[Robert J. Yates]

Editor;
I have grown tired of your constant depiction of just one side of the folks whom are involved in the sport and hobby of off roading. Not all of us are beer swilling, earth destroying "yaahoos" as your publication regularly seems to infer. A good many of us are in fact productive members of society, practicing a hobby that allows us to venture off the beaten path with our family and friends.

The Rubicon is and has been an active through fare, as was Surprise Canyon which was also mentioned in the article. As opposed to beer drinking and its associated endeavors, historical antidotes as well as sheer natural beauty await for those of us who appreciate them. We thrive on the communal experience, the ability to learn, and the challenge that these trails offer to us.

These trails are located in areas where there has been human passage and other activity in some form or another for many many years. Closing them under the guise of wilderness protection is a specious argument and an affront to tax paying citizens and their ability to traverse public lands.

As your article alluded to but did not clearly point out, there are alot of us that are volunteering our time and resources to police our off road environments and those that use them. You would do your readers a great service to write an article about that to serve as a counter to the "anti-recreationist" viewpoint that seems to emanate regularly from your pages.