I had the pleasure yesterday of chatting for a bit with Kevin P. Rice, who gave me a ring following the post about the Oceano Dunes fight getting too personal.
Now before you start reading into that phrasing and think I’m being sarcastic, I’m not.
It was a good conversation, and Kevin is a perfectly pleasant person to talk to.
Kevin P. Rice, in Moab, Utah, I think?
He knows I’m not a fan of off-roading on the Dunes — having in the past written things like “If you want to rip around like an idiot on your quad, go buy a little plot of useless land in the desert where the only one who will suffer from any of your stupidity will be you and you alone.”
(Although I did learn Kevin’s not a quad rider, so maybe he would have supported that particular statement. And I didn’t know this, but it turns out quads and dirtbikes can share a bit of an adversarial relationship, much like skiers and snowboarders.)
Anyhow, he knows I wouldn’t miss loud vehicles in the park if they were to disappear.
And even in some of the hyperbolical (okay, intolerant) bomb-throwing I’ve offered on the off-highway vehicle area and its patrons, he’s never taken the bait and over-reacted with his responses.
At least in our communications, he’s always been perfectly tolerant of my view and appreciative of the fact that others very much may disagree with him.
I also acknowledged to him I agree that it’s not a bad argument to note how little of the coastline is accessible to off-roaders vs. the hundreds of miles open to gentler uses.
Indeed, if I don’t like the noise on the Dunes, I don’t go there.
I can find similar, far-more-peaceful landscapes on the North Coast, at Montana de Oro and Morro Bay.
But not all outdoor uses are about peace and quiet. Some are about adrenaline. And some do involve machines.
In chatting, Kevin loosely made a distinction that seemed to indicate his opponents were the “nature” people. They may be, in terms of protecting an area in its undisturbed state, but they aren’t the only “nature” people when it comes to appreciating our natural resources.
I’d say KPR is clearly a nature lover.
Just look at this photo here. If he were wearing cargo shorts, Tevas and a “Give a hoot, don’t pollute” T-shirt instead of a helmet and jumpsuit, how different would this moment be?
No different, other than how he got himself to that precarious ledge with its expansive view.
This is gonna sound sappy, but whether we hike or ride, we’re all for the same goal — to enjoy this world we live in, hopefully without harming it or anyone else in the process.
I think Kevin would agree with that.
All this being said, if I had one piece of advice for him — and I did offer this — it would be that he move toward the middle ground more, that he try to win over supporters with compromise, that he stay on point with his message, and that he show his opponents and enemies his reasonable side more often.
Because he does have one. A kinder, gentler KPR, if you will.
I do think he would be wise to scale back on the guerrilla tactics, because in the long run they probably win him more detractors than supporters. Slinging mud doesn’t only make your opponent dirty. It leaves a bit of an unsightly mess on the slinger, as well.
I don’t know whether he will choose to do this, but it’s something for him to think about.
For sure, both sides in this case have used extreme measures to the detriment of the overall debate.
So this is me trying to broker peace just a bit. I’m like a little Jimmy Carter.
I’m hoping we can bring the volume down from 10 to 5 and the quality of interaction from virtual fist-fight to calm discussion.
What do you say, guys?
What do you think? Share your thoughts here.
Photo courtesy Kevin P. Rice
Dear Jimmy-Joe,
Okay, we know it’s spring-like outside, a time when a young man’s fancy strays to thoughts of, oh, world peace and the like, but, really, must you salivate over Mr. Rice? If you need a friend, I’m led to believe that a lap dog in heat can offer wonderful calf massages. I’m just sayin’…
Nice article. I’m sure your talk with KPR was a good one. Kevin is a very good person and like most of us, he has a passion. I myself have been in a state where I had commented on an article and then later wished I had written something different. I have a quad, and love to explore new areas and I can honestly say that I am more of a “Nature Freak” than most “Nature Freaks”. My second home is in South Lake Tahoe, and I love to trail ride and explore new area’s that I could only get to by ATV. I stop and take pictures and video, I see things that most people would just take for granted or miss because they are not “one with the environment”. You will never see me destroy anything just for fun. I respect all of Gods creations. But for some reason, because I choose to take my adventures on a motorized vehicle, I am a “drugged up, Fat, Redneck looking for my next beer…”. However, this is coming from a person who drives their SUV, yada yada yada. It upsets me to have someone throwing stones at me, when I do more for our environment in one weekend, than they do in a life time. A far as the Air Quality Crap that is BIG NEWS!…. I take it that no one does yard work anymore. They also do not let their kids play in the dirt or sand, etc. I refuse to live a life of fear, because of people who get paid to place fear in our lives. I live on the Mesa, I should have more say in this than someone who lives in SLO and is not effected by the dust particles. If I, along with the select few who live here are OK with the dust, what is the issue? I don’t want someone from a big city knocking on my door trying to convince me that my life is in danger… while their CEO makes a 10 digit bonus for securing another piece of land to build condos on. I have seen this first hand. It’s the old “Bait and Switch”. I am not a puppet, and I ask Why! When I get the political side step, I stand my ground. I wish more people would do the same. Most of the people that are for closing the dunes do not realize that the Dunes is more than a playground. It generates money for people to feed their families, send their kids to college, etc. If we want to look at the Big Picture, let’s make sure we are looking at the real picture, not a made up one that benefits a select few. Thanks again for the good reading – CCWheelers.com
Keep playing hardball. These enviro-whackjobs are out to destroy our way of life and we should take up whatever tactic we can use to beat them. Close the dunes? Screw you! Nothing will appease these wack-jobs except all of us wearing Birkenstocks and walking everywhere. In my opinion, we should get more aggressive with these people.
I posted a letter quite sarchastic in nature about the fools who ride on the dunes, hurting themselves and killing and maiming others in the Telegram Tribune. Now, Kevin Rice has been spamming every contact he can possibly find, no matter what the venue, calling me a pervert. Anyone with this temperment is undoubtely someone to steer wide from when you are on the dunes or even the highways near them. His reaction was simply one of search and destroy rather than one of attempting to understand simple sarchasm. His posts to my sites that he has been able to access has been remarcable. Approach this man with caution.