Handicapped Access in "roadless areas"

FAOL Community Conservation
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I just thought I?d post this in case someone out there has researched this issue.

Is anyone aware of ?limited mobility? or ?handicapped? considerations in the Federally designated ?roadless areas.?

I realize this seems a bit out of place but my point is this:

  1. Pathways and campsites for recreation are provided for in these areas, but ?roads? per se are not allowed.
  2. Most people wanting to walk (hike) or ride horses or bicycles have access to these areas ? handicappers may not.
  3. Even though you may say, ? Enough ? why should people of limited mobility and the handicapped have access to everything we mobile people do?? The answer is as simple as ?they pay for it too.? And remember, you will be in this category someday if you are of normal lifespan. Your body may wear out long before your desire to fish moving water does.

I am not handicapped to the degree that I couldn?t get into some of these areas. Advanced arthritis and some pieces and screws in my neck from an auto accident would complicate it but I could do it. 5 years from now, I probably won?t be able to. And I am only 62. My mentor is Amigo bound ? see his picture in www.HATofMichigan.org. He still wants to fish moving waters like he has done for over 75 years. He is one of my hero?s. What do I tell him?

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All of us, to one degree or another, are limited in our abilities to reach some areas of life (notice I’ve not limited it to fly fishing).

If we truly desire to ?do whatever? there are applications available to, in many cases, make our handicaps handicap-able. People get real creative when challenged (or a loved one is challenged).

Wheelchairs and scooters are available with all terrain wheels. Adapters can be fashioned to attach to hands, arms, chairs, etc, to assist fishers. Nets have long handles. People have friends, companions, family, who can and will push or pull the individual over the rough spots and assist them in reaching their favorite fishing spot (or campground, or whatever).

Common sense is going to dictate that someone wheelchair bound, 90 years old, on oxygen, is probably not going to take up mountain climbing, but hell, if they want to get to the base of the mountain and look up, there’s ways to make it happen!

What do you tell him? Tell him, ?Let’s go fishing!!? Then make it happen! I pray that in those how-ever-many years of good mobility you have remaining, you develop a friendship with others that will, through their mobility, allow you to continue to fish ?until?.

Thought I’d add this.

I haven’t researched beyond the personal level what has or will be Federally mandated. I only know from a “me” position. I’ve had a stroke. I want to fish. Maybe I can’t wade distances, or through the rapids, but with help I can get out there and fish with the best of them! I have to be careful and use common sense (wading staff, shallower waters), but I do it. I want to fish glacier lakes. It may take me twice as long to reach the waters, but with patience, I’m right up there fishing! I can’t climb over many huge boulders, but I can take on many smaller ones. Life’s what you make of it. And I intend to fish “until”.

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Well said Betty.

Here’s a site with links to other organizations that are interested in helping folks with disabilities enjoy the outdoors:

http://www.access-able.com/dBase/linkRe … Recreation

Also Project Access helps make wheelchair accessible ramps and fishing “piers” for fly fisherman and others, many of them are on moving water as well as lakes and ponds. Local TU chapters and other fishing groups often volunteer to construct them. It may be worth researching opportunities near you to find access points for you and your buddy. Some state parks that I’m aware in NY also have special handicapped only fishing areas or events that are heavily stocked, so maybe a check with your DNR folks could provide some info on state and maybe federal areas.

I know there are differing opinions on Roadless areas, but IMHO these are the few remaining places where true wilderness exists (along with designated wilderness areas) and limiting easy access to lots of people is part of the point. Ensuring the protection of such areas is what our tax dollars go for, not guaranted access. Making trails wheelchair accessible for the disabled (beyond short visitor center loop trails)is probably not feasible, and permitting atvs for the disabled would not be desireable in my view, though I do recognize the unfortunate impact this has on folks with limited mobility.

As an alternative, if you’re really looking for wilderness, how about a float trip? Some outfitters do such trips, some even multi day camping expeditions.

Hope this helps, and I hope you and your friend can get out there.

Best of luck.
peregrines

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Thanks for you kind suggestions peregrines and Betty. If you went to the HAT website, you will see I am working with the Michigan State DNR and they have been very helpful. I have had very little help from the general public. People tend to guard their favorite places and are not generous about divulging them on a website even though they may help the less fortunate. I even got one responder that said he did not want handicapped access on his favorite branch of the AuSable because it would bring in 'riff raff."

My concern is that in order to protect areas from “human contamination”, access is intentionally being made more difficult. Parking areas are being moved far back from streams and long trails are installed to walk to the access points. All this is intentioned to “limit” access to streams, there-by supposedly keeping them more pristine. I repeat again, “intentionally.” The truth is really they are limiting access to a select group of the more hearty anglers and prejudically excluding the rest. I am very sorry if this sounds like sour grapes and I probably wouldn’t even bring it up, except I have a friend who is affected by these “intentional” actions.

I help him where I can. I told him that in return for the gift he has given me in teaching me to flyfish, that I would carry him on my back if I had too to get hime to running water. But he is getting too heavy, I am getting weaker, and the path is getting “intentionally” longer. And it is getting harder to get him in and out of a boat. In the end we will all lose, but why make it intentionally harder for all but a very few. If people are so bad to nature, why not just eliminate them all access to those areas you want to protect. What is to say the hardy will be kinder to the environment that the less mobile.

It occours to me that if you plan to let some people into roadless areas and build some paths, that these trails should at least have some ability to occommodate an Amigo. A fallen log to a handicapper might as well be the Great Wall of China. Not all of course - but at least some.

So if you ever feel even vaguely inclined, drop your Governor an e-mail and tell him he should at least consider the less mobile when access is built into “roadless” areas. That is my opinion and my time for loosing access is at hand.

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My knowledge of the AuSable is imited to what I visited last summer during the fish-in. I’d have to say that the areas around Gates Lodge, and the put-in points along the road to the lodge were very handicapable accessable, and easily fished from the banks.

Some times, when a place is a bit more “adventurous”, it may be a three person trip; two to carry one! But so worth the effort!!

Regardless, you’re going to find nay-sayers, no matter where, but that is normally limited to “limited” people (if ya get my drift!!). I don’t think it’s intentional, just uninformed/uneducated.

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Usually those who wish to “keep out the riff raff”
qualify for the title themselves. :evil:

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Read this, it might help:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/psicc/resources … reas.shtml

And if you are REALLY interested:

http://roadless.fs.fed.us/documents/feis/

For an estimate of trail construction costs, check out the following link. http://www.nirpc.org/pdf/PPApenB.pdf

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Thanks DG, I really appreciate your help.
Bob Bolton