly. Snowmobiling is a social sport-people come up in clubs and groups, and that encourages social spending.

Again, I am stereotyping, and I am sure there are many counterexamples.

Many bikers and silent sports advocates probably come up as individuals, small groups, and families, to bond together, enjoy activities, and get away from it all. They may go out to eat, but probably not as a main part of their activity. If they are on a family vacation, they possibly have a budget for meals.

If a silent sports enthusist comes to Northern Wisconsin, he or she probably hasn't come with a club, and won't see or recognize others of their kind in bars and restaurants to share a common identity. They will see a donation box here and there on a bike trail, but there are few big sllent sports groups or organizations sponsoring fund raisers or meetings that draw people together (The Callie Rohr Memorial Canoe Race and the Vilas County Lake Association's work being good examples).

I am not saying that silent sports types aren't actively engaged in volunteer activities. I am saying that we could learn from Snomwobile clubs about how to be better organized at it.

And also, I think we need to eat out more, and let people know we are doing it. Bike trips should be planned around restaurant stops. And if people want to shower first, maybe they should still bring their bike helmets to the restaurant.

In fact, what would it be like for silent sports folks to, one day a year, bring their paddles, helmets, binoculars, to restaurants in Northern Wisconsin?

Hurray for Plum Lake!

251 property owners and residents presented a petition to prevent ATV's from operating on town roads! The town board agreed, unanimously!

Of course, nothing in the vote prevents the DNR from continuing with its plan to have an ATV trail go through the area. But this should reinforce what the county referendum said a few years ago-people don't want ATV trails in Vilas County.

Badger State Trail Opens!

Not quite to Madison yet, but this segment should insure that soon you will be able to take a bike from Madison to the Jane Addams trail at the Illinois State line, and hit the 500 Grand Illinois Trail!

How long before a "great circle", from Madison south to Illinois, East to Chicago, north to Milwaukee, and west again, all on bike trails?

What can the northwoods give us?

Banded Trumpeter Swan from this spring.

Fireworks are for the Fourth....

The case against using fireworks in the northwoods is pretty strong. Think about it.

-Fireworks can maim you or your children
-Fireworks disturb wildlife.
-Fireworks can cause forest fires.
-Fireworks disturb the people who live or visit the northwoods for peace and quiet.

I have another reason to dislike fireworks-they are a defense against the quiet. I think we are terrified of whatever quiet is left in the world. We want to fill it up with ourselves, a blanket of noise against....what?


"Don't mess with the Fourth", a relative tells me. So I say, OK-lets have fireworks on the weekend of the fourth. But then let the north go back to being the north.

Silent Sports Exercise-turning off the flashlight...

Around midnight, my wife and I smelled smoke, so I did the manly thing and walked the perimeter of the property with flashlight and old broom handle. Could be someone's campfire along the lake, or the residue from fireworks, or maybe a distant forest fire. (This spring, we smelled a fire that was located in Northern Minnesota). I checked the outbuildings and the firepit. Nothing doing, smoke-wise.

The fireworks people had gone to find other distractions. It was as nature intended: quiet, still. I walked down towards the lake and when I got the nerve, I turned my flashlight off as I walked. Its funny, but you can see a lot more with the flashlight off.

The stars were shining. I saw a meteorite. Bullfrogs were croaking, along with other frog brethren. Coyotes were calling on the other side of the lake. Lots of splashes in the water. I resisted the temptation to look. (sometimes it is fun to privilege the ears rather than the eyes: What difference does it make what the splash "was"? It was a splash...

Lakeland TImes: Vilas County to target Bikers, Birders...

Lake District for MInocqua and Kawaguesaga Lakes?

In the Lakeland Times. This seems to be a no-brainer: People spend an incredible amount of money to live on a northwoods lake. Even if you don't agree with me that living on a lake entails an extra responsibilty to protect a public resource, you would think people would want to protect their private property resource.

Dane County's "Blueways"

Speeding and culture....

Listen to this "Talk of the Nation" episode on the psychology of speeding.

Speeding is responsible for an incredible number of deaths in the United States. However, nothing serious is being done about it, even thought the solution is really simple.

The program focused on how to get people not to speed. I say, why not make cars that can't speed? Is there a reason for any car to be able to go over 75 miles per hour? And wouldn't it be cost effective to put "tags" in roads that signal to cars how fast they can go?

The fact that we are still thinking of psychological fixes means we aren't serious. We are still hypnotized by the myth that our highways are some sort of racing frontier.

Investigative results....

Getting back to you about some questions I had:

According to Lt. Sullivan of the Vilas County Sherrif's Office, It IS legal for snowmobiles to ride on the right of ways of county highways, hence the horizontal marks made in the hillsides on the sides of Highway M were made legally. As I said, I was not particularly worried about the damage, but was concerned that this is an example of how hard it is to supervise adn prevent damage when machines go off-trail. (IF more snowmobiles are build to go off trail, will this be a a problem in the future? Who knows?)

Second question, yes, people in Presque Isle are VERY interested in connecting to the Boulder Bike path. How many, and how seriously? More to follow.

I am on the "North Boulder Bike Trail" committee, and I can just affirm that there is lots of desire on our part to extend the trail north, mainly to make the bike trail accessible to all of the resorts and residences in the area.

But, it will take some time. In the meantime, come bike the "Heart of Vilas County Trail", and if you come north, tell them you are here for the silent sports!

For your To-Do list...Savor your Lake!

Vilas County Lake Association Annual Meeting June 12th!
Trees for Tomorrow, Eagle River.

Action Alert! Protect Wisconsin's Stewardship Fund!

Its about protecting public resources....

Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail Dedication Ceremony...Boulder, Sayner, St. Germain...

I had originally planned to bike to Crystal Lake from my house, but thunderstorms were forecast, and I figured I would be better off starting from the parking area at the junction of M and N. One very nice thing about the trail is the number of starting and ending points.


It looked to me that there were about 100 people. (by the way, is there a calculus one uses in estimating crowd size?). Not bad for a rainy day. I asked Boulder Junction town chair Jeff Long if he felt pretty proud of what had been accomplished-due in a large part to his vision. He was beaming. He talked about how the connections were good for all communities. How about trails to other communities? He said he would like to see trails anywhere he could get them, but that it isn't easy or quick.

