Illegal Off-Roading Tears Up Rhode Island’s Management Areas
November 26, 2025
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BURRILLVILLE, R.I. — There’s a piece of forested property in the northwest corner of the state, new to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s collection, that Andy Grover enjoys hiking, at least when he’s not dodging all-terrain vehicles.
“This is definitely one of these areas where I’ll see trucks with plates from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and they’ll come up here for this is a good entrance to the area,” said Grover as we walked through a power-line clearing. “They’ll park here, unload two or three ATVs, and go crazy.”
All-terrain vehicles are prohibited in management areas by state law. Rhode Island’s management areas only allow street-legal vehicles on its unpaved and paved roadways, according to DEM spokesperson Evan LaCross.
The former Boy Scout property in northwest Rhode Island, a 942-acre parcel that sits between the Buck Hill and George Washington Management areas, was bought by the state last year. Grover, an enthusiastic hiker whom you may know better as Rhode Island’s resident Lego artist, has spent plenty of time exploring the property since it was opened to the public.
In late August, ecoRI News hiked the area with Grover. ATV scars were easily visible and omnipresent. Three separate ATVs passed us during the hike.
“This stuff tends to be what happens when agencies are gutted,” Grover said. “The General Assembly needs to see that if they have the manpower, then you can say, ‘Why aren’t you patrolling?’ Between the off-roading jetting through here and the logging, the forest is being destroyed.”
ATVs are prohibited from the state’s management areas because of their propensity to cause ecological damage. The 400- to 1,000-pound vehicles — youth ATVs weigh between 200 and 300 pounds — disturb wildlife habitat, destroy stream crossings, and tear up vegetation. As they roar across the landscape, their weight squeezes air out of the soil, compacting it. When rain falls on this packed-down soil, the ground can’t absorb the water, causing runoff and erosion.
The washed-away sediment disturbs aquatic habitats for fish and amphibians. Sediment washed into waterbodies can block light for photosynthesis, impair a waterway’s ability to provide oxygen, and wetlands can lose their function as natural filters of pollution. Compacted soil also interferes with root growth and hurts trees.
LaCross also noted that ATVs can change wildlife behavior because of their noise. These changes, he said, can include reduced songbird singing, reduced animal movement and foraging, and shifts in home ranges for various species. He added that ATV use also causes degradation of trail systems and can be a public safety issue “due to speeding and unpredictable operation.”
An avid hiker of Rhode Island’s northwest territory recently spoke to ecoRI News about the damage off-roading has done to the George Washington Management Area and its Connecticut cousin, Quaddick State Park. The person asked to have their name withheld.
The longtime hiker said ATVs and trucks, especially those specially outfitted for woods and swamp travel, have complete access to named trails such as the “Border Trail” and “Munyon Trail.”
From these trails, the person said “they have carved miles and miles of new ‘trails’ through the woods.” They noted one of the off-roaders’ favorite activities is “mud bogging,” where ATVs and trucks race through mud puddles.
“They have created specific mud-bogging pits in low, wet places that have become permanent features,” the person said. “Some of these pits have accompanying middens of charcoal and metal and beer bottle and glass debris as high as four feet in the middle of them where the participants meet up at night in large groups and hang around big fires fueled with the abundant dead trees.”
They said there are three prominent “mud-bogging and party” spots in the George Washington Management Area directly south of Wakefield Pond and bordering the Connecticut line.
To illustrate the problem, the person emailed ecoRI News two satellite images and a description of what could be seen. The first, from this spring, provides a view of what the person called a “mud-bogging-and-party” site just off the Border Trail, which appears in the lower-right corner. “In the middle you see the circular mud bogging pool at the top and the crescent shaped shallow pool at the bottom,” the hiker wrote. “These pools are ephemeral and seldom more than a foot or so deep. Between them is the party trash midden.
“And to the left of the midden and crescent pool, under some trees, you see the coffee colored deep mud bogging pool. The shallow pools are used by the lighter two and four-wheeled vehicles. The deep bogging pool, which appears full at this time, is traversable only by jacked-up big-wheel purposed designed pick up trucks. These were all once vernal pools.”
Vernal pools, shallow bodies of water that fill in the spring and fall with rain or snowmelt, create a unique environment and provide valuable breeding habitat for wildlife. In Rhode Island, spotted salamanders, marbled salamanders, and wood frogs are all dependent on vernal pools for breeding and survival.
The second image, from last winter, reveals off-roading trails “radiating from the central rendezvous and party area. They radiate in every direction, across the border into Quaddick State Park.”
A longtime Burrillville resident who also wished to remain anonymous told ecoRI News that the creation of these off-roading trails has been ongoing for decades.
“Local officials are well aware of the activities that take place along these trails but short of patrolling them on a regular basis, there is not a lot they can do about it,” the person wrote in an email. “A good part of these activities occur in the evenings and on weekends when there are very few RI DEM staff available.”
The northwest corner of the state isn’t the only place where management areas have been wounded by ATVs. A West Greenwich resident who lives within walking distance of the Big River Management Area recently told ecoRI News this public space is routinely roughed up by ATVs. They noted beer cans, trash, and fire pits can usually be found near off-roading destruction.
The person, who hikes the management area often, didn’t want their name used, as they have been harassed in the past for mentioning on social media that ATVs and dirt bikes are driven in Big River.
Twice a year a dirt bike race is held in the management area. The events get a special-use permit from DEM, but the local hiker said long after the racing is done they routinely remove signs (mostly arrows) from trees. The person also said they have seen little evidence that the damage caused by the racing is actually repaired, as required.
“I don’t know how we are protecting these areas and the wildlife in them when ATVs are driving around and motorcycle races are allowed,” the person said.
