[pct-l] Winter Climbers and Any Thrill Seeker!!

[jmayer@rochester.rr.com (Jim Mayer)]

When, as with automobiles, 45,000 people a year are killed, and hundreds of
thousands injured, doing those things perhaps I would agree with you.

In general, though, I'm not a fan of "slippery slope" arguments.

With regard to bears and food, the whole ecosystem is so messed up already
that I think people have no choce but to regulate (there's that word again)
animal populations.  Bears that hang out at garbage dumps and campsites
aren't "wilderness" creatures any more than suburban deer are.  If wrist
rockets actually work then I, personally, would have no problem with them.
I have no problem with the bear hunting seasons we have here in the east
either... and while we have lots of bear in Pennsylvania, they just are not
a problem while camping.

If I had to pick a policy from the fog of my ignorance, it would be
something like this:

(1) Run a study to determine the sustainable bear population (natural food
sources only) for each area.

(2) Institute a hunting season to bring the bear population down to the
target level.

(3) Verify and encourage the use of effective food defense mechanisms by
campers (which might well include slingshots).

(4) Require safe food storage (bins, cannisters) within, say, one mile of
any official campsite.

(5) Attempt to educate backcountry campers about bear foraging behavior and
patterns (e.g., don't camp by streams, etc.).

(6) Implement an adversive conditioning program around campsites.

(7) Kill problem bears.

Anyway, the bears should all be glad I don't run the NPS.

-- Jim

----- Original Message -----
From: <Montedodge@aol.com>
To: <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Friday, August 10, 2001 1:43 AM
Subject: [pct-l] Winter Climbers and Any Thrill Seeker!!


> I think all Mt. climbing and any type of adventure seeking should be ban
on
> the grounds that somewhere down the line a climber may break their back
and
> it would cost us all Big Tax dollars. Secondly, all climbers should be
> required to pack a canister to at least the 11,000 ft. level of any given
> Mountain in the slight chance there may be a bear lurking near a crevasse.
> Anyone who partakes in any activity that could cause bodily harm to that
> person, should be arrested or heavily fined so as not to cost taxpayers
> money!!! Signed, Hormone theSocialist Hiker  PS   I guess I must have been
> the only moron to read 1984, Hum???
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