And The Stupidity Continues

[Dick284]

Well the Victoria Day long weekend is over.

I had the displeasure of having to work through the weekend at the Bighorn Dam.
It began as soon as Tueday evening. The staff residance is clearly labeled as a no go zone for the public, yet it seemed numerous folks thought it necessary to drive through the staff house site, creating loads of dust which conveniently drifted into the numerous open windows in the staff house as the temeprature that day was in the mid 20's. Thanks for that, especially from me as a allergy sufferer. Maybe some day someone will drive within meters of your house putting up clouds of dust to fill your home with.

Then came the weekend proper. Although additional signage on all trails leading to the staff house site state no ATV's allowed, a constant flow of ATV's occured, well into the after dark hours, again windows open and the constant din of revving ATV's could be heard, and gee all that and having to rise early in the AM to work...yes work some of it often requiring some sort of ability to have ones wits about them, after all Bighorn is a operating Hydro Electric Generation plant. Maybe someday when you've got to work mere meters from energized 13.8Kilovolt equiptment someone will constantly disturb your sleep the night before.

Then on Saturday evening or Sunday morning. We find on Sunday morning a nice oil trail on the staff residance road out to the County road. Backtracking found some "good 'ol boy" in a pick up decided ripping around on the grass and running over 6" spruce trees on the Staff house grass way too much fun, never mind smashing through the barricade so signed as the area was closed to the public. Too bad your stunt busted up something on your transmission, and you happened to be in Rocky getting parts when the RCMP and Fish Cops payed you a visit. Maybe someday someone will come into your yard and do a bit of 4x4ing just because.
Never mind that Corporate Due diligance required myself and my co-worker to clean up your 350 yard long 4 " wide oil spill, and that someone has to pay to dispose of 3 barrels of contaminated gravel and dirt.

Then came the Stat Holiday Monday, our company ony requires us to be on call that day, and actually not put our boots on the floor unlless called out, yet we took it upon ourselves to load up 1200 litres of water in a poly tank and once the afternoon came along make a tour of the various random camp sites checking campfires to see if all of them were extinguished properly. Here is where the largest and most prevelent signs of stupidy of the masses became obvious. We had to extinguish 9 camp fires, with 2 that appeared like the remaining un burnt fire wood the campers had was thrown on the fire just as they pulled out, these 2 fires were only a few meters from standing spruce , and were in full flame, reminicent of a a good mid night bon fire. It seemed that if we came to a tidy nicely cleaned up camp site the fires were very well tended to and propery put out, ugly messy sites seemed to be followed by smoldering camp fires. And yes the site left by our intrepid 4x4er and his smashed transmission was left smoking and smoldering.


All in all I'm quite dismayed by the lack of responsability shown over the weekend. I' not talking a couple people, I'm talking at least 5 to 10% of the campers out there.

[CaberTosser]

If you had to clean up after them as though you were their parent, you should also get to turn them over your knee.

[Matt L.]

Nah, take a bull-whip to 'em. Some people will never grow up.

On a side note what's the water level in the dam like?

[Dick284]

Originally Posted by Matt L.

Nah, take a bull-whip to 'em. Some people will never grow up.

On a side note what's the water level in the dam like?

Just came out of the bottom of the fill curve......In other words it's about at the lowest for the year.

[catnthehat]

it is becausae of people like yourself and your bddy that take it upon themselves to [police campgrounds, that simpletons and idjits don't burn down any more forest than they do every year.
OUTSTANDING job, Dick!
Cat

[Dick284]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

it is becausae of people like yourself and your bddy that take it upon themselves to [police campgrounds, that simpletons and idjits don't burn down any more forest than they do every year.
OUTSTANDING job, Dick!
Cat

Mine and my co-workers motivations were purely selfish, we did'nt want to get rousted out of bed in the middle of the night to find out the staff house was gonna get burnt out by a forest fire.


Still the abject stupidy of people is truely amazing.

[Nerdapres']

ATVs should be BANNED!

