How much would you pay to keep your riding area open?

[CleElum Sledhead]

Most not much I guess.

SAWS is free, yet we only have about 600 - 700 members from WA. What is up with that?

Edit: This post has nothing to do with grooming and plowing. Although we are in sad shape there too.

Sorry, I just needed to vent, and I am getting tired of this gig.

 

[CleElum Sledhead]

I am getting very tired of this task. I need someone to step up and take over, but my guess is that they will want to be paid (unlike me).

How much will it cost to keep our riding areas open?

More money than we are willing to spend is my guess.

We will need lots of money for lawsuits.

Wait until you see what they are going to close in WA this year. Crazy insane amount of acres.

 

[H20SKE]

It is all the Liberals in office that think they are saving us from ourselves (land closures)

I am with ya Dave---hard to beat these guys/gals in the game they think will get them more votes and money by closing lands and saving them. LOL

Do not know how you do it--But PLEASE keep it going buddy


H20SKE...

I WOULD RATHER GIVE SAWS $100 A YEAR THAN FOR A SNOW PARK PERMIT!!!!
It would do us more good. The way they are taking land away--won't have to worry about sno park plowing--eh.

 

[rpmbci]

Cle Elum Sledhead, first off on behalf of the group I ride with, total of about 20 people, we would like to say "Thank You" for all that the individuals such as yourself do. This has been a muched discussed topic in our group and the overall concensus is this; Absolutley no more increases in our fees until there is an open book policy on the existing financial records and also there must be a joint(WSSA-State) oversight committee in charge of the funds. Otherwise all we seem to do is funnel our money down the political rat hole. Simply put we do not trust the government agencies with proper dispursement of funds. Example: The current situation regarding proper dispursement of gas tax monies. Bottom LIne, we'll pay more(careful here) but only if it is allocated to its intended project not some politicians private agenda. Thanks for listening to long but serious rant.

 

[ericbigbore]

I already pay my taxes, alot more than most and I won't pay another damn dime and nothing will stop me from using public land.

 

[Adrenaline Revolution]

Personally, I would be willing to pay hundreds if it actually made a difference.
I will not give the money to a broken corrupt system that is our State Government.

Dave,
How can I donate to the cause where It will count and not just disappear in the pockets of some politician.
I already donate to WSSA and BRC yearly and I am a letter writer for SAWS and ARRA.
I think the time has come for SAWS to ask for a membership charge.
You also need some income for the huge amount of work you do.
Do you think some membership funds to SAWS can help the fight?
If it can make a difference then it's time.
I'm in for $100.00 from my family, more if it will help.

Just make the call.
Some folks are too busy in their hectic lives to spend much time writing letters and especially attending meetings. Right or wrong, it happens.
I will continue to write but I am very willing to pay for lobbying and a steady, committed, knowledgable voice in the meetings that I am unable to attend.

 

[rynokron]

Personally, I would be willing to pay hundreds if it actually made a difference.
I will not give the money to a broken corrupt system that is our State Government.

Dave,
How can I donate to the cause where It will count and not just disappear in the pockets of some politician.
I already donate to WSSA and BRC yearly and I am a letter writer for SAWS and ARRA.
I think the time has come for SAWS to ask for a membership charge.
You also need some income for the huge amount of work you do.
Do you think some membership funds to SAWS can help the fight?
If it can make a difference then it's time.
I'm in for $100.00 from my family, more if it will help.

Just make the call.
Some folks are too busy in their hectic lives to spend much time writing letters and especially attending meetings. Right or wrong, it happens.
I will continue to write but I am very willing to pay for lobbying and a steady, committed, knowledgable voice in the meetings that I am unable to attend.

well said. i agree. i'm in for a membership fee.

 

[Wade]

Let's see, $40K truck, $3K to 20K for a sled or two, $120 worth of gloves, $10 worth of oil every trip, $100 worth of gas every trip, $100 worth of repairs and maintenance every trip. I don't know, $200 a year?

Those Norway guys really opened my eyes, they pay about $6000/year for a snowmobile sticker.

You may have the right to ride public land, IMO, but you have to pay to get access. Your taxes don't cover parking lots and groomed trails, and shouldn't. Gas tax refunds and snowmobile stickers should cover it. And, don't give me that, "I don't need a trail or parking lot" crap. Your the exception, not the rule. You want to ride around on your private land go ahead, but public land access is getting expensive. And it takes money to grease the skids or the system to get access. Sounds like you guys need to find a way to get your rights, to your money back.

 

[FlyZ28]

I think I can speak for the other sledders in the group I ride with, along with myself with this reply........

I have absolutely no problem with paying the state of Idaho to ride their groomed trails and park in the snowparks when we ride McCall for a week each year. This goes for the parking permits in Revy, and the registration here in Wa.

But I have a major problem dumping money into the fight against anything when it involves the government. Paying someone in office ( directly or indirectly) to stand up for your cause, only to have them possibly sell out to a higher bidder or maybe they just have a change of mind on whatever issue is at hand.......... well, seems stupid to me. I refuse to do it.

I could go on but I'm sure you've heard the arguments from my side of the fence before. Point is, I'm all for helping out the sledding cause with stuff like cleaning up areas, being environmentally responsible when riding, going to open meetings with forest service etc.. ( yes, I could do more than I do). But give protection money to a greedy liar in office, etc.., NO WAY.

Edit to my post: When I say " paying someone in office to stand up for your cause", I am refering to senators, etc. I wasn't refering to Dave, SAWS, or WSSA.