Marcia Kittleson, from the Sayner-Plum Lake Chamber of Commerce, was also excited for the future. She talked about Cloverland wanting to get on board, helping to connect Eagle River with the Heart of Vilas system. There is still more work to be done. Mark Hiller, from the St. Germain Bike Trail Committee, talked about surfacing a new portion of their trail. (It ain't cheap!)

And while people talked about the future, it was time to celebrate what had already been accomplished. People in all three communities worked very hard to create this treasure we can all enjoy. No one anticipated the excitement this trail system has generated. It is changing the economic landscape of Vilas county. (See the Dennis McCann article I linked to about a week ago)

(Three photos: First, of Crystal Lake, one of many beautiful gems on the trail, The Ribbon cutting with Jeff Long, Marcia Kittleson, Mark Hiller, and Sen. Breske, and finally, a picture of the trail just before Crystal Lake from Highway M.)

Fireworks are for the Fourth....

Can anyone explain to me why people want to come to a quiet, northern lake and shoot off fireworks? I mean, explain it in any way that doesn't include the word "stupid"?

I can only understand it in this sense: You probably can't launch fireworks in the city, because there are more people and cops in the city. There aren't as many people or cops in the northwoods, and the wildlife can't complain, so it is OK to punk them all.

Fireworks are technically illegal to blow off, but they can be sold in Wisconsin, supposedly for tourists to take back to Illinois. (can you explain this to me in any way that doesn't include the word "stupid"? ) But notice that most fireworks retailers are on the "heading north" side of the highway. In other words, all of this is a cynical scheme for a few people to make money off of the displeasure of the many. (most people who live on northern Wisconsin lakes don't blow off fireworks at night, and would prefer other people didn't as well).

I understand that this blog has a following among ATV enthusiasts, let me see if I have any fireworks enthusiasts. I will use small words. Remember: Loons are nesting this time of year. Lets not disturb them. Try enjoying the quiet instead. When you need excitement, close the windows and play a video game till you get back to the city. Light off your fireworks there. When the police come and explain why you can't do that, remember: The same reasons apply on Northern Wisconsin lakes. You are creating a disturbance.

Summer goal number one: Investigative reporting questions....

Now that summer is here, and I have a little bit of a break, I have three goals for this blog. Goal number one is to do a little investigative reporting. Nothing earth shattering, just asking some questions and letting you know what I find. Blogs are criticized for being nothing but opinion. I will continue to "opinionate", but I will also search out some information?

Question number one: What's with all of the grooves in the banks on Highway M? I assume they are made by snowmobiles. Are the DNR and Vilas County aware of them? Is it legal for snowmobiles to ride the banks? Does anyone have an action plan for addressing this? I have left a message with Mike Sealander's "Ask a Warden" feature (you can link to it from the St.Germain chamber of commerce site), and will make some phone calls.

Question number two: What are Land O' Lakes and Presque Isle planning as far as links with the Heart of Vilas County trail system? I suspect Land O Lakes would love to connect through Boulder Junction. Are they considering "Old B" (I wrote about biking along Old B several years ago) or are they going along highway B? And will the proposed Manitowish Waters-Boulder link take the pressure off Presque Isle's connecting through Boulder?

Your "to do" list part two: June 12: Vilas County Lakes Association Celebration

Come celebrate the wonderful water resources we have in Vilas County.

Your "to do" list....Sunday June 3rd: Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail Dedication

Baltimore Orioles

We saw our first ever Baltimore Oriole sitting on our feeder, as if it were looking for something. It flew away and back again, not finding what it wanted. So we bought an Oriole feeder with hopes of seeing a return visit. Lo and behold, the next day Laura Erickson talked about Baltimore Orioles on the radio. You can download her programs by clicking on the link above.

Dennis McCann: Biking in Vilas County!

Dennis McCann, always a great advocate for our area, writes a column on biking in Vilas County. I have been arguing that silent sports could be big here, he shows that they are big! There are more calls for biking at the motels than for other activities now.

And he discusses how other towns want to "hook up" to the Heart of Vilas trail system.

Wildlife report...Boulder Junction lake front property for sale!

An albino fawn with classically detailed mother observed on the other side of the lake, next to the for sale sign for this property. I didn't have my camera, but here is a fall picture to give you a sense of where it was.( If you are a "silent sports" type, who wants to keep their property in a natural condition to attract wildlife, then please buy this place! I have seen albino deer, fishers, loons, heron, eagles, trumpeter swans, osprey, and pileated woodpeckers on this property.) Here is the way the site looks from the lake, in the fall. It is exactly the way a lake house should look from the water, that is, you should hardly see it at all. Hey, if you "blow up" the picture and look carefully, you will see a surprise flying by. That is what I mean.

I get no commission from the sale of this property, just hoping a person with respect for nature (like the previous owners) buys the place.

I'd rather be paddling....

Its sad that I have to rely on old "file photos!" As I noticed at the time, note the poor paddling technique. I never said I was any good at it.

Late May sounds....Barred Owl?

I can only identify a few birds, but I am amazed at the resources now available online. I was sitting on my porch, listening to the "peepers" when I heard at least two of these. I remember hearing one last year, but only for a couple of nights.

Connecting Eagle River to the Heart of Vilas County Trail

Those of you coming up to ride on the Heart of Vilas County trail will be happy to hear about this: Energy is generating fast for connecting links. There is no better way to keep the North the North than developing a "destination activity" that is quiet and sustaining.

To go on your to-do list! The Heart of Vilas County Dedication June 3rd

Come celebrate the wonderful bike trail building efforts of the towns of Boulder Junction, Sayner, and St. Germain. Learn about the communities that want to join. Help make Vilas County the premier Biking destination of the Midwest!

Friends of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve

Met a woman from this organization while running along Lakeshore Path in Madison yesterday. Those of you who attended or visited the UW will appreciate this site.

In ATV supporters own words...

"The ATV clubs of Vilas County are working on the responsible development of a corridor trail system". In other words: think of the snowmobile trail system. Links to every town. The author of this letter maintains there are sound restrictions on ATV's. There are sound controls on snowmobiles, as well, yet their sound permeates the forest in winter.

