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?
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