Re: [ft-l] Myakka work hike

I was dismayed to learn that your chapter scheduled a work hike on a 
scheduled hunt date.   Why not just walk through the woods setting of 
firecrackers, ringing bells, and blowing whistles? This type of 
inconsiderate and thoughtless act can only further damage the image of FTA 
among hunters and lesson the willingness of these folks to cooperate with us 
on issues of importance to us - like not vandalizing our signs and blazes 
and getting management agencies to provide reasonable hiking and other 
non-hunting access during Florida's lengthy hunting season.  I can assure 
you that the hunters who gave you disparaging looks have already voiced 
their concerns to their fellow hunters, hunt managers, and anyone else who 
will listen.  It is always interesting to me when hikers complain when 
hunters want to have our public lands all to themselves for extended periods 
each year, and then in the same breath disrupt a hunt that the hunters are 
doing legally and for which they have been planning and preparing for 
months.

Your officers and Board of Director are striving to get the many land 
managers with which we work to recognize the need and to make provisions for 
reasonable hiking access during the cooler weather months of the hunting 
season.  Conducting work hikes during scheduled hunts doesn't help this 
process. Please, lets refrain from doing this in the future.  The Suwannee 
Chapter takes pains to ensure that its work hikes are not on scheduled hunt 
dates.  Can't you folks do the same?

Fred Schiller
VP - Trails




>From: Bveatch@aol.com
>Reply-To: ft-l@backcountry.net
>To: ft-l@backcountry.net
>Subject: [ft-l] Myakka work hike
>Date: Tue, 30 Nov 1999 21:32:04 EST
>
>Does anyone have any information on a work hike scheduled for December 11th
>and 12th in Myakka?  I have the date down on my calendar but cannot find 
>the
>information.  On November 13th and 14th about a dozen of Florida Trail
>members loped and reblazed a section of Loop B in the Citrus section of the
>Withlacoochee State Forest.  The weather was great, although we did get 
>some
>cross looks from bow hunters as it was the opening of bow hunting season.
>Let's all be careful in state and national forests during hunting season!
>Happy Hiking and welcome cooler weather!  I can actually use my sleeping 
>bag
>now!
>* From the Florida Trail Mailing List | http://www.backcountry.net *

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