Mark

From the Lakeland Times: Get the lead out! Loon Appreciation Week

Lead from fishing tackle appears to be a threat to loons, osprey, and eagles. Alternatives to lead are showing up in north woods retailers.

Lakeland Times:DNR employees don't like the ATV trail either

According to this Friday's Lakeland Times, an "Internal Technical Review" of the proposed ATV trail by DNR employees "has been predominantly critical". You really need to read the print article for specifics.

The quiet season...

Do you love quiet? This may be the best time to be "up north". I think every season up here should be quiet season, but what if we had a month where we agreed to be especially respectful of the beauty of silence? What if we marketed the northwoods that way, the way we market hunting season, snowmobile season, biking and swimming seasons?

Where there is smoke...

The local news reports said we would be able to smell the smoke drifting over Lake Superior from wildfires in Northern Minnesota. Sure enough, last night, you could smell the smoke in Arbor Vitae. I don't smell it this morning in Boulder Junction, but there isn't much wind. Things are very dry here, and people are worried. My Dad said that when he grew up in the area, there were constant wildfires caused by the refuse of "hit and run" logging operations. We have more sustainable logging now, but not sustainable lifestyles. Lets hope we aren't seeing a long term climate shift in the amount of rain northern Wisconsin gets. Most of the lakes are, as we say, "way down".

Follow the title link above to see some pictures of the Minnesota fires

Bruce Card pic

from somewhere in Southern Wisconsin. Thanks, Bruce

One more point about the original Master Plan proposal....

I was just reviewing the original Northern Highland-American Legion Master Plan proposal for an experimental ATV loop trail. The stated purpose of this trail was to see whether a small ATV trail could be sustainably maintained in the NHAL forest. Would riders stick to the trail? Would they create unreparable damage? A small loop would have been easier to monitor and provide legal enforcement.

Of course, most of us were doubtful that this was the real purpose, thinking it was the "camel's nose in the tent". But lets take it at face value for a moment. The proposal suggests that ATV sustainabiltiy in the NHAL forest was still a question that needed to be researched. So my question is: When, between the loop trail and now, was the question answered?

Let me put it differently:

1. At one point the DNR said it didn't know if a trail was sustainable, and wanted to research it through a small loop trail.

2. Now, the DNR is recommending a highly extensive, unmonitorable trail system in the Northern Highland-American Legion forest.

Something is missing in between.

Say hello to Annie....

We adopted Annie from a great organization, The Labrador Connection. She is between 8 and 10 years old. She hasn't been "up north" yet, but I am sure she will like swimming,smelling stuff, and, I hope, chasing squirrels away from the bird feeders. I will want to make sure she knows how to come when called before we let her run, though.

From Bruce's Spring Pics-Southern Wisconsin

Thanks to Bruce Card

The slippery word "enough"

Dennis Leith stated that “enough” interest in ATV trails was generated during the NHAL Master Plan to warrant the current trail development process. The word “enough” should spark some investigative curiosity. At the October 05 National Resources Board meeting that summarized the Master Plan results, opposition to an ATV trail was characterized as a “loud outcry”, so much so that one board member asked why the issue even remained open. We can supply a probable answer: A group of legislators, representing a narrow interest group, gave the DNR its marching orders: Put a trail in the NHAL forest in spite of the Master Plan review process. The Stakeholder’s group was not an objective reevaluation of the feasibility of an ATV trail, it was a trail building committee. It is still important to note that an ATV trail is not inevitable. Write to me and I will tell you what you can do...

April Trumpeters

WARNING: this sounds awful

VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC SEPTICEMIA (VHS)

Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS), a deadly pathogen known to be responsible for large fish kills in the lower Great Lakes, is being regarded by the Wisconsin DNR as a very serious threat to inland lakes fish populations. More information about this pathogen can be found at web sites such as:

1: http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/pages/vhs.html

2: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_health/content/printable_version/ia_VHS_Great_Lakes.pdf



A special meeting of the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board was held earlier this month to consider adoption of emergency rules to control the spread of VHS in the waters of Wisconsin. Advance information regarding the meeting can be found at http://dnr.wi.gov/org/nrboard/agenda/2007/070401-VHS.pdf. Minutes of the meeting are not yet available on the Internet, but will be eventually be posted at http://dnr.wi.gov/org/nrboard/minutes/.



Additional information will be broadcast as it becomes available.



Ted Ritter
Vilas Co. AIS Coordinator
330 Court Street
Eagle River, WI 54521
Phone: (715) 479-3738
Fax: (715) 479-1978

Public Trust Doctrine and Lakes

After hearing a discussion about Public Trust Doctrine in the Vilas County Lake Association meeting, I had been rolling the concept around in my mind. I spent the first 20 minutes talking about this doctrine in my ethics class. Since the class was in a circle, it was easy to just imagine that we were lakeowners. I was amazed at how easy it was for people to discuss the conflicts that might emerge between different conceptions of social ethics: property rights, utilitarian ethics, duties, and virtue ethics,

I wondered if it would be possible to develop a board game around this idea? You would have cards for different ethical stances, different situations (person A wants to have green lawn down to the water-person B wants to build a condo project, etc)

You would have a point system for the health of the lake, for property values, for natural aesthetic value, etc.

I am thinking of that interesting social science experiment where people take money out of a bowl, but if they cooperate, they get more money...etc.

This game could be set up at Lake association events, schools, etc.

The UTV's are coming to Wisconsin's forests!

A hat tip to Tom for the reference.

A description of UTV's

UTV's are next....

I have said that ATV's are only going to get bigger, faster, and more racing oriented. Now we have UTV's, ATV's on growth hormones, I guess. I am already hearing rumours of people asking to ride UTV's on ATV trails. We can be sure the industry is supporting it.

North on the net: Trees for Tomorrow

I am going to plant some tamarack saplings this spring. The young spruce and white pine on one boundary of our property are growing well, but since the power company follks cut a lot of young trees between our property and the neighbors, it is time to plant. My Dad always liked tamaracks-the most beautiful tree in the north when they turn golden. You can buy saplings for one dollar a tree!

