Graystroke
10-23-2003, 11:20 AM
...just saw a report on Fox News about the closure of the Imperial Sand Dunes in California. What it boiled down to was that environmentalist have been chipping away at closing down sections of the park in the past years and now want to shut the whole thing down claiming that 4X's and ATV's are damaging an endangered plant called the desert milkweed. In the past the enviro's had sued the federal gov't on behalf of the weed and won, claiming that the off-roaders were going to cause an extinction of the plant.
Here's the funny part: The off-road clubs hired their own team of scientist to perform a study, the scientist determined that the 4X's and ATV's have NOT caused any damage to the plant and in fact, have helped the proliferation of the plant by scattering the seeds! The plant had increased in numbers (in the non-closed part) to the point that it was no longer endangered!
What's Stupid: The Parks and wildlife agreed w/ the study and even told the judge at the hearing...and the stupid environmentalist still won!? Hippie judge?
The judge did say that he would like to see more evidence from P&W, to support the off-road club's scientist findings and if the evidence from P&W proved what they were saying he MIGHT overturn the judgement...
Here's the funny part: The off-road clubs hired their own team of scientist to perform a study, the scientist determined that the 4X's and ATV's have NOT caused any damage to the plant and in fact, have helped the proliferation of the plant by scattering the seeds! The plant had increased in numbers (in the non-closed part) to the point that it was no longer endangered!
What's Stupid: The Parks and wildlife agreed w/ the study and even told the judge at the hearing...and the stupid environmentalist still won!? Hippie judge?
The judge did say that he would like to see more evidence from P&W, to support the off-road club's scientist findings and if the evidence from P&W proved what they were saying he MIGHT overturn the judgement...