off-road motor vehicles vs hikers in Utah

I spent 2wks last year hiking out of Moab, Utah. Then got grief after criticizing the ethos of the “adventure destination” in this post: Moab, Utah – living a lie?

Comments like this offended:

Moab reminds me more of Mad Max than a desert oasis.

That town is a hub and a flash point for the off-road vehicle debate.
Two rangers are charged with policing 1.8 million acres of Utah wilderness. How well is that working, do you think?

This issue has finally hit the popular media. Most importantly in a series of New York Times articles including this one: Surge in Off-Roading Stirs Dust and Debate in West

Now in an accompanying video. Click here to watch it.

Personally, I vote to confine motor vehicles to the smallest geographic area possible. And to restrict jeeps and Hummers foremost as they cause far more damage than, by comparison, snowmobiles.

AND I would start in Moab, Utah. That town has it’s priorities wrong. It’s time to force the issue.

(via GOAT)