Quiet season in the northwoods...

A few random thoughts....

Drive on M from 51 to Boulder Junction and notice all of the cuts in the hills by the side of the road (on the right hand side). I wager those are caused by snowmobiles. I am sure that the quick spring growth will bind those cuts together, and they mostly aren't near any watersheds, but it does offer us an interesting analogy:

1. The snowmobiles are riding illegally OFF the snowmobile trail.
2. Alongside the road is the ONLY area where the only law enforcement is likely to be found.


Yet, even in those conditions, enough snowmobiles run along the roads to tear up the earth.

So, here is the obvious analogy: If this happens under the nose of law enforcement, how much more destructive will ATV's be in large parts of the forest where there will seldom be any law enforcement?

When will I support ATV trails? (cont.)

I just sent my letter to the National Resources Board opposing the NHAL ATV trails, when I was directed to today's Wall Street Journal. (Click on this post's headline-Hat tip to Don Erickson). I wish I would have read the article first, and referenced it., when I warned the Board that faster ATV's are on the way. Apparently, the ATV industry wants to build FASTER ATV's for young people because they say-get this- it will be safer! Not since "Joe Camel" cigarette ads have I heard of a more cynical marketing idea.

Look, ATV supporters, here is your chance. ATV manufacturers are after your children! Let's see you get some backbone. They are not your friends.

When will I support ATV trails? (cont.)

I just sent my letter to the National Resources Board opposing the NHAL ATV trails, when I was directed to today's Wall Street Journal. (Click on this post's headline-Hat tip to Don Erickson). I wish I would have read the article first, and referenced it., when I warned the Board that faster ATV's are on the way. Apparently, the ATV industry wants to build FASTER ATV's for young people because they say-get this- it will be safer! Not since "Joe Camel" cigarette ads have I heard of a more cynical marketing idea.

Look, ATV supporters, here is your chance. ATV manufacturers are after your children! Let's see you get some backbone. They are not your friends.

When will I support ATV trails? (cont.)

Item number three: Stop blaming "Bad Apples".

Whenever the topic of excessive noise or destruction comes up, ATV supporters shake their heads and say the following: "Most of the riders follow the rules, but there will always be those 'Bad Apples' who won't" That is a code phrase for me that means "Don't expect I'm going to do anything about it!"

I see variants of this technique used by motorcyclists and snowmobilers when people complain about excessive noise. "You don't understand. That noise that ruins the quiet of your camping experience (or ski trip) is not caused by the sport as a whole but only by a few bad apples"

On one level, I don't care if it is a majority, or a minority, or one damn rider with a loud system if I have to listen to it along some of the most beautiful, othewise quiet stretches of the lower Wisconsin . Or if my cross country ski trail sounds like it was situated next to a NASCAR track. Or, in the case of ATV's, if it only takes one rainy afternoon to destroy a hillside, what do I care if it was done by one ATV or 100?

But on another level, if it IS only 10 percent, why is it so hard to stop? Why do other ATV interests (and snowmobile interests) seem so passive about it? Wouldn't it be in the sport's interest to do everything it takes to keep Bad Apples off the trails?

So instead of shaking your head and decrying "the bad apples", describe the active, measurable steps your sport is taking to make sure they can't hurt the forests and those enjoying the Northwoods quietly.

When will I support ATV trails?

I just had a thought: Since ATV supporters have been reading this blog for strategy ideas, maybe I should give them some of my own. ATV trail supporters, if you want to decrease opposition to ATV trails, here are ten suggestions I have. If you followed through on these suggestions, I suspect that most opposition to ATV trails would melt away.

Item number one: Lobby to outlaw after-market exhaust systems. Not just fine people who have after market systems. Make them illegal to sell. ATV users need to stop saying noise isn't an issue. Instead, they need to demonstrate that they care as much about quiet as the rest of us. (Most of them do, but when many don't, it is up to users groups to start actively changing the whole culture)


Item number two: Stop being puppets of the ATV industry. If you like riding in wilderness areas, demand that ATV manufacturers stop building and marketing ATV's to be machines that race through trails and tear up terrain. Demand environmentally friendly ATV's, with "trail tires" and not "all terrain tires". (Why do ATV's look like some sort of military machine? What is with that?)

Larry Meiller on Wisconsin Public Radio

Great program on Sand Hill Cranes and biking in Wisconsin. Something to listen to while you watch the snow coming down...

A memory of a conversation about ATV's

I remember overhearing a side conversation that took place last summer during the State trails hearing. One of the legislators directed a question towards some ATV supporters, "Why can't we make forest friendly ATV's, with quieter mufflers and tires that couldn't tear up the terrain?"

The answer was very telling, and highlights my opposition to ATV's: A supporter said "If we did, 10% of the owners would just change the tires and put on after market mufflers anyway".

Everyone seemed to accept this answer with a knowing nod, "oh ya, those ten percenters". Noone seemed to recognize what this meant: We are planning to build ATV trails knowing that 10 % of users are going to break the rules we say will keep the trails safe and quiet! And that we couldn't do anything about it, anyway!

That, and the ATV marketing, which emphasises racing and tearing up the track, just reinforced the idea that we are being "sold" one sport, but will be given another.

Family snowmobiling is just now taking back the sport from trail racers. It will be several years before we can see if it succeeds. But ATV users are already ceding that nothing can be done.

Lakefront lots should be natural! Letter to the editor

Looking into the future, I see more people adopting a more natural shoreline to their lakes. It just looks better. Unfortunately, we are still stuck in this wierd real estate loop that caters to people's imagination of a grass-to-the-water mentality. I agree with the author of the letter that real estate agents could be the front line of a new aesthetic that values natural shorelines.

The Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail System!

From Marcia Kittleson: The new name for the Boulder Junction, Sayner, St. Germain bike trail. What a wonderful thing this trail is! I haven't biked the St. Germain section yet, but will report as soon as I do.

Marcia Kittleson properly thanks Jeff Long for his visionary work on the Boulder Junction to Crystal Lake section of the trail.

