well guys. i guess it's official.
caught it on the news a day or 2 ago. the GWNF is officially off limits for good. the state says that it has no money to maintain it, so it's being converted into some federal wildlife reserve whatchamacallit.

 

If this is true, it sure is going to put a kink in our trip down in February.......

Any real confirmation on this?

 

i heard it on fox 27, about 2 days ago.

 

are you serious? where are we supposed to go now! i guess thats more of an incentive for me to get out of virginia

 

wait i just read up on it, its not closed yet, but it made it on the endangered list cause companies want to drill for coal and shale in the park, so hopefully it wont close

 

Lol, I live only about 5 miles from the GWNF. If they close it, I will still wheel, and if Im caught I'll just say I was out studying the wild life for a project or some BS like that.

 

i've tried that before. you have a better chance if you scram on double time

 

If you wheel the land illegally you just make wheelers as a community look bad, and thats more ammo for the tree huggers and liberals to use against us to take these lands away.

Think before you act.

If losing the wheeling spots doesn't bother you, they can impound your vehicle in most states, so thats something else to think about.

Why is it that this entire forum seems to condone illegal wheeling? Is it that nobody knows or that nobody cares?

I hope they do not close down the trails, but it simply isn't worth the trouble to wheel it illegally. Calling your state rep will get more done, maybe get together a group to handle trail cleanups on a regular basis etc...

 

^~~makes nuthin but sense!!--good post steelersxj!!!



uh-i still dont like yer team!!!


steve

 

I ain't gonna lie, Eric and I love to argue over EVERYTHING but I'm 100% behind him on this one. All we have locally going for us is URE. NC4x4 is made up of 10 smaller groups, all of which do all they can to keep that place alive. Trail clean up, maint., talking with the rangers. It's peoples behavior like yours (91 Jeep_Man) that has this sport going down hill and THE MAN on our backs. Look hard, you'll find a place to wheel or groups in other areas that will help you. Hell, my crew is taking a 2 hr trip Sunday to VA to meet new people and wheel.
I saw the downfall of Tellico and petitioned it with BlueRibbon. Yeah, it was lost but no one dared go back after the baracades went up. We knew we lost. Went elsewhere, found something else. Now a new park is opening up in East TN.

 

I hope that my post didn't make everyone think I wheel illegally. It was all just a joke. I never wheel where it isn't permitted. To be honest I mostly go to friends land or something like that. And I totally agree. Noone should wheel illegally because it does just add fuel to the hippie fire.

 

It's not off limits yet. The Southern Environmental Law Center put it on the endangered list on the 19th, but it's still open. Their main concern is due to the amount of shale that contains natural gases. Drilling companies are looking at it as a possible energy source through the use of hydrofracking (using massive amounts of water to break apart the shale). This would literally destroy the mountains. The SELC stated the top 2 dangers to the GWNF are energy exploration and road construction. The best thing we can do as a group is to call/write/email our state reps and let them know that we are against it being used for an energy source, but that we also want to see it stay open to the public. I know 4x4 groups from Richmond, Roanoke, and Hampton Roads have all spent a large amount of time, and in some cases money, to help keep the trails there in very good condition. It's not closed yet, so let's do what we can to keep it open rather than just saying, "Well, they're thinking about it so it's gonna happen." There's a good chance that we can keep it from closing since we're not the present danger to GWNF.

 

i got fined in PA for wheeling in public land that didn't have restriction signs. the locals that were wheeling with me scattered when they saw the park rangers. i went up to them and they expected me to KNOW that you can't wheel in swatara park any more.
i explained to them that i'm only stationed in PA for 3 months and didn't know the local regulations.
the ranger said he understands, and gave me a ticket anyway.
the locals that scattered didn't even get called in.
so, every once in a while, you end up being a bad guy without knowing...

 

Here in NC there are alot of groups that hold open invites to wheel private land regularly.

Ive already added 3-4 of these events to the TTJ Calendar.

 

It Cant be closed!

We're supposed to go wheeling Next weekend 1/29
that would mess everything up