Comment from Peck, Bryan
Bryan PeckOpposeIndividual
Summary: Bryan Peck, a private citizen, opposes the proposed changes to public land regulations, expressing concern that increased motor vehicle access and road creation will damage the environment and wildlife. He argues that current infrastructure is sufficient and that further development will lead to commercialization and increased safety risks for motorists.
To whom it may concern,
The public lands are why myself and many others have moved to Colorado and other western states. The outdoors provide joy when it's most needed, respite from a busy week, and stimulate the economies of local areas.
The consideration of abrupt, sweeping changes to regulation regarding the protection of public lands and motor vehicle use could have indelible changes on our world. Millions of years of geology and hundreds to thousands of years of plant growth can be changed in days with heavy machinery.
I went to BLM land at McInnis Canyons this year after a friend recommended it. But, in the past couple years since my friend visited, it was reorganized from small, dispersed campsites creating a quiet, desert escape to oversized parking lots for each designated campsite. The area is now geared towards OHV with vehicle noises carrying for miles and pedestrian safety on trails dependent on the pedestrian's awareness of nearby motorbikes and large vehicles around corners and crests of hills.
There are thousands of miles of existing roads in Colorado alone for off-highway vehicle travel (and many more miles for jeeps and trucks). Few acres are out of eyesight of roads. Yet, we know there is considerable effect on other recreators, wildlife, and the environment from vehicle usage. We do not need more roads created in wild areas. We do not want more roads to maintain after they are first created-even if they are not said to cost taxes now, they will eventually cost to clean up and responsibly manage. We do not need more places to rescue unprepared motorists as OHV and 4WD becomes easier for the inexperienced (another vehicle just rolled off Imogene Pass).
Finally, if there is increased access to new roads, commercialization and privatization will follow, and we will all lose the public lands that we have been paying to protect and conserve for our enjoyment, future generations benefit, and of course to maintain a fragile balance of the natural environment.
Thank you,
Bryan Peck