The word "System", maybe, is a hint of things to come. Lets hope Land O' Lakes, Presque Isle and Manitowish Waters hook up soon! Not to mention Arbor Vitae and Eagle River!

Marcia writes:

"Please join us to celebrate this remarkable effort at the official opening of the Heart of Vilas County Bike and Hike Trail System, Sunday, June 3, at the Crystal Lake shelter house from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. "

ATV trailhead to be located near Sayner Bike Path

One of several intersections with current or planned bike trails.

"Snowmobile deaths drop sharply"

This is good news. Snowmobile deaths dropped considerably this year from the last two years, more in line with previous years. The byline reads "reduced speed limit, weather cited in drop"

Lets hope reduced speed was a factor. But lets remember that the snowmobile season didn't really start till late in the year. Here are the desultory facts from the DNR:
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/es/enforcement/safety/snowstats.htm

In 2006/2007 season, the first death didn't occur until December 29th. The last death occured on March 8th.

The year before, in 2005/2006, the first 6 deaths had already happened by the date of the first death in 2006. And the last three deaths occured after March 8th. So it would be safe to assume that if we accounted for the length of the season, this year was not much safer a year for snowmobiling than the year before.

Of course I am using "seat of the pants" methodology (just like those who suggest speed has actually been reduced). But lets give the idea the benefit of the doubt, and say that the DNR's campaign was part of the reason for a reduction in deaths.

Another bit of good news here is the response of snowmobile clubs, who are encouraging the State legislature to renew the speed limit rules. I find that very encouraging. Family snowmobilers must know they have to get the "yahooism" out of the sport.

And once again, lets thank the River Valley State Bank's "Don't Race on the Trails!" campaign

For the price of a video game....

The two young men who shot a trumpeter swan last summer were each fined the price of a video game. I don't know the personal story of these young men, and would be more interested in what was done to teach and correct them. But to the extent that we can quantify natural resources, are trumpeter swans worth no more than the latest version of Grand Theft Auto?

Dennis McCann on the Three Lakes Military Road controversy

"Muscular" sports...and competition...

This morning I was reading a book about the importance of controlling how political debates are framed. And then I thought about the image of silent sports versus motorized sports.

There is an "image inversion" in the idea war between silent sports and motorized recreation. In the land of mental associations, motorized sports comes across as the more "muscular" of the sports. How does that happen?

Silent sports needs to compete in the marketplace of ideas. To that end, we certainly need to emphasize environmental values, sustainability, healthiness, and the broader appeal of silent sports. But I think we also need to restore silent sports as the activity that really mentally and physically active people do.

What silent sports lacks, image wise, is the muscularity that comes with focusing on competition. If I had a television advertising budget, I would figure out a way to create an association in people's minds between the marathon runner and the hiker, the way that ATV and snowmobile advertising constantly sells machines by associating them to competition.

My "storyboard" would look like this: Marathon runner looking at her time, hiker along the North country trail looking at his map, Kayaker in competition at the Wausau whitewater park, scouts challenging rapids on the Flambeau, mountain bikers on a WORS trail competition, a family riding on the Elroy-Sparta trail , Skiers finishing the Birkie, a young child gets up on her first pair of cross country skis.

The tag line would be "Courage and Strength Live On in Wisconsin's Silent Sports Traditions. Grow strong with us!"

Parade Magazine's worst inventions....

If you haven't thrown away your Sunday paper, read Marilyn Savant's list of worst inventions, submitted by readers. I will post a link when it is online tomorrow.

Guess which watercraft made the list? Hint: It wasn't a canoe or kayak....

Competitive and non-competitive silent sports...

I still can't find where I put February's Silent Sports magazine, but from looking at March's issue, I gather someone wrote to complain that the magazine covers too many competitive silent sports.

Those of you who read this blog know I fit on the side of the "non-competitive" end of the silent sports continuum. For me, the purpose of getting out there is not about the training, or equipment, or beating a time. (What is it about? I wonder) Two years ago, I wrote about an incident in the U.P. where I was passed by someone on cross country skiis who was too busy looking at his watch to respond to my friendly "hi". That guy, I thought, might has well get an Arctic Cat. We both had skis on, but we were doing different sports.

But I want to defend Silent Sports from the accusation. My experience is that the magazine is willing to publish articles about non-competitive silent sports. But this kind of writing is much harder to do! Competition, or focus on equipment, or even focus on place, is to silent sports like bread is to a sandwich, it is what you "hang" the real stuff onto. "The real stuff", whatever that is, isn't about the competition, or equipment, or even the place. But that is what we write about, to give a glimpse of the real stuff.

I wrote a year ago that I had a near mystical experience of timelessness at a boat landing. Could one write an article for Silent Sports magazine about boat landings?

"This Machine Screams"

Snowmobile Ad observed in a gas station in Green Bay. When will motorized sports confront itself seriously about its noise problem?

New Business model for quietnorth?

I have found once again that I have quite a readership among ATV enthusiasts. Perhaps I should take advantage of this by scoring some appropriate advertising revenue. How about some of these? Of course, noone actually would use aftermarket performance mufflers on an ATV trail. They are just sold as collectors items, I imagine.

Noises Off!

Capital Times: State debates how best to get into growing market

Good "Roads Travelled" article.

Here is my suggestion to the state for how to get into the ecotourism market: Don't put in new ATV trails!

Mark

Quiet Island....

Unexpectedly, things are very quiet up north. We were expecting a snowstorm, but it hasn't arrived. No snow for skiing means no snow for snowmobiling, which means that things are very quiet. Good time for a walk.

Quiet is not an absence...any more than a view of the woods with no houses is an absence. Quiet is a "thing". We need quiet seasons and quiet places, quiet celebrations and for all of this to happen we need....quiet hunters! People who search out silence actively, and promote and defend it aggressively.

I hope for the snowmobilers and skiiers that we get a blizzard tonight. But for now, quiet rules!

Dennis McCann: Leopold's passion still burning

Taxing silence....

