Lately, I have ran into a number of people who, about trail maintenance in Southern Oregon’s federally designated Wilderness Areas, say, “That’s the government’s job. They should be doing it.”
You know what? They’re right. I of all people would obviously like to see an effort from capitol hill down to preserve the Wilderness experience and the primitive infrastructure that facilitates it. But, you know what? That aint’ happenin anytime soon.
We’ve got a backwards tax structure. We’ve got a backwards congress, a backwards budget, and we’ve got a backwards government. So what? It’s time to stop looking out and start looking in.
If you love Wilderness Areas in the Siskiyou backcountry, if you want others to be able to enjoy trails and the destinations which they lead to, act now. If you want to preserve trails that will be lost this year to neglect and maintenance deferments, then act now.
Because trails rot quicker than lawmakers, lawyers and stuffy bureaucrats up in D.C. Trails are preserved by volunteers that get up early, work hard all day and go to bed late. That’s the way it’s always been, and that’s the way it will always be.
Give your time and sign up for a trail spike. Come out, have the adventure of your life, and give some service to your country. And if you don’t have time, but you’ve got some expendable income, give your money. Because without boots on the ground now, the trails the Siskiyou Mountain Club is working on will rot.
We’ve got trail crews running in the Siskiyou backcountry all summer long, and we’re gonna make a huge difference in the health and vitality of Wilderness resources. We don’t have a Civilian Conservation Corps. We don’t have a Franklin Roosevelt, or leadership in place whom understand the Wilderness Experience.
But we do have the SMC, and we do have volunteers, but we can’t make it happen without you.
Sign up for a trail spike at www.siskiyoumountainclub.org, or use our easy check out to support our volunteers now.
-Gabe Howe, SMC Co-Founder, President, Director, Volunteer Coordinator