 

[Adrenaline Revolution]

I think I can speak for the other sledders in the group I ride with, along with myself with this reply........

I have absolutely no problem with paying the state of Idaho to ride their groomed trails and park in the snowparks when we ride McCall for a week each year. This goes for the parking permits in Revy, and the registration here in Wa.

But I have a major problem dumping money into the fight against anything when it involves the government. Paying someone in office ( directly or indirectly) to stand up for your cause, only to have them possibly sell out to a higher bidder or maybe they just have a change of mind on whatever issue is at hand.......... well, seems stupid to me. I refuse to do it.

I could go on but I'm sure you've heard the arguments from my side of the fence before. Point is, I'm all for helping out the sledding cause with stuff like cleaning up areas, being environmentally responsible when riding, going to open meetings with forest service etc.. ( yes, I could do more than I do). But give protection money to a greedy liar in office, etc.., NO WAY.

You are missing a huge point here.
Dave is a sledder, one of those who started SAWS and fights tirelessly for our rights.
He is NOT a politician.
If you re-read this thread and the other, which is a poll about raising our taxes to fund the plowing you'll see that we are all in agreement against throwing more money to the crooks in office.
We're talking about getting that money to a group who will fight for our rights and NOT sell us out.
Get informed, Get involved. JOIN SAWS RIGHT NOW..IT'S FREE AND IT WILL HELP.Either that or get used to riding in your own driveway.

Follow the link in my Sig line and help.

 

[Bagger]

You are missing a huge point here.
Dave is a sledder, one of those who started SAWS and fights tirelessly for our rights.
He is NOT a politician..

Well said AR,

Come on people, (Eric/Fly others) think a minute. Saws is a very effective tool for getting the word out on issues that affect our riding.

Dave isn't some pinhead political figure that just wants your money. He (and other volunteers) loves this sport enough that he's busting his azz, spending time away from his family, spending his own money, putting miles on his own car, running up his own phone bill, using his own postage, using his internet time, using his spare time, stressing his blood pressure all for a sport you love enough to pay your taxes for.

Well thannnnnk you. Thank you for doing the absolute minimum required.

You want to believe that you pay your taxes and that's enough. It isn't.

"All that is required for evil to florish, is for good Men to do nothing."



Dave, please don't give up. I don't know where we would ever find anyone like you to do this job, or anyone that could do it as well. Keep digging Man.

Jerry

 

[Adrenaline Revolution]

Bagger, Your avatar is wrong on so many levels!

 

[Bagger]

Bagger, Your avatar is wrong on so many levels!

Yeah, I dig it! I wonder if it makes many people think? Bagger

 

[FlyZ28]

I am not ungrateful for all the hard work Dave and others have done/are doing. And I would be the first to admit that I don't volunteer but a slight fraction of the time and energy that they do into this sport.
My reply was in response to this part of the original post:

We will need lots of money for lawsuits.

Wait until you see what they are going to close in WA this year. Crazy insane amount of acres.

Those of you who have been around here long enough to remember riding dirt bikes the gravel pits by Tanner Mill, the power lines by Rattlesnake Lake, and mostly Bullfrog Flats and the slag piles in Rosalyn, what happened to the money that was donated to those causes? Can you say "Trendwest", "Suncadia", etc... ?
Ya know the road from Price Creek snopark that meets up with the Gold Creek snopark road? How much money do you think it will take to keep that open to sledding? My answer is........ not enough. And the reason is the same reason it wasn't enough for the other closures.
I agree, most of the time if a guy does nothing, than nothing is what he gets. But to contribute money to a cause that, in the end, will not win, seems like a waste.
If land closures were strictly based on litter or destruction of property or something like that, yeah I'd give some money towards hiring someone to police the area or volunteer my time to do so. But that's not what it is usually about.

 

[Bagger]

Fly,
No, it's usually about someone else wanting it more than the people that have it.

Sounds like you've already given up and are just riding thru the ashes until the curtain comes down.

I know it's frustrating, but I'm not going to quit. We'll let you know how the fight goes.

Peace, Bagger

 

[FlyZ28]

Just wanted to add that I know Dave isn't a politition. I know he spends a LOT of his time for the sport and I am thankful. The effort he puts into things like organizing litter pick up parties and such is fantastic. I totally agree that cleaning up areas we ride helps by reducing snowmobiling impact on the environment in the eyes of the public.

 

[FlyZ28]

I hope I am not coming across as a person who is against SAWS or other organizations for our sport. But some people, (not just Dave), ask why there aren't more people willing to give money to various groups that support the cause. I am giving you a reason why I, and I think many others, don't give monetary donations.

Again, I'm not trying to say people shouldn't help out the cause. I just think you shouldn't allow yourself to feel betrayed by those of us who try to help out in ways other than playing the " Which side can throw more money into the pot" game.

 

[Tedd]

Just a quick question for you to ponder,
How much money did it take to keep the areas that are still open in the Priest Lake area open? I can't give you an exact figure, but it was a huge amount. SAWS donated a large chunk of money to that fight ($1500.00), and every little bit helped. For every sledder who does absolutely nothing to help keep these area open, there are ten enviro zealots sitting in there climate controlled condos in Seattle and Portland donating money for the cause to drop there taxable income. Think about that for a little while.

 

[Tedd]

Most not much I guess.

SAWS is free, yet we only have about 600 - 700 members from WA. What is up with that?

According to the membership list, there are 785 Washington SAWS Members

 

[Snowsharkette]

I have an update still for this week. I'll have to count them and let you know.