By the way, I have been busy, in spite of not posting!
- I had an essay published in Silent Sports I believe titled "Taxing Silence". I don't think you can link to it, but you should subscribe, anyway! I actually haven't read the published version, as I "put it in a safe place" before I had a chance. You should
- I went ice fishing for the first time last week at Devil's Lake. I will say more about that this weekend.
-I watched three ATV's running all over the wetland area near Pamperin Park in Green Bay. (No, that can't be right, ATV owners don't do that)
-I sent another letter to the Stakeholder's group. You can read my first one there or on the NCRS site (linked in a previous post).
-I am working on my letter to the Natural Resources Board.

If you have anything you want published here, let me know. Just remember that ATV people read this blog too.

sorry for the lack of posts lately....

I have been thinking about this blog recently, esp. after I may have inadvertently posted some "strategy" ideas that were copied by people with different goals than mine. I don't want to be the "Rex Grossman" of the Silent Sports cause!

When I began quietnorth in 2005, the DNR had proposed a "loop trail", after the residents of Vilas County clearly registered their opposition to ATV's. I noticed that the other websites hadn't been active recently, so I started this blog as a way of publicizing issues related to silent sports.

Now, The NCRS site is back up and active. Silent Sports Magazine has a regular action feature. And it seems that silent sports enthusuasts are actually becoming more organized.

So while I will continue to post news topics related to silent sports in the Vilas County area, I will be a little more circumspect about posting strategy pieces. There are many other ways of getting that information out there.

If there is something you don't want me to publicize on the blog, please let me know.

I am going to be making some other changes in the blog format as well. I will keep you posted.

Northwoods Citizens for Responsible Stewardship

Please find details here about the fight against All Terrain Vehicles in the Northern Highland-American Legion forest.

Climate Change in the Northwoods: A Nicolet Exhibit

Dear Friends and Colleagues -

A good friend and associate, Terry Daulton and her partners, are kicking off the first leg of their Northwoods Climate Change Exhibit at Nicolet College next week.

Paradise Lost? Climate Change in the Northwoods is a new traveling art and science exhibit focusing on climate change in the Lake Superior region. It will be hosted by Nicolet College Art Gallery from February 16 to March 19, 2007. Gallery Hours will be: Mon - Thurs 8-8; Fri & Sat 8-4 and during most Theatre events. The exhibit is the culmination of over a year’s work involving 20 artists, seven scientists, six educators and numerous partner organizations.

February 17th, Nicolet will host a number of educational forums and activities on climate change. A poster session from 1:30 – 5 pm will highlight research and education projects. A 2 pm panel discussion will feature scientists, artists, and an energy efficiency expert. The focus of the panel will be research on climate change in our region, views on how art can help communicate science concepts, and information on what citizens can do to address climate change. The speakers will include Dr Tim Kratz (UW Trout Lake limnologist), Dr. Mark Kubiske (USFS researcher), Mary Burns (weaver), Helen Klebesadel (painter) and Sara Windjue (KEEP energy conservation educator). Following the panel will be films (including Inconvenient Truth and a documentary on the Paradise Lost exhibit), and activities for youth and families.

There will also be an evening reception with scientists and artists. The reception will begin at 7 pm with a viewing, followed by a presentation by Dr. Tim Kratz ( UW- Trout Lake ) on climate change and northern lakes and wetlands. Writer, John Bates, and musician, Charles Thomas, will share their work with the project. The afternoon events and show reception are free and open to the public.

Also, Terry offers any of you with relevant displays you may wish to exhibit the opportunity to join in. Her contact info is below. This is a great opportunity to interact with local and regional experts, as well as your neighbors, on this important topic. Please feel free to pass this on to any other folks who may be interested.


Thanks,

Mike Meyer

Climate Change in the Northwoods: A Nicolet Exhibit

Dear Friends and Colleagues -

A good friend and associate, Terry Daulton and her partners, are kicking off the first leg of their Northwoods Climate Change Exhibit at Nicolet College next week.

Paradise Lost? Climate Change in the Northwoods is a new traveling art and science exhibit focusing on climate change in the Lake Superior region. It will be hosted by Nicolet College Art Gallery from February 16 to March 19, 2007. Gallery Hours will be: Mon - Thurs 8-8; Fri & Sat 8-4 and during most Theatre events. The exhibit is the culmination of over a year’s work involving 20 artists, seven scientists, six educators and numerous partner organizations.

February 17th, Nicolet will host a number of educational forums and activities on climate change. A poster session from 1:30 – 5 pm will highlight research and education projects. A 2 pm panel discussion will feature scientists, artists, and an energy efficiency expert. The focus of the panel will be research on climate change in our region, views on how art can help communicate science concepts, and information on what citizens can do to address climate change. The speakers will include Dr Tim Kratz (UW Trout Lake limnologist), Dr. Mark Kubiske (USFS researcher), Mary Burns (weaver), Helen Klebesadel (painter) and Sara Windjue (KEEP energy conservation educator). Following the panel will be films (including Inconvenient Truth and a documentary on the Paradise Lost exhibit), and activities for youth and families.

There will also be an evening reception with scientists and artists. The reception will begin at 7 pm with a viewing, followed by a presentation by Dr. Tim Kratz ( UW- Trout Lake ) on climate change and northern lakes and wetlands. Writer, John Bates, and musician, Charles Thomas, will share their work with the project. The afternoon events and show reception are free and open to the public.

Also, Terry offers any of you with relevant displays you may wish to exhibit the opportunity to join in. Her contact info is below. This is a great opportunity to interact with local and regional experts, as well as your neighbors, on this important topic. Please feel free to pass this on to any other folks who may be interested.


Thanks,

Mike Meyer

From Kim Kost: The Manitowish Waters Town Board Meeting

"...there was a town board meeting last night
on the agenda once again was "DNR request to use approx. 900 feet of Circle Lily Lake Road for ATV trail"
the short story- after much hemming, hawing and apologizing, the board voted not to allow ATVs on Circle Lilly road
Mike Bartling made the motion to deny; John Hanson seconded
both Mike and John voted for the motion (hesitantly), Henry Bauers abstained, saying he wasn't ready to make a decision

the board really wanted to help out the stakeholders, but said because of all the calls they have received against an ATV trail in MW, they were left with no choice but to deny

not really sure what this decision means
Bill Schuman and Mike ?, from the stakeholders group, who were both at the meeting last night, said the trail will still be a go
it will just cost more money to construct bridges and board walks..."

