John, the crux is SEASONAL closures. Back in the 1990s when the bottom fell out on the federal harvest side, I participated in discussions about seasonal closures as a means of protecting game and habitat. Seasonal closures (or year-to-year rotationals) would work with the public if they happened for valid reasons. Instead, the policy was permanent closure/destruction (with no eye toward the next harvest, or the preferred methods of access/use for the vast majority of visitors). It was arbitrary, a complete waste of past expenditures as well as present funding, and therefore much of the knowledgeable public is resentful of these closures.
Up hills slow, Down hills fast Tonnage first and Safety last.
