Saturday, April 28, 2007
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
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
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.
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.
Monday, April 23, 2007
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.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
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!
Friday, April 20, 2007
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?
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?
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
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.
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.
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.
Monday, April 16, 2007
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.
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.
Friday, April 13, 2007
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?)
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?)
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
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...
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
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.
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.
Monday, April 09, 2007
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. "
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. "
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