guest commentary we cant snowmobile in the wilderness

Americans, and in particular snowmobilers, place a very high value on their recreation. Snowmobilers are also hikers, bicyclists, recreational vehicle owners, ATV owners, boat owners, etc. To enjoy our recreation of choice, we must have access to our public lands. While seeing the importance of recreation to snowmobilers, I have observed the tactics of the Wilderness Society and their accomplices in their continuing effort to stop our access to public lands. The Wilderness Society is a huge, well-funded organization that was founded in 1935. The goal of the Wilderness Society is to have over 300 million acres of "Designated Wilderness" in the United States by the year 2010.

Why are the Wilderness Society goals in direct conflict with those of us that like to take our families and recreate outdoors on our public lands? We are in conflict because their goal is to increase Wilderness areas and, once an area is designated Wilderness, no mechanical devices can be used within the Designated Wilderness area. The reason for this article is to briefly explain to you what "Wilderness" is and what it is not.

I was motivated to write this article after watching a TV advertisement by a major automobile manufacturer expressing how much fun it was to drive an SUV through the Wilderness. In case you didn't know - You cannot drive an SUV of any type through a Designated Wilderness area.

You CAN'T drive, ride or use ANY mechanical device in Designated Wilderness. We presently have over 104 million acres of Designated Wilderness, which covers an area equal to the size of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania combined. Obviously that is a considerable amount of the US landmass! If you consider that the stated goal of the Wilderness Society is to add 200 million acres of Designated Wilderness to that total, you suddenly reach a huge percentage of public land that will be closed to most all uses throughout the United States. 300 million acres is equal to roughly the area of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Missouri combined total landmass.

Many recreation-oriented Associations are having issues with the Wilderness movement. A group of cyclists had been actively circulating petitions encouraging additional Designated Wilderness. They halted their petition drive when the Cyclists discovered that they too would be excluded from using the area. Yes, you CANNOT ride a bicycle of any type in a Designated Wilderness Area. As a matter of fact, you can't use a wheelbarrow, camping trailer, travel trailer, small fishing boat with ANY motor or mechanical device and certainly not a snowmobile in ANY Designated Wilderness Areas.

Unquestionably, the Wilderness Society has achieved many of its gains by using carefully worded information and not totally informing its members what the Wilderness Designation really does.

Wilderness is not for everyone and 104 million acres of Designated Wilderness in the United States is probably enough. It is time for all Americans to understand what Wilderness is and what it is not.

The Clinton/Gore Roadless Initiative, that was recently overturned by Judge Lodge in Idaho, was to be the first step in having 60 million more acres of public land designated Wilderness. I encourage all Americans to keep our eyes on the Wilderness Society and watch what their true goals and objectives are. It appears that the Wilderness Society elite hope to have a large percentage of the US landmass managed by their rules under the control of the US Government.