Re: Re-Opening Closed Routes
Posted by NoKarma4U on March 21, 2002 at 16:55:36:
In Reply to: Re: Re-Opening Closed Routes posted by Eco-Kook on March 21, 2002 at 10:05:49:
I can only interject at this point that my 8-year old son has a physical disability which makes it difficlt for him to experience remote destinations on foot. In spite of this, I have endevored to develop in him (through Scouting and family activities) a deep love and appreciation for the land and the history and heritage of our land which presents itself so beautifully in and around Death Valley and throughout the Mojave region. He has developed a deep and abiding love of trains, ghost towns, and pretty much anything mining-related. We read accounts of the history of the Death Valley area and he is so excited whenever we are able to visit a mine, encampment, spring or cabin. And he truly appreciates the scenery/vistas, geology, and ecology of the lands we visit in our 4WD vehicle.
I have worked long and hard to be able to acquire the equipment needed to bring my son to these remote locations (i.e. 4WD vehicle) so that he can have the opportunity to experience these things he loves first hand. I have worked hard to instill the enthusiasm that will hopefully grow into an inherent love and respect for our environment and heritage, along with a desire to protect and preserve them and their legacies. It breaks my heart every time a trail is closed because I know that this is yet another lost opportunity for my son to participate first hand in one of his most valuable passions. It is a lost opportunity to nurture and grow his respect for the part we play in our environment and for the preservation of our past. It makes me feel that I did not perhaps succeed fast enough to provide him the means to experience all that he can before these opportunities are taken away from him. It is a shame that some of us feel it is our imperical right, or even obligation, to deny segments of our society the right and opportunity to experience our history and environment first hand. Especially those segments of society that may otherwise, in the end, prove to me most instrumental in the long-term conservation of these very same embattled resources.
Well, that ought to be worth a full $0.02. Store credit will be issued to those who don't agree. ;-)
Kindest regards,
NoKarma4U
Huntington Beach, California