Recently the “Bearded Jeeper” shared a video highlightingabandoned vehicle removal that he and other volunteers performed in NewHampshire. His messaging in the videowas clear – if we take care of the trails we love, we will have them torecreate on for years into the future. If we do not, we will face closures.
The Bearded Jeeper said, ‘It is the responsibility of everyone of us to keep the trails clean so future generations can continue to usethem without them getting closed down. Remember to stay safe and tread lightly.”
He continued, “…we removed three burned and destroyedvehicles from local trails. We got special permission to go on the power linesand remove some of them. One that was on the main trail charred half the treenext to it and we are lucky it didn’t catch the whole forest on fire.”
Others can replicate their success. While theirs was a huge undertaking, not allefforts have to be. If you have themeans to remove vehicles, refrigerators, large piles of trash – please do (withagency or owner approval, of course)! Ifnot, you can join in simply by collecting any trash you find along the trailand packing it out – every little bit helps.
Following the Bearded Jeeper’s example will not only helpkeep trails and riding areas open, it will make for a better experience foreveryone who uses the trail. Nobodylikes to see trash when recreating.
Finally the Bearded Jeeper had something to say to anyone considering leaving an abandoned vehicle on the trail, “I don’t understand – if you have the means to drag a vehicle up the trail and dump it you can bring it to a local scrap yard and they will even pay you for it.”
