Gentlemen .

[Kevin the grey]

Well gentlemen and I address us all with that . Including the man in the bulldozer who destroyed half the woods where I hunt . I do not exagerate . I went there and the trees were torn up ,torn out and torn apart .
by some quirk or a twisted sense of humour he left the little patch of woods around my tree stand . Maybe he thinks the deer will sort their way through the devastation to come feed near me . Thhis was a birch and aspen forest and it was full of life. The trees were not harvested , they were mangled up and pushed to the side . I had worked hard on my little camp in the woods . I picked up garbage left after children and adult partiers visited the wood
I was slowly learning to use my Kukuuri and building a shelter that blended in with the woods . I am not sad or mad though there were a few moments when I was glad that gentleman was not near . I am concerned for the deer that will be misplaced . They have no place to go . This wood is surrounded by development . They will be pushed closer together and some will die from starvation . I will try to harvest a couple of the trees to use as a frame for scraping a buffalo hide . I guess my camp will wait until next year .
.

 

[ERdept]

How do you enjoy your model so far. I'm glad to see that you're still posting and a fan. I'm sure in time you will buy other Kuhk's and knife styles as well. Take care brother to the north.

Cliff

 

[Dave Rishar]

Kevin, not long ago I was tasked to take some developers around the Camp. We've pretty much abandoned the place and it's not for sure what the government has planned for the area, but we had Public Works come out and survey for asbestos, I've talked to the contract officer involved with the demolition of the historic buildings, and I had to walk developers through the woods. I'd say the Navy's pretty much made up their mind, even if no one else is sure.

These people told me how beautiful the woods were with dollar signs in their eyes. They marvelled at the view the golf course would have of the mountains. (We have a golf course - no kidding - four miles down the road. I guess we need another one with a view.)

I showed them the Pond. They admired it, and noted that if they couldn't build around it they'd simply fill it in.

387.5 acres of prime old growth forest, well maintained, and 70 years or so of Navy/Marine Corps history will give way to some much-needed urban sprawl. And a golf course. (Pardon my cynicism on the issue.)

We could use this land for other things. The county wanted to make a park out of it. (I didn't like the idea at first but I'm behind them now.) We could build a paintball field. Hiking trails. (Plenty already, and more that just need to be cleared.) Camping. Picnics. Horseback riding. Bike riding. There are several fairly level fields that would be good for athletic events. This place is a goldmine of magnificence and tranquility in the middle of a county that's gone to hell in the last ten years, and what do they want to do?

Bulldoze it. That's the only logical answer around here.

They're not my woods, they're the Navy's woods - I just looked after them. But sometimes, damn it, they feel like my woods...you know?

Looking back, this is probably what started me really thinking about getting out. There are plenty of other things, sure, but they just pushed a bit. It was taking those developers for the tour that got me over the top of the fence. For the first time in my life I had felt like I'd sold out and I did not like it at all. I've done plenty of things that I didn't like doing ("You don't have to like it, you just have to do it") but this was the first time that I'd walked away feeling like I'd failed ethically.

The next time something like this happens - and I won't be surprised if it does - I will have the option to quit.

Be thankful that you have something left. Deer are remarkably adaptable and the ones around here have coped with the spread of suburbia wonderfully. (Too wonderfully, if you keep a garden.) Some of the best hunting around here is on clearcut so don't worry about the deer; they'll make do.

It's us that have a hard time adapting to this sort of thing.

And finally, be thankful that you didn't have to give the guy driving the bulldozer directions. There have been things in my life that have made me feel worse, but only a few.

I apologize for the rant. It's going to be a while before I'm over this. Fortunately, nothing has happened yet and nothing is set in stone. I'm still hoping for the best. It's not too late.

 

[Kevin the grey]

I know there is within a lot of us the last one in syndrome . We want to use something but we don,t want others to use it and only our use is valid .
I am glad there was no waterhole destroyed in these woods because that may have been the final straw for me . I will have to become more active in the preservation of wildlife habitat . I guess keeping the woods clean isn,t enough anymore .

 

[Dave Rishar]

That's the thing, man...I've got no problem with others using these woods. I want other people to use the woods. There's too much for me alone. I'm just a bit particular in how they use them, is all.

Unfortunately, it's not my call.

To be fair that waterhole is more of a mudhole these days. It was nicer when the drainage system was blocked up and it was raining all winter. Through the herculean efforts of a couple of sailors (and a few khukuris to boot) we got the canals flowing, dug decades of junk out of the bottoms, cleared the beaver dams and drained the Camp. The Ghost Forest (from another post, search for it if interested) dried out for the first time in who knows how long. Couple that with this summer's lack of rain and the water table went down quite a bit. There's nothing flowing into or out of the Pond and it doesn't seem to be spring fed. We don't even know if it's manmade or not.

I guess that's another thing. I burned a lot of calories improving the place, and I would've burned a lot more. There's plenty that still needed to be done. I had a personal investment in the Camp.

Oh, well.

 

[munk]

When I was in Texas I was impressed by some County/City protection of trees. There were wooded lots in the middle of cities.





munk