[timsesink]

wow, one more reason I don't random camp on ANY long weekend. I personaly think all ATV's should be banned on public land with the exception of ATV parks, hunting season and special ATV areas. I know a little extreme but it seems the vast majority of idiots out there are on ATV's.

[mtylerb]

Originally Posted by Nerdapres'

ATVs should be BANNED!

... I'm just sayin'.

[Matt L.]

What about the guy in the truck? Should trucks be banned because of people like him?

[dmckay]

Precisely the reason I stayed home with the kids and took them fishing. Too many morons out on the long weekends. I'll use up some vacation days this summer and make my own long weekends.

Good on you Dick. You and your co-worker more than likely stopped a fire from breaking out.

[Dick284]

I'm in no way advocating anything.
I just provided some sobering observations.

For myself personally if I head out to the bush to camp I don't want crowds, noise or other reminders of civilization. If I wanted to see crowds I'd go to West Edmonton Mall.

But that's just me I guess.

I think long weekends and random camping are used as an excuse for jack nuts to throw all civility, comon sense, and mutual respect to the 4 winds, and make hay as they see fit...they simply refuse, or fail to see their actions reflect upon everyone, and most likely will result in some sort draconian measures in the future.

But that's how all our draconian and more contraversial rules, laws and such come into being.

Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Jack Nut.....in advance.

[mtylerb]

Originally Posted by Matt L.

What about the guy in the truck? Should trucks be banned because of people like him?

I think Nerdapres was being sarcastic/antagonistic. Timesink seems to actually be serious, though.

[Matt L.]

Yeah, it's timesink i'm responding to.

[NaeKid]

I have been random camping on long weekends and have personally pulled a Mustang out of the middle of a river (yes, the owner was there and I gave him a good talking to), pulled a BMW out of a mud-pit (the owner thought that if the big-trucks could go through it, so could his high-powered race-car), pulled a stock Pathfinder out of a skeg-field (he thought off-roading with the babes would get his dicky-wet - all he got was the cold shoulder).

Yes - there are many idiots out there, but as many idiots that are out there, there are more smart people who are responsible, take care of their fire, do not destroy the public-land by driving off-trail and always clean up their mess when they leave (pack it in = pack it out).

By painting every random camper / off-roader / back-country user with the same paint brush, regardless of experience just isn't right.

Dick284 - thanks for putting out the fires. I have done the same thing - put out the fires, clean up the cans and bottles left behind, remove collasped tents, burned camp-chairs ... etc. Even found and returned lost wallets, leaving the cash in the wallet just when the wallet was lost.

I don't want to loose my access to the back-country - so - I will do what I can to keep it available, even if it costs me time and gas to do so.

[HunterDave]

ATV's aren't the problem, people are the problem. I wonder how many people even think about what they are building their fire on? We had a problem last year with people lighting fires on top of peatmoss. I personally found 2 last year that had burnt straight down about 3 feet before I found them. Then you have to wonder if the underground fire started to burn sideways so there's a bit of digging involved.

As for leaving their fires burning and their garbage.....just plain stupid!

[Canuck Bob]

Thanks for caring enough to be a real public spirited guy Dick.

When we go out I make my girls clean someplace up that we didn't mess up to teach them about real environmental responsibility. My 8 year old gets mad at the jerks now. It never ceases to amaze me but the hunters, fishermen, and oilfield trash and loggers are the most respectable outdoors people. While the yuppies desecrate the bush with garbage and call us redneck anti environmentalists.

Personally I would ban mountain bikes before quads. However I believe in personal freedom too much to ban anything were a handful of idiots paint the respectable users with a wide brush.

[CR5]

It's too bad our government keeps cutting the budgets of the resources in place to police that type of behavior. Maybe some community service planting trees or something might make them think about what they are doing before they go out camping for a long weekend.

Kinda makes ya understand why they are starting to ban alcohol in campgrounds in some places now. It's too bad it's come to that because of a few idiots.

at least you were entertained while at work dick.

