Tread Lightly!

Tread Lightly! is a nonprofit organization in the United States with the mission "to empower generations to enjoy the outdoors responsibly through stewardship to further the goals of responsible and ethical recreation. It was started by the United States Forest Service in 1985, but became a nonprofit in 1990.

The organization is "managed and financed by companies like Ford Motor and Toyota." It leads awareness workshops and restores trails: "Our mission is to empower people to enjoy the outdoors responsibly," said president Lori Davis. The Washington Times noted in 2001 that "most manufacturers of off-highway vehicles — including Land Rover, Jeep, Subaru, GM, Ford and Toyota are active in this effort.

Davis told the Associated Press in July 2003 that the organization "has been working with auto manufacturers to try to change the off-road images used in TV commercials" and that "Toyota, Nissan and Mercedes-Benz have asked Tread Lightly to review their ads, and at least one company spiked a TV spot the organization didn't like.

Tread Lightly! "offers extensive online tips and guidelines on being more responsible in hiking, camping, boating, hunting, horseback riding, ATVs and more," the Deseret News has reported.

Some off-highway enthusiasts, though, according to the New York Times, have been opposed to the concept, with Brad Lark, the publisher of the website extreme4x4.com, calling Tread Lightly! "a veiled form of extreme environmentalism." An anonymous writer on offroad.com was quoted as saying: "I don't Tread Lightly. I trample. From tree-huggers to their totalitarian signage that follows. I trample all in the path of freedom's future. Brad Ullrich, the site's land-use editor, described the column as "tongue in cheek.
Tags: Game viewing vehicle , Sport utility vehicle , Ramp travel index ,  Amphibious vehicle , Off-road vehicles