ATV Rentals Protect Your Public Land

There is a secret the public (you) should know. My ATV rentals protect your public land. The ugly truth is that most other companies and outfitters in other industries don’t. In fact, some have a negative impact on your public land.

How Do They Have a Negative Impact?

Most outfitters such as hunting guides, hiking guides, fishing guides, horseback riding guides, ATV tour guides, and climbing guides operate in the National Forest under a permit with the federal government. Although the permit might stipulate that the outfitter should care for the land, most outfitters simply don’t. They don’t because there is no way to prove they aren’t and they know this. One of the other issues is that once you have a primary use (long term) permit, you’re off the radar to some degree. They have a negative impact because they don’t do anything but use the land for profit.

Here is How Our ATV Rentals Protect Your Public Land

You would be amazed how much trash is left in your National Forest. For example: My company collected over 100 bags of trash last summer, and that’s below average for us. We doused out 8 campfires left burning. We put out one campfire that got out of control and started to take two trees. Had we not caught it and fought it back, it could have turned into a massive wildfire. We installed 200 feet of new fencing with the Forest Service. We built over 1000 feet of log parking blocks that also serve to protect vegetation. We blocked and restored a number of illegal social trails. We hauled away a freezer, an old snowmobile, 14 abandon tents, and 3 discarded TV’s. We removed around 50 trees blocking the trail and aided the Forest Service in locking and unlocking the seasonal gates on 4 separate trails.

Are There Other Good Outfitters?

Sure. Although I believe they are few and far between. I know this because I know quite a few personally. I mentioned a discarded freezer and snowmobile. Those were dumped on a public trail an outfitter I know is permitted to operate on. Those items sat there blocking your ability to park and access the trail for over a year. Why didn’t he remove the items? Simple, he doesn’t care and he doesn’t feel like it’s his problem. This is the core mindset of a good percentage of outfitters. If I’m being honest, I only personally know one other outfitter who cares for the land. She is a horseback guide and does an amazing job going the extra mile to care for the land she operates on. Which in turn is a huge benefit to other users of the area.

Governing Agency Challenges

I want you to understand why the governing agency doesn’t do more. They are wildly underfunded. Because of this, they don’t have the manpower to clean, maintain, and repair thousands of miles of trails for multiple recreation types. They must rely on volunteers and outfitters to help them manage the vast public land. Let me be clear, the Forest Service personnel I’ve worked with over the years are phenomenal people who deeply care for your public land and access to it. The funding is so bad, at times, they don’t even have the manpower to effectively partner with volunteers and outfitters. It’s a sorry state of affairs to be honest and I feel for these great people who work pennies because they love the job so much. Starting pay is only $13 hour.

What Can Be Done to Force Outfitters to Be Responsible?

• Outfitter Program — The National Forest has an outfitter program in place. However, it’s not being utilized as it should be in my opinion. The concept is simple, outfitters pay less in fees in trade for cleaning, maintaining, and repairing damage to the resource. In my opinion, there should be an outfitter operating on every public trail system who can be a steward of the land through this program.
• Talk to the Outfitter — When you see something you don’t like, speak with the outfitter and ask them to contribute more. Then, take note of what they do in response. Continue communicating with them.
• Complain to the Governing Agency — If after you have spoken with the outfitter to no avail, contact your local governing agency and complain. Come with facts (pictures and videos) to prove your case. It’s quite possible the agency will speak with the outfitter and rectify the situation.
• Demand More Funding — More funding means a bigger and more effective workforce. Simply put, it means more money invested in your public land. Don’t you want your hard earned tax dollars working for you? Write letters or call your congressman. Vote in your best interest.

Ask Yourself, do ATV Rentals Protect Your Public Land? and do Other Outfitters?

Do ATV Rentals Protect Your Public Land? I hate to admit it, but most don’t. I know many outfitters and most aren’t motivated to care. We know we care because we’ve been cleaning public trails since before we were an outfitter. I was raised in the heart of the Rocky Mountains and still live there to this day with my family. Nothing angers me more than to see disrespect to our public land. If you see disrespect, take action. Be a part of the solution.