The results are in for Cook County: most of us don't want to be an ATV destination. We love the peace and silence of the woods and we want to protect, not destroy, the fragile infrastructure that sustains our flora and fauna. This includes our ditches, which serve an important purpose in stormwater runoff and are damaged by big ATV tires.
Here are the numbers, crunched by the U of M Tourism Center with a 56 percent response rate (amazingly high) of Cook County residents:
* 78 percent oppose ATVs on paved roadways.
* 57 percent oppose ATVs on shoulders of paved roadways.
* 65 percent oppose ATV riding in ditches in residential areas.
* 53 percent favor closing most public lands to ATV use.
* 49 percent would confine ATV riders to their own property to minimize damage to public lands.
AND....
* 60 percent do not want Cook County promoted as an ATV destination.
A super-majority of residents (71 percent) don't own ATVs and nearly two-thirds don't own snowmobiles.
The U of M report recommends environmental assessments, a "Safe, Quiet and Wild Cook County" tourism task force, proposals for ATV use on private lands and other steps to minimize ATV impact on us silent sports majority.
Request an e-mail copy of the survey from sustainable-recreation-coalition@hughes.net.
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3 comments:
We need to become very active with this survey, the ATVers and our commissioners don't seem to be convinced. The ATV crowd had no hesitation telling us how important ATVs could be to our economy up here, but now that the same group that performed their survey has produced this one that says the silent sports tourist is worth far more than the motorheads they seem to have lost their hearing.
Yes, everyone needs to become involved. I was not aware of a survey. I have a snow machine and am buying an ATV. I would like to use these in other places than my own property. Do I want us to be a ATV designation. No,No,No. Do I want to be use these in the wilderness, No, No, No.
I hope our diverse comminuty can come to some terms with this and move on to other issues. There are always those of you that want to stop everything and the other side,those of you that want everything full bore.
This is a great area, full of great people. We will always be different people with differant wants. Give a little. Both sides.
And shut up.
Sarah
Gunflint Trail
And...please fix my spelling.
Geez
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