idea on how to ID use from others

[Dieselram]

i agree with our fearless leader. This would only bring bad things i;m afraid

[PinkCowgirl]

Ok...
The flags may, or may not, be a good idea. I'd said something to Eric I think...about maybe setting up a meeting with the local land owners, maybe having the forest service come as well as a mediator and see if a common ground could be reached...or at least have a way for everyone to address their concerns.
Maybe some kind of meeting with the locals, explaining the club, and the principles it's run under...and run the flag concepts by them...hopefully get the locals to see it as our attempt to help them get what they want...and us to still get to use the trails.
But then again I totally get the concern of them finding someone to blame...but also, even without a meeting and without flags...it kinda sounds like the trail is still in just as much danger of being taken away.
*shrug* just my sleep deprived thoughts but hey...can't hurt to think outloud.

[YJ]

In my opinion the flags are a bad idea. It's kinda like when I worked for Pulaski County and we had our badge numbers on our cars. No one bothered to notice the number when all was well and you were doing a good job, but let one little thing not set right and they were ringing the phone to complain. Same thing will go with the flags. As far as if you see something going on, don't bother calling Montgomery County. (unless of course it's a murder or something). It's not that they don't care about what is happening. It's simply they don't have the resources to go out and do anything about it. If the Forest Ranger or Game Warden is not close enough to handle the call, it's not going to get handled. The county stays more than busy. I've been there and done that and can tell you they have more higher priority calls to handle than someone off of a designated trail or cutting down a tree. Those types of calls don't really fall under their "law enforcemnt duties" anyway. I know some of the land owners that are complaining. That is a good portion of the reason I was willing to sell the land that I had that was adjacent to Bobcat and went all the way to the top of the mountain. Had I found this club before I did, I might would have held on to it, but that's over and done. Some (not all) of the land owners could care less if Jesus himself had an off road vehicle. They don't want anyone anywhere near their property, period. To the point they would call and complain on the Forest Ranger if they saw him there. Though it may not be the most "polite" way to deal with the issue, I say find out which ones actually have land that overlaps the trail and try to deal with them. For the ones that just border, heck with them, if it's not their land that's being traveled on, they should have no say anyway. Another option may be to talk to Dick Cranwell. He owns the land that runs down to Poverty Creek. I know the guy that is the care taker for him and I have permission to go all the way through there. His biggest gripe is not letting him know that you want to come through, and much like the rest, the complaint of trash and people tearing the land up. He also don't want people running through there in the wee hours of the morning since it goes right by his house. I've never had more than 3 or 4 people with me when I've gone through there, so I don't know if the whole club going would be ok or not. It's just an option we may want to consider if people keep on moaning about the ridge we are going out now. You can't make these people happy, so just enjoy the time you get to wheel and be looking for other places to go if it turns out they shut it down.

On a side note off topic:

I'm sure by now you have noticed the Blacksburg Fire Department radio tower down from the fire pit. Some of you have even mentioned the signs about "Video Surveillance". There has been some minor vandalism at the site already. So far that has led back to some Giles County people. If anyone knows of such activity, it would be wise to inform the violators that the site is in fact monitored by video now and is also protected by an alarm system that links directly to the Poilce and Fire Depts. That little project cost over $250,000.00. If you want to see some people in action, let someone mess with it. There WILL be a Police presence soon to follow and there WILL be charges brought against whoever is responsible for the damage. For the record, I do not think anyone in this club is responsible for messing with the site. It's simply more info to pass along to those you see screwing up. As a tax payer in this town, it was costly enough without having to spend more on it to fix something. VT has brought a lot to this community, but some of it's students have hurt us locals a great deal. I'm not picking on the ones in this club, but some of the ones that aren't in this club are as much at fault for the current complaints as well as some of the "good ole boys" that aren't even in this county. More of you see the students than I do, so you know more about who is screwing it up for us. Some of us know the locals more than you, so it's on us to inform them. Sad to say though, no matter how much we preach to these people, they won't change. If they don't care enough now to keep things legal, they still won't care after we talk to them. They will just find some other place to tear up illegaly if it get's shut down. If you read this far, sorry for the long windedness. I'm off my soap box now.

[Steinberg]

Another option may be to talk to Dick Cranwell. He owns the land that runs down to Poverty Creek. I know the guy that is the care taker for him and I have permission to go all the way through there. His biggest gripe is not letting him know that you want to come through, and much like the rest, the complaint of trash and people tearing the land up. He also don't want people running through there in the wee hours of the morning since it goes right by his house. I've never had more than 3 or 4 people with me when I've gone through there, so I don't know if the whole club going would be ok or not. It's just an option we may want to consider if people keep on moaning about the ridge we are going out now.

Derek, I have run into the guy that I believe is the caretaker you're referring to. He seemed like an okay guy, but understandably had gripes about getting headlights shining in his windows at all hours of the night from people that found their way down from the fire circle. I have never been down that route myself, but have heard from others that made the wrong turn that there are some decent obstacles (hard to be sure since said people were novice wheelers in stock heeps). If you think he would be cool with us wheeling his land with some ground rules, we should definetely look into it. Regardless of whether the fire road gets closed off, another section of legit trail would be nice.

Think he'd be interested in coming out to one of our meetings?

[JCook5003]

I'm pretty new and am not a member of the club yet but I have lived in Blacksburg my whole life and I live within 4 or 5 miles of the Bobcat trail and I know most of the poeple on the Glade Rd. side of the "trailhead." Being guilty of it myself in a drunken high school stuper, I know I have partied at the fire cirlce and have seen lots of people do damage and polution to the trails but to be overly honest I dont see a lot you could do to stop it, I think the better approach would be to try to control it.....I think trail cleanups by the group is a great way to try to make peace with the local landowners, like has been suggested before I think a meeting with the landowners with an invite to ride with some of you all on a clean up day would be a good step in the right direction.

Rant complete.

[YJ]

Another option may be to talk to Dick Cranwell. He owns the land that runs down to Poverty Creek. I know the guy that is the care taker for him and I have permission to go all the way through there. His biggest gripe is not letting him know that you want to come through, and much like the rest, the complaint of trash and people tearing the land up. He also don't want people running through there in the wee hours of the morning since it goes right by his house. I've never had more than 3 or 4 people with me when I've gone through there, so I don't know if the whole club going would be ok or not. It's just an option we may want to consider if people keep on moaning about the ridge we are going out now.

Derek, I have run into the guy that I believe is the caretaker you're referring to. He seemed like an okay guy, but understandably had gripes about getting headlights shining in his windows at all hours of the night from people that found their way down from the fire circle. I have never been down that route myself, but have heard from others that made the wrong turn that there are some decent obstacles (hard to be sure since said people were novice wheelers in stock heeps). If you think he would be cool with us wheeling his land with some ground rules, we should definetely look into it. Regardless of whether the fire road gets closed off, another section of legit trail would be nice.

Think he'd be interested in coming out to one of our meetings?

I don't think he'd be one to come out to a meeting. I'll get in touch with him and feel him out on what he thinks about more traffic through there and what his reqirements would be to allow it. As far as being a hard trail, it's far from it. Last time I went through, it was in a stock YJ with fair at best 31's.

[Stinson]

stock yj, then you could take a honda civic through.