[NaeKid]

Originally Posted by CR5

It's too bad our government keeps cutting the budgets of the resources in place to police that type of behavior. Maybe being charged with some community service planting trees or something might make them think about what they are doing before they go out camping for a long weekend.

Kinda makes ya understand why they are starting to ban alcohol in campgrounds in some places now. It's too bad it's come to that because of a few idiots.

We don't need police out there - we need teachers out there. People who have respect for the backcountry. Without people teaching others proper backcountry etiquette we will not ever stop having these problems. It doesn't matter how much land is closed to the public - it will continue - and - the idiots will continue to bash down fences and do whatever they can to destroy all the good that is out there.

And then - you know what - we will have no where to go to hunt, fish, trap, hike, camp .... and be stuck in our little cities watching "nature" on television because we won't be allowed outside to play.

[Desert Eagle]

Originally Posted by NaeKid

We don't need police out there - we need teachers out there. People who have respect for the backcountry. Without people teaching others proper backcountry etiquette we will not ever stop having these problems. It doesn't matter how much land is closed to the public - it will continue - and - the idiots will continue to bash down fences and do whatever they can to destroy all the good that is out there.

And then - you know what - we will have no where to go to hunt, fish, trap, hike, camp .... and be stuck in our little cities watching "nature" on television because we won't be allowed outside to play.

My thoughts exactly. It seems like the more citydiots that are out the more problems we have. I remember when most of the people that spent time in the woods were respectful of nature and the people around the......this is no longer the case for the most part. Hence the reason that we are now going in the bush as far as we can to get away from everyone whenever we go out.

Thanks again for your continued effort Dick! Hopefully I can get out to the range and see you one day soon!

[Ken07AOVette]

Good on you Dick.

Thanks for being responsible and letting firefighters enjoy a little time off.

You pick a spot some time when I am there and steak supper is on me.

[unclebuck]

CR5, the cops should not have to police behaviour. It should be up to the individuals to shoulder their responsibility. I have spent many weekends over many years in the bush doing what is now called "random camping". We used to call it camping. If those using the outdoors had the gonads, and not to mention the brains to clean up after themselves(taught to them by PARENTS)we would not have the bs that is now overtaking the bush. Dick, I commend you!!!! I always come home with more than my own garbage, and it really p's me off to be someone's mother picking up after their spoiled immature brat, who has no concept of the intrinsic value of what is available to us on a short drive!!!! Rant over.

[TreeGuy]

Good on ya, Dick! Thank you so much for your efforts, and we need more like you.

This thread gave me an idea though. The feds have now made it manditory for anyone who wants to operate a boat in this country to be licensed. Why not do the same with ATVs? Except the ATV license would be based upon a demerit system.

I'm very against more government regulations, but the way things are going, this could be the less of the two evils......

[rem338win]

Thanks for the update Dick, glad to see that the tools are out in full force as usual.
And we do need more policing and enforcement. You mean to tell me that some do-gooder wonder scout is going to convince people it isnt polite to ride on trails and into yards past signs telling them clearly not to.
Laws and regulations are hollow promises without the people to enforce them. Stelmach pulled the OT on the agencies that are meant to enforce this stuff this year by the way (which is the only way to keep up enforcement on these types of weekends). Feel free to write your MLA and let them know how you feel about that.

[BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES]

Good on you dick . Sadly the lack of common sence in people seems to be not very common . Add a bunch of booze to the situation people are even more stupid . Its sad , that the responsible people that like to use such area's are eventually gonna be the ones not allowed to partake . If I were you I woulda hosed down the idiots . :a ngry3: God I hate stupid ignorant people .

[Fisherpeak]

Good work Dick,somebody has to look after the Citiots,glad it ain`t me.

[Shaggy]

From myself and my kids (since they will be the next ones able to enjoy it) THANK YOU for taking action.

If 5-10% more people acted like you guys did, this Earth would be a whole lot better place.

[BeerSlayer1]

Which one is Dick?

Hint: he's the grumpier of the two.



Just kidding, too bad you had a rough weekend.

[noneck180]

oh..when I read the title I thought it was about the energy thread..