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We're our own worst enemy, folks-
Posted by Michael Strahan on Feb 10 2006
It would be interesting to survey the folks who support ATV hunting off the Haul Road to see how long they've been in Alaska. I suspect most of them are military folks here for a short stint before heading elsewhere. Nothing wrong with that per se, however it does give them a limited perspective into these issues. I simply cannot fathom how anyone with any sort of history as an Alaska resident (more than five or ten years) could fail to see the inevitable result of this. Folks, have you been down the Denail Highway in September lately? Have you been in the Eureka area during moose / ATV season? This is where the Dalton is headed with this sort of nonsense. Folks talk about equality, without realizing that as soon as you bring ATVs into the area, equality goes right out the window. You can say walk-in hunters can still walk in, but do you think they'd want to walk in by following your muddy ATV trails? Do you really think folks will show restraint with this sort of access? I know YOU probably will, but what about the other guy? It destroys the entire experience for a whole user group. This isn't about equality, it's about a politician looking for votes by producing legislation appealing to the majority of his "market". Again, not bashing the military at all, but when you consider that most military transplants are accustomed to hunting in crowded areas of other states, it's not surprising that they don't see a problem with it in Alaska. They haven't been here long enough to see what it does to a land that has the lowest density of game animals of any state in the country; a land with a very short growing season, that takes years to heal. That's not to say that all long-term Alaskans are opposed to ATV use (we have some career supporters here, after all), but generally I believe you'll find a "thumbs-down" on this idea among most Alaskans who have been here a while and have seen the results of this sort of thing.
This is no small issue, folks. We're talking a four-hundred mile swath across the state. And ak257, I disagree. The Haul Road was originally built for the purpose of servicing the oil fields. It's only recently that this purpose has blurred. It was only a matter of time.
A word to those among us who are involved in the oil business. If this Seekins thing goes badly, and if the area gets torn up as a result of increased access, how likely do you think it will be that you'll have another shot at building another pipeline somewhere else in the state? We're having a hard enough time selling the idea of drilling in ANWR. What do you think your chances will be, when the likely prospect is that THAT service road will also be eventually opened to the general public with their beer cans and ATV trails? I'm guessing slim to none. The preservationists only have to wait three years or so, shoot some footage of the Dalton fiasco and pass it off as the future of the ANWR corridor. That will be the end of it. Gloom and doom? Watch and learn.
-Mike
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