EDITOR:
This proposed motocross facility is bad for local property owners and local off-roaders. If you live remotely close to the proposed track, you should be very concerned. If you enjoy trail riding in the Pine Nuts on a motorcycle, ATV, or whatever, you should be very concerned. Pity the model airplane pilots that have enjoyed their small airport adjacent to the proposed track. I'm sure the already stressed animals and staff at the animal shelter, also adjacent the track, will be thrilled.
Local property owners can look forward to noise, dust, increased traffic, accelerated destruction of native areas near homes, and lost property values. Noise from a single racing 4-stroke motorcycle can carry for a mile or more. Homes located north of Pinenut Road are well within that range.
They are downwind with no physical barriers to the noise. Expect dust, not just from the race track, but also from the additional vehicles traveling Pinenut Road, parking around the facility, and those who wander off the facility. Traffic on Pinenut Road has become increasingly heavy, especially on weekends, when it's constant " people going to the dumps, the fairgrounds, and out Pinenut Road to recreate. Expect reduced property values, as few desire to live near a race track.
I'm a lifelong dirt bike rider. I ride approximately 4,500 dirt miles a year. Obviously, I'm not anti-dirt bike. In the Pine Nut Mountains, there are many thousands of acres of private and tribal land that have been fenced off or otherwise closed down in the last two years. The BLM and U.S. Forest Service are threatening more closures.
The reason for these closures is obvious - too many people creating too much damage. If locals expect to be able to enjoy this resource going forward, we must stop promoting it, especially outside this area. We must resist those who want to turn Douglas County into an off-road haven, for profit.
The track promoters have grand plans. They intend to have a major, full time motocross park in our backyard. Think the impact of this track can be contained on the facility? Forget about it. Noise, dust, and traffic cannot be contained, in spite of what the promoters would have you believe. Additionally, when racers come from outside the immediate area, as most will, they'll certainly take notice of the BLM land access and trails across the street. They'll return on the off-days, with their friends, to race around the homes, further tear up the Pine Nuts, and hasten the day when none of us " bikers, ATV riders, anybody " will be able to ride locally, unless it's on their track.
Track promoters and the Chamber of Commerce tout the benefits of bringing riders from California. It's been my experience most racers travel in self-contained vehicles or on day trips. It's debatable how much money they would spend locally. I'm all for tourism, but not at the expense of property owners and our local, natural resources.
Dick Ridley
Gardnerville
