For off-road enthusiasts, the Rubicon Trail is a hallowed spot, much like the Grand Canyon is for rafters and kayakers.
This boulder-strewn trail is home to some of the most daunting 4x4 riding on earth, especially the 12-mile stretch from Loon Lake to Lake Tahoe. About 35,000 vehicles traverse it each summer.
Yet there's a big difference between the Grand Canyon and the Rubicon Trail. The Grand Canyon requires permits, with fees used to enforce the use of portable toilets and other protective measures.
The Rubicon Trail, by contrast, is a free-for-all. It's unregulated, and El Dorado County has done little to manage it for visitors or the environment.
Two weeks ago, the Central Valley Water Quality Control Board sent the county a wake-up call.
The board issued a draft abatement order, saying that erosion from the overused Rubicon Trail was threatening fish habitat and water quality.
The order comes five years after pollution from human feces and garbage forced the Forest Service to ban vehicles from Spider Lake, a popular camping spot on the trail. Four years earlier, regulators had to prod Placer County to limit erosion on its portion of the trail.
The latest abatement order is controversial. Some trail enthusiasts feel the water board is going overboard and ignoring efforts by volunteers to clean up the trail. For its part, El Dorado County claims its budget problems have prevented it from finishing a management plan for the Rubicon.
While El Dorado County does face a budget crunch, that doesn't give it a pass on dithering over a long-sought management plan. This plan, in our view, must move toward a permit system that would limit overuse and pay for enforcement.
Off-roaders have long resisted attempts to regulate the Rubicon. Rafters and hikers reacted the same way when permits were required for the Grand Canyon and other wilderness areas. But let's face it, folks, this is California, with 37 million people. If we want to leave our landmarks for future generations, we have to manage them for the benefit of all.
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