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2024-03-28 06:51:56
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The damage has been done and has no remedy save time

One of my favorite shooting locations has been senselessly vandalized by a mindless idiot on a motorcycle. I cringe when I look at this scene, because this fragile high-altitude area will require 50 years or more for these tracks to fade away. The damage occurred sometime between mid-June 2010, and Oct 2010.

The perpetrator will almost certainly never be caught. Only a few years ago, a nutcase burned down the visitor center at Schulman Grove. I can only hope that bad Karma makes both their lives very unpleasant.

The two tracks that look like footpaths are fresh (2010) scars from a joyriding motorcyclist on the most prominent hillside of Patriarch Grove in the White Mountains, which to me is a temple, containing the oldest living trees on earth. So I am very unhappy to see this damage.

My past experience in Moab, Utah (far uglier in damage), is that as a group, the motorized offroad ATV and motorcycle crowd is an environmental menace of mindless idiots, which I believe should be banned entirely from all public lands.

The two tracks

Not content to scar the hill everyone sees upon entry, the perp scarred the opposite hill as well, all the way to its summit. The track at right is directly through a study area.

Jackass tracks
Jackass tracks

Reader Jim G comments:

Dear Lloyd,

Like many others, I am always looking forward to your next posting. In your reviews not only do I find them very interesting as a learning experience, but also for the most part something that we agree on. However when your postings are about something other then photography, I find myself agreeing with you even more. In this case I am referring to your most recent post on "jackass tracks".

In the past I have also seen the damage done by these vandals in Utah. In fact I remember one time near Goblin State Park passing a campsite, where there was a wall of 5 gallon jerry cans. Literally a wall (maybe 25 or 30 in all). The state of Utah apparently cares more about making money from these people then in protecting their very fragile environment for future and or the non destructive visitors.

For that matter why is that motorcycles (here I am referring to road machines) are not obligated to muffle their noise (sound pollution). In west Marin county, one is treated to to not only some serene landscapes and wildlife, but also to the utterly intrusive noise made by just one single individual. Unless of course they are in a group. How one person can be allowed to damage an environment either by jackass tracks or deafening noise is something that escapes me.

Like you the White Mountains and the Bristlecone Pines are one the my favorite places. Since moving to the Netherlands, it has become quite a pleasure for me to see the sample shots you make there (thank you for that). And yes more then likely the culprit will go unpunished, unless karma intervenes.

Regards,

-Jim Gamblin

 


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