Iron Gap

funny that this should come up in the meeting tonight, I just read this on the TOR BBS:

I had a TWRA game warden, captain over this area stop in and provide some insite to some of the rumors about the Iron Gap area being closed to riding, the main concern with TWRA is the riding in the main creek bed, which is dry creek, apparently the alabama side is worried about the destruction of the creekbed which starts in Iron Gap and runs into alabama. He wants everyone to know that they dont want to stop the riding just riding in the main creek bed. The wash outs on the sides of hills is fine just the main creek is the only concern, you can cross the creek just dont ride in it. He said hopfully everyone can work together and solve this and enjoy the area, because this is going to be implemented statewide, which can effect all riding areas, It wont matter if it is private land or state land it does not matter, the TWRA and TDOC has domain over all waterways and flood plain, this weekend is feb jam in winchester and the federal gov. and state officials will be in Iron gap to investigate and give out warnings to anyone in the creek bed, they are mobilizing a very large group of agents, So if you ride this weekend at Iron gap, which is private property, just talk to the officials and they will explain they actually very nice and want to work with you...Alvin.

alabamatoy wrote: Nick, be sure to read the TDEC post in the private forum....some interesting stuff from SFWDA on this.

Why is this just in the private forum?  Wouldn't it be good for everyone to know the info on this?

rocawl wrote: Why is this just in the private forum?  Wouldn't it be good for everyone to know the info on this?

I put it there because TDEC makes some assertions about RCRC that I dont think are appropriately shared in a public forum.  This is the kind of stuff that the left-wing, liberal greenies are looking for.  The anti-access folks are scanning our websites and forums looking for (and FINDING) things to use against us. 

So are the insurance companies.  Proof is in how the SFWDA insruance premium was raised substantially because the insurance company used images of rollovers and stories like "rockcrawling fatality" in this forum to show that our hobby is (in their feeble minds) extremely dangerous.  The pictures and links were specific, and the premium went up several thousand dollars as a result.

SFWDA Legislative Affairs guy David Borum is involved in this, and we are following his guidance.  See our trailpics section on the main page for some additional info.

Like it or not, we are being forced to change and adapt because the eco-zealots and anti-access wonks are using our own misbehaviour against us, and to a much greater extent using the misbehavior of uninformed and unaffiliated fools who are actually doing damage and littering the trails. 

Landowners are being put in a position where they have no choice but to gate lands that have previously been open.  When TDEC sees people doing stuff that's illegal in a streambed, they dont cite the ATV rider or the 4X4 driver, they cite the LANDOWNER.  All of a sudden, gates become a no-brainer.