Death Valley Off-Roading Case Dismissed - AP

Source: Associated Press

Death Valley Off-Roading Case Dismissed

Saturday July 28, 2007 12:31 PM

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - A federal judge has dismissed a
lawsuit aimed at opening a fragile canyon streambed in
Death Valley to off-road enthusiasts, parties in the
case said.

U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill dismissed the
lawsuit, brought by property owners and off-roaders,
citing a lack of jurisdiction.

The lawsuit pitted the rights of property owners against
environmentalists, who successfully got the canyon
closed to motorized vehicles more than five years ago.
The canyon is home to a stunning desert oasis.

In response to the closure, more than 80 off-roaders
purchased tiny pockets of private property at the top
of the federally owned canyon and sued for access to
the land through the streambed.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6812052,00.html

I'm not fond of motorized off-roading. It effectively turns wilderness into speedways and makes it unsafe for wildlife and pedestrians.

twits who put self-gratification and thrill-seeking above all other considerations.

Habitat destruction? They don't give a goddam rat's ass.

Don't get me started.

So am I a self-centered twit who put self-gratification and thrill-seeking above all other considerations? I think not.

Are you?

Where do you sequester the dangerous fossil fuel waste released by the dangerous fossil fuels from your sport?

In general, most of us, myself included, love to pretend we have no responsibility for our actions.

I'm sure you're a very sporting guy, sporty too, and a good sport, but I really can't see a problem about having places protected from self-propelled devices that leach dangerous fossil fuel wastes.

I could be wrong about this, but whenever I see one of those marketing ads that say if you own such and such a sporty vehicle you will be able to drive to the top of pristine mesas to be filmed by a helicopter as you exult in your freedom, my stomache turns a little.

This picture for instance, makes me want to throw up:



Of course the car companies want you to feel this way when you think about buying a jeep, rather than think about the reality of being stuck two hours on the 101 Freeway trying to go half a mile.

This is a problem for me as enviromentalists are hell bent on closing riding area and parks for us. I'm not gonna be limited to just riding in my yard which is a really small space.

I havent' read the ruling but their saying the judge didn't rule on the merits of the case. The judge based his ruling on a lack of standing. Someone else with standing could bring the case again. DV is an interesting place and there has been a lot of controversy concerning property rights and the park. Its only been a park since 1994.