The interesting quote here, which we should use when we talk about this trail, is "...because of all the calls they have received against an ATV trail in MW...." People weren't opposed just to using the road. They were opposed to a trail. Why doesn't the DNR get this? Agian, there is a story here yet to be written.

Manitowish Waters says No to ATV's on Circle Lily Road

OK, I want to confirm this before I give you the source: But someone who attended last night's Manitowish Water's town board meeting said the board opposed letting part of Circle Lily road be used for the ATV trail!

Add this to the growing list of examples: When people are asked if they want ATV trails, they say no. So why is our tax money pushing the trails? There is a story there yet to be written.

This is also an example of the power of getting the message out.

Bike Trails articles in Vilas County News Review

Buy this week's print version of the Vilas County News Review to get the "Progress" section. In it, there are two excellent features on Silent Sports trails:

First, a description of the progress on the Three Eagle Trail in Three Lakes.

Secondly, an excellent article by Joe Constanza on Bike Trails in Vilas County. Joe lays out how little money is actually spent on bike trails, compared to the tourist dollars it brings in. He describes the bike trail developed in St. Germain, and community plans to build other trails.

The Steamroller stalls for a moment...

Its not in the online version of the Lakeland Times, but the paper last week reported that the steamroller that is the ATV Stakeholder's group has stalled because they missed a Manitowish Waters town meeting. They need permission from the town to run the northern trail along Circle Lily Road. I am sure anyone living on the road would have been happy with the ATV's running day and night. I am sure the ATV Stakeholder's group would have waited to be sure EVERYONE who lived along the road would have approved.

Lets hope this is one of many glitches in a process that so far has worked perfectly for ATV interests.

Read the article. It is clear Dennis Leith's committee has ignored all contrary evidence up to this point. I don't know if it is a done deal, but it will be forces outside, and not inside, the committee that will stop these trails from being approved. Remember, Vilas County Residents voted 3/1 against ATV trails, and the state feedback against ATV's during the NHAL planning process was huge. This process is driven by a minority of interests that have power over the DNR through the State Legislature.

Think of this: The committee consistently refused to lay out the standards they were using to judge whether a trail impacted other user groups. Dennis Leith has said that the two currently planned trails are a "test" for other trails. Since no standards are laid out, is there any reason to think that the DNR won't call the trails a success, and allow trails throughout the forest, just like snowmobiles?

8 Snowmobile Deaths

Snowmobile deaths ARE down from last year, but the article misses the point that most of the snowmobile season we had no snow. Has anyone made a "open trail" statistic, how many deaths per open trail?

The fantasy and the reality of driving...

I have writtten in the past about how technology is going to challenge "car culture". Here are two devices that can monitor a car's speed and energy consumption, and even set off an alarm if the car goes more than 70 miles an hour.

How many lives a year would be saved if cars couldn't go over 70 miles an hour without sounding an alarm? Why doesn't every car have an alarm like this? The answer is, we care more about the fantasy of driving than we do about saving lives. And it is fantasy of driving that sells expensive cars.

Mark

ATV corridor runs East of Star Lake, north to K!

Take a look at this draft of the ATV trail. I guess I have been sleeping, I wasn't aware that the committee was seriously planning a trail just east of Star Lake, to highway K. The purpose of this trail will not be to "dead end" on Highway K, but surely to link either to Land O Lakes to the east or Boulder Junction-and on to the other trail in Manitowish Waters.

Remember, Dennis Leith has said these trails will be a test.

From Joel Patenaude:ATV Windfall

I'm sure you've all seen this by now, either through a previous email
or
in the February issue of the magazine. But my diatribe is now on the
website, in case you want an easy way of sharing it with others.


Joel

(click on the above link to access the article)

The draft maps are posted!

Wow! Those of you who live or play in Vilas County need to look over these maps of the two proposed ATV trails. It is one thing to hear about plans for the trails, but seeing where the corridors will be is a real shocker.

Keep in mind;

-An ATV corridor is wider than the mere trail in will run on. There is also a much wider "sound corridor" that will include any nearby lake or river.

-These trails are only the beginning. If they are completed, and even before they are completed, ATV folks will be working on connecting the two trails.

We need to start notifying the public!

The aesthetic of snowmobiles.

I was filling up yesterday in Boulder Junction when about 20 snowmobiles pulled in from all directions. They are beautiful machines-wasplike and bold.

So how do we change the sound aesthetic in snowmobilers? Can we change an appreciation for the growl of enhanced exhaust systems that destroy our aesthetic? Will there ever be a time when an ad will tout a quiet-running engine and track drive?

"Don't Race on the Trails!"

Congratulations to River Valley State Bank for its "Don't Race on the Trails!" ad campaign. I saw the ad yesterday in Woodruff, and I don't know how widespread it will be. As soon as I find a link to it, I will pass it on.

Breaking the connection between track and trail will be difficult, since that is what sells many snowmobiles. Snowmobile manufacturers are complicit in this, and should be held to account. After the great River Valley ad, there were ads for snowmobiles that reinforced the speed connection.

On getting maps...from the DNR's Robert Dall

I asked for maps from the Stakeholder's group. Keep checking for maps, and let me know if you get them...

Mark

Hi Mark,
As these are working drafts, they are changing every meeting. We will
soon be putting some drafts on the web site very soon so please stay
tuned to:
http://dnr.wi.gov/master_planning/nhal/NHAL-atvstakeholder.htm

These working maps will show the latest information available.

Thanks for your request and previous input.
Sincerely,
Bob

Letter from Joel Patenaude...

He references an essay you can read in the next Silent Sports Magazine-but he makes other important references here...



"Dear nonmotorized trails advocates,

I want to share with you my take on a mixed bag of Wisconsin ATV
legislation I had a nominal hand in drafting. This polemic will appear
in the February issue of Silent Sports, which will go to press and be
sent to subscribers and newsstands by the end of this week

In the article I hope I make clear that several components of a draft
bill ought to be supported by the small "s" silent sports community.
Other parts of it, namely a possibly massive increase in the state ATV
fund, are worrying and deserve our opposition.

