Going wild on your ATV

Going wild on your ATV

We all love riding our ATVs on trails out in the wild because it connects us with nature. Nah, actually, we just like the thrill of riding some place else other than the local park or the backyard! On a serious note, it’s always great fun lugging our ATVs (kids and wives along) for a huge ATV holiday trip. And it’s always somewhere totally obscure…far off in never-never land and when we come back, it feels as though we’ve brought a piece of that ATV trail back with us.

But here’s something we don’t always think about when we’re on such ATV holidays….the environment. Yes, what a bummer….but we’re not going to nag you or suddenly join the anti-ATV people with loud banners chanting discouraging words! Everyone, we feel, is responsible towards Mother Nature. She’s been mighty angry these past few years, hasn’t she? Although Mother Nature has been whopping us up with natural disasters, she loves us and continues to bless people like us, ATV lovers, with beautiful places to ride our ATVs.

I am sure we all know about the on-going debate between ATV enthusiasts and nature lovers. Although neither is completely right, it is true that if irresponsible ATV enthusiasts are allowed to continue to violate nature, soon, there will be no outdoor ATV trail to speak of. And ATV enthusiasts will lose their rights to ride anywhere but parks and backyards. Nature lovers argue (rightfully so) that motor sports enthusiasts tend contribute significantly to the rapid erosion of land, create pollution, and destroy the beauty of some of the country’s most beautiful parks. They continue to assert ATV riding interferes and prevent others from enjoying other types of activities in the parks, like hiking, picnicking, camping, hunting, fishing, and bird-watching, etc. Nature lovers are not completely incorrect.

With that said, we need to understand both instances and the arguments put forth by both parties. And instead of preventing ATV enthusiasts from riding in those beautiful national parks, Nature Lovers should understand the nature of ATV riding and why some ATV riders bend or break the rules with their reckless, uncaring and irresponsible behavior. They have to understand that although there are a few ATV riders who couldn’t care less about how their decisions affect nature and others, there are many other ATV enthusiasts out there who share their love for nature.

Nature Lovers are concerned mostly about the potential danger ATV riders pose to vegetation and the general well-bring of fauna and flora in these parks. In fact, if the plants near the riverbanks are consistently ridden over, they’ll die and expose the soil. When the soil is exposed, rain can easily wash the soil away which, over some time, can cause flood. So, their worries are not without reason and basis. Even as ATV enthusiasts, we should also pay attention to what Mother Nature has bestowed on us.  They further argue that ATV riding in these parks will cause noise and air pollution – which will, in turn, cause animals to abandon their natural habitat. That is why, if you noticed, most ATV parks do not allow you to ride across a stream or a small river.

With all that said, ATVing is fun and it’s something that we love doing. We won’t stop riding ATVs just because Nature Lovers are out there looking for loopholes to fry us out of the parks. But the point is that, ATVers should be considerate, understanding and most importantly, responsible towards nature. Without nature, we wouldn’t have all these great places to ride in anymore.

So, let’s do our bit by riding responsibly whenever, wherever.

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