TREAD LIGHTLY

[Metal Twister]

 (SCUFF) So Cal Ultimate 4x4's supports the ?TREAD LIGHTLY? philosophy of Responsible Recreation.

Remember, we are STEWARDS of promoting a positive image when we're out there on public lands....

The Pledge........

Tread Lightly! On Land

Travel responsibly on designated roads and trails or in permitted areas.
Respect the rights of others including private property owners and all recreational trail users, campers and others to allow them to enjoy their recreational activities undisturbed.
Educate yourself by obtaining travel maps and regulations from public agencies, planning for your trip, taking recreation skills classes, and knowing how to use and operate your equipment safely.
Avoid sensitive areas such as meadows, lakeshores, wetlands and streams, unless on designated routes. This protects wildlife habitat and sensitive soils from damage.
Do your part by leaving the area better than you found it, properly disposing of waste, minimizing the use of fire, avoiding the spread of invasive species, restoring degraded areas, and joining a local enthusiast organization.

Discover the rewards of responsible recreation
? Trail riding provides the opportunity to get away from it all and builds family traditions.
* Remember-if you abuse it, you?ll probably lose it !! Careless operation of your motorcycle can cause damage and may result in closing of areas to trail riding enthusiasts.
* Respect the environment and other trail users. By using common sense and common courtesy, what is available today will be here to enjoy tomorrow.

Responsible Trail Driving
*Travel & recreate with minimum impact.
*Respect the environment and the rights of others.
*Allow for future use of the outdoors, by leaving it better than you found it.

Negotiating terrain
? On slick trails, moderate the throttle and use the clutch to gain maximum traction with minimum tailspin.
? On switchbacks, avoid roosting around the apex of the turn when climbing or brake ?sliding while heading down which gouges the trail.
? When negotiating ruts, stay loose over the bike to allow for sudden direction changes.
? Ride loose rocks with your rear end slightly off the seat, looking ahead, easy on the throttle and in one-higher gear than you would normally use.
? Cross streams slowly, at a 90-degree angle to the stream. Walking may be preferable as stream bottoms are often slippery.

Rules and common courtesy
? Be considerate of others on the road or trail.
? Ride only where permitted.
? Leave gates as you find them.
? Yield the right of way to those passing or traveling uphill.
? Keep the noise and dust down. Others will appreciate it.
? Pack out what you pack in.

Educate yourself, plan and prepare before you go
? Obtain a map of the area you wish to explore and determine which areas are open for use.
? Contact the land manager for area restrictions and if crossing private property, be sure to ask permission from the landowners.
? Check the weather forecast.
? Prepare for the unexpected by packing a small pack full of emergency items, spare tubes and TOOLS.

Safety on the road or trail
? Wear a helmet, eye protection and other safety gear.
? Buddy up with two or three riders as riding solo can leave you vulnerable if you have an accident or breakdown.

Trail riding and the environment
? Stay on designated roads and trails or other areas open for use.
? Avoid ?spooking? livestock you encounter.
? Cross streams at fording points only.
? Remember, designated wilderness areas are reserved for the most primitive outdoor adventure.

Minimum impact camping
? Select lightweight equipment, possibly in earth-tone colors that will blend with the surroundings.
? Use existing campsites whenever possible.
? Avoid building fires.

The Tread Lightly! Guide to Responsible Trail Riding contains more detailed and informative information when riding into the great outdoors.

[lqcj8]

thats good for everyone to read ~rockon

[builtFORDtough]

i was out on a run last weekend and as you know all that burnt down not long ago, which leaves alot of open land with new brush starting to grow. i saw so many  ~censored tire tracks on that brush and i told my passenger "its --- holes like those people that get places and oppertunities like this taken away from us" and its true. one person can ruin it for everyone. i wish everyone understud the importance of Tread Lightly.

[Metal Twister]

Your absolutely right Nick... A couple of out of control wheelers, or a Border Patrol agent can do more damage to our wheeling areas than we can even begin to understand. Even if the damage was done by illegal emigrants in the middle of the night guess who is going to get the blame for the destruction? Yep, the off roaders. I know for a fact alot of those tracks that you see were made by fire crews during and after the fires. Even though its off limits to us the fire fighters did a ton of post fire clean up and drove everywhere. I guess what I am saying is that you are right on the money about not going off the beaten path. But don't assume that the tire tracks are made by off road enthusiasts, We know better. The price to pay for that kind of behavior is to high of price for any of us.   ~punk 

[Big boy]

Tink and I are firm beleivers in "leave it better than you found it". Last weekend at the Dishpan springs trail head we stopped and ate lunch and noticed that people had left beer bottles, cigarette packs, plastic bags and a couple of dirty socks. It took us all of 5 minutes to pic up the trash that others had left. This is the sort of thing that gets my blood boiling >:(. 

     litter bugs  ~hammer

[builtFORDtough]

thats awesome Big boy thanks for helping us out! and yes Bob your right about the fire fighters, sometimes its hard not to assume the worst with some of the people running around these days, like the ones Big boy and Tink cleaned up after.