In a separate editor's letter in the February issue, not included
here, I argue specifically for 1) $500,000 for the needed Ice Age
Trail reroute, 2) an increase in the proposed ATV damage repair fund
from $30,000 each year for two years (I point out that a similar
program in Minnesota is paying more than that in damage claims), and
3) urge nonmotorized trail users throughout Wisconsin to file Trail
Safety and Incident Forms when they've encountered illegal ATV riding
and trail damage.

Also in the February issue is a first-hand account of the challenge of
keeping ATVs off Nature Conservancy Land in the Keweenaw Peninsula of
Michigan's U.P. It was written by a U.P.-based cofounder of WIldlands
CPR, an organization fighting the motorizing of our wild public
places. Check them out at www.wildlandscpr.org.

If you have any feedback, please don't hesitate. And I'm always
interested in publishing letters to the editor if you have thoughts
you would like to share with readers of the magazine.

Sincerely,

Joel Patenaude, Editor
Silent Sports"

Evidence to ponder...

As you ride highway M to Boulder Junction, look for the snowmobile tracks along the bike trail. There probably isn't too much harm that can happen to a bike trail when there is plenty of snow. But it is interesting that the trail is posted against snowmobiling. And it runs along the highway, where the only potential enforcement is likely to be found.

So, if we can't keep snowmobiles off posted bike trails, in the presence of law enforcement, how well will we keep ATV's out of fun play areas like wetlands, rivers, and lake shore, where there will be no law enforcement?

DNR: Steamrolling on ATV trail continues....

Quote from Dennis Leith:

" They’ve taken field trips out to look at sites and they’ve worked hard to identify routes that would provide good riding opportunity and at the same time meet the necessary trail sustainability standards in place for state lands.”
,
Of course, the committee never set standards for sustainability, so it was a foregone conclusion that a trail site would be found. Well, anyway, it is time to get a map of the proposed routes and start taking it to the public.

Here is another...

"ATV TRACKS
designed to transform your ATV into a truly
All Season Vehicle
Able to take on the deepest snow, the most challenging
mud holes.
As well as hard surfaced road or the roughest riverbed
you can find."

I am sure that NOONE who buys a kit like this would be tempted to go off of an ATV trail....

In case your ATV can't go off trail enough....

So is the DNR ready for this? Would machines outfitted with "litefeet" (what a name!) be excluded from ATV trails? Look at the pictures on the site, showing where you can go. Will ATV groups argue against using these things on ATV trails?

The objective: Hybrid/electric snowmobiles

Just as the american auto industry has to be dragged kicking and screaming by its customers into making hybrid and electric cars, so snowmobile and ATV manufacturers need to get to hybrid-electric vehicles. But do their customers want them? Or is noise part of the enjoyment of the activity?

Lets see if motorized vehicle enthusiasts step up to the plate for the environment and for national security and demand hybrid-electric vehicles.

snowmobiles in Yellowstone....

The article doesn't address specifically what is meant by the "latest technology" in noise and air pollution control. Can you control the track noise of a machine that can go 90 miles an hour? Are there speed limit restrictions on snowmobiles in Yellowstone?

I would have liked to have seen very strict limits on sound, but as I remember, manufacturers complained, applied the technology called "money", and the strict limits were lifted.

commentary in Silent Sports magazine next month

A revision of my essay on a silent sports tax will go into next month's Silent Sports magazine. I will publish it here some time after it goes in the magazine. But if you have any ideas of how to implement a silent sports users fee, let me know.

Mark

Lakeland Times

By the way, is it me, or is the Lakeland Times presenting a more nuanced view of environmental issues in its news articles? I don't mean the publisher's rants or Richard Moore's tunnel vision journalism. But the articles by Debbie Munson Badini are actually very good. One might even think...is it possible?... that there is more news in Northern Wisconsin than DNR misdeeds!

Conservation Congress supports ban on baiting and feeding...

An interesting discussion of food plots in the article. If laying out a corn pile is wrong, what about planting a few acres of corn? The trouble is, we no longer have a coherent woods ethic that puts the entire natural system ahead of our own narrow interests.

Potlatch...selling land in Minnesota

Perhaps Wisconsin's biggest "slow motion story" is the fragile nature of forest land held by private timber interests. Or, to be more precise, private interests that hold land as timber land-until it may be more profitable to sell it as "recreational".

Why silence should be taxed...

While there were many disagreements during yesterday's State Trail committee meeting, Representative Ott's proposal for a state income tax check off for non motorized trails was one of the ideas everyone seemed to agreed on. The fact that silent sports enthusiasts don't have a source of funding, such as a license fee or gas tax, means that we have little clout. We are, in effect, silenced!

However, I would up the ante. I think the state should create a silent sports license. Everyone who participates in trail hiking, biking, geocacheing, paddling, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and birding should be expected to have a license.

There are four good reasons for creating such a silent sports license:

The first is a matter of fairness. Other outdoor activities like hunting and snowmobiling are licensed. The fees help pay for maintenance, sustainability, and law enforcement related to the activity.

The second reason is resource enhancement. Collected revenue can help support the maintenance of existing resources, and the addition of new resources, relating to silent sports. For example, we could speed up the development of Wisconsin’s bike trail system, and the Ice Age and North Country trail hiking trail plans.

The third reason is clout. Snowmobilers and ATVers get clout, because their sport raises an incredible amount of money in gas taxes and license fees. The lack of our own revenue source disempowers us with State government. This was painfully clear during the trails committee meeting. Given that the number of silent sport participants greatly outnumbers any other user group, we would have an enormous voice in decisions made about resources.

The fourth reason is unity and a sense of shared purpose. I think one of the reasons snowmobilers and ATVers are unified is that they pay a license fee. A license not only generates revenue but it gives people a sense of shared identity. Social psychologists say rituals, especially unpleasant ones, can help create group inclusiveness. Think of duck hunters, anglers, deer hunters, snowmobilers. These groups have nothing over silent sports enthusiasts in terms of passion for their activity-but what do we lack? Perhaps in part it is the fact that we don't go through the ritual of paying for the privelege of belonging.

There would be some practical issues related to having a silent sports license, but shouldn't we start the conversation?