Yep, greens drive Subarus up here as well. You can tell them apart from anyone else. They drive subarus, their hair is frizzled (technical term) from all the berry juice they wash it with, and their car (note I said CAR) is littered with bumper stickers that say "Save our Mother".
Our jeep club is a member of United 4WD as well, we feel they're doing the most good for 4 wheelers in general and especially in our neck of the woods. We didn't join Tread Lightly this year because they've been so silent on the White Mountain National Forest issue up here. We know because we've been to all the meetings and they haven't. No sense paying a lame duck to sit around.
We have volunteered our help cleaning the WMNF, and spent a day with the Rangers cleaning culverts. We cleaned 139 of them (or 278 ends) in one day, the whole stretch of road that would have taken the Rangers 2 weeks. We also cleaned up all the trash along the road and a "parking" area. They were extremely greatful, and I'm sure they'll pass the good word up the chain. If the voice is coming from both sides (ours and the people who actually work in the park), it's more effective. One other thing we do, since we wheel mostly on private land, is install gates for the landowners. I know this seems counterproductive, but it keeps out the litterbugs and weekend 4 wheelers doing the damage. The landowners like it and we have even had one go to bat for our club when someone else was badmouthing us. We always pick up trash and in the fall erect water bars to prevent erosion, we also keep the trails/roads open for the landowner. Some of the trails are only accessable in the winter, making sure the ground isn't disturbed.
Oh yeah, we put on car washes in the summer, well, the kids at the school do, but they wash the jeeps at a fire station (free water) with a hose for a donation (we let them know when to put it on). The one in Eustis in November netted the 4th grade class $450, which, of course, made the local paper, more positive publicity. We also helped out during the ice storm a few years ago. We have very specialized rigs, which could get to places emergency and assistance vehicles couldn't. We opened three roads the town manager said they wouldn't have been able to get to for over a week due to their remote location. We also volunteer our club at the local fire stations, we can carry the water and hoses into the woods other vehicles can't go, even the fire department Willy's and 2.5 ton truck have problems. All this gains public support and usually makes the paper. It's a slow process, no doubt about it, but it's also one, that when gained, is nearly impossible to reverse.
If EVERYONE does their part, not just with money, the word will get out. Hell, I was driving to another job site last week and passed a 70 year old lady trying to chip the ice and snow from her driveway. I turned the Mazda around (it says JEEPN on the plate), stopped, and started shoveling and chipping her driveway for her. She was surprised and very greatful, invited me in for tea and to get warm (it was about -10 with the wind chill). Come to find out it was a friends house and she stopped by because she hadn't heard from him. He had slipped and fallen while trying to shovel the steps, injuring his hip. He couldn't get around to call for help. The neighbors thought he went away because they saw no movement around the house. Anyway, made me feel good, and when she asked who I was, I told her my name and said I was from the local jeep club, just driving by and thought she might need a hand. The smile on her face was worth the 1/2 hour and frigid temperature. I'm sure she'll tell everyone about it, I always beep on my way by.
Sorry for the rant, I tend to babble sometimes.
JEEPN
'81 CJ-8 Scrambled!
GM151/SM465/NP205 twinstick/7" Lift/33" Swampers/D44's F&R 4.10's & Lockrights