Despite the fact ATVs are prohibited from management areas, off-road enthusiasts sing the praises of the state’s public lands. (DEM does allow ATV use in management areas through special-use permits for events. These permits require that the organization fix any damage caused. In the past five years, DEM has permitted four ATV-related events, three of which were for police trainings.)
“Rhode Island may be the smallest state in the United States, but don’t let its size fool you when it comes to off-road trails,” according to ATVNotes.com. “The Ocean State is home to some exhilarating off-road adventures that will surely get your adrenaline pumping. From wooded paths to rocky terrains, there are a variety of off-highway trails in Rhode Island that cater to different skill levels and preferences.”
The website notes that, as for “ATV trails in Rhodes Island, the state has none to refer to, meant for, or designated for ATV riding. But that doesn’t mean you cannot ride on your ATV here. In fact, Rhode Island is brimming with hidden gems like those waiting to be discovered.”
It lists the Burlingame State Park in Charlestown, the Big River Management Area, the George Washington Management Area, the Arcadia Management Area, and the East Bay Bike Path as good places to go motoring. (ATVs, mopeds, and other motorized vehicles are prohibited on the East Bay Bike Path.)
ecoRI News shared the ATVNotes link with DEM. LaCross said the blog post is “full of inaccuracies.” He noted ATV, dirt bike, and off-road vehicle use isn’t allowed in any of the places mentioned.
A fall social media post warned off-roaders that DEM “grabbed a pack of riders” in the Durfee Hill Management Area in Glocester. One of the post’s commenters noted that “DEM is probably sitting there doing enforcement and checking licenses of the hunters. I’m sure that’s more the case than going after ATVs. Nonetheless people should be aware of what the season is and the uptick of enforcement in particular areas. Then you won’t have any headaches. Besides Hunter’s only have the woods for a couple of weeks a year. Legal riders, illegal riders have it the Rest. Hikers, riders etc. could give the hunters four weeks a year for a little piece in the woods.”
In the past five years, DEM’s Division of Law Enforcement has received some 1,660 reports of illegal off-roading, according to LaCross. He said the public can report off-roading violations in state management areas by calling 401-222-3070.
Management areas aren’t the only public spaces to be run over by ATVs. In 2021, drivers of off-road vehicles breached two historic stone walls in Cumberland so their ATVs could enter the property. The Cumberland Land Trust president told ecoRI News that “all over our property there is evidence of ATV usage.” He noted that ATVs are a constant issue, to the point where if the land trust is considering buying a new piece of property, it seriously examines the likelihood of current or future ATV usage on the land.
The Smithfield Land Trust and the West Bay Land Trust have had similar problems with ATVs on their properties.
Maybe you should consider actually having a designated area for riders instead of always talking about where it’s prohibited. You ever care to think maybe if there was a designated area, people wouldn’t have to find other areas to ride?
Amen. I’m very familiar with the George Washington Wildlife Management Area going back 60 years to when I was helping train the family beagles there on snowshoe hare with one of my brothers. It was a forest then literally managed for wildlife. The game was hare, cottontails, ruffed grouse, fox, and raccoon, and bow-hunting deer. Four wheelers, principally Jeeps, used the rough dirt roads/trails such as Munyon, Center, Richardson, and Border Trial, and mostly during the summer. There were a few informal single-file hunter’s paths here and there. It was a very quiet place broken mostly the sound of wildlife, seldom by gasoline engines.
What’s needed is a separation of wildlife management and off-road vehicle management and their respective locations of activity. But what is apparent is that the foundation of any such plan must be a major investment of public funds to hire the personnel needed to manage both activities. That would be a heavy life.
Riders don’t fall for the Brand new helmet sitting in the middle of the trail trick. Here’s an Idea for the dumb mfers in the back, give us a legal riding spot, you have hiking trails, Mt biking trails,horse trails and snail trailes, but no mx trails probably the only state in the USA that doesn’t have any!!
Every state but RI has permits and areas for OHVs. Aren’t we better off with people entertaining themselves riding the trails than causing trouble elsewhere?
If it were legal, we could easily get groups of offroaders together to maintain the trails.
As a long-time trail maintainer and trail adopter for the AMC Narragansett Chapter, volunteering in Arcadia, George Washington, Burlingame, and Snake Den — as well as working alongside our local land trusts — I can say first-hand that the damage caused by ATVs and dirt bikes is real, constant, and deeply discouraging. People often don’t realize the amount of effort required to keep a trail sustainable, especially with today’s rapidly changing climate where water erosion alone can overwhelm a poorly managed route. When you add illegal motorized use on top of that, the destruction multiplies: ruts deepen, soils wash out, vegetation is torn apart, and carefully built features like drains and waterbars are ruined in minutes. I’ve personally watched dirt bikes on Wolf Hill in Smithfield — an area already full of open space under the power lines and around the old quarries where they could ride without impacting anyone — yet they still choose to carve through and crisscross established hiking trails. For what purpose? This kind of misuse directly undermines the work volunteers put in and degrades the public lands all of us share. For these reasons, and in line with the concerns raised recently about illegal off-roading across Rhode Island, I remain firmly opposed to motorized vehicles in our state management areas.It does not work in Conn.
State purchase of land using federal money for ATV/dirt bike use has been discussed/proposed several times over the past twenty years. Each time the abutters have objected because of the perceived diminishment of their quality of life due to noise all weekend. Friends who live near a now closed ATV/dirt bike dealership which had a test track attested to the noise from sunrise to sunset all weekend and on summer weeknights. It the ATV/dirt bike riders were truly serious of having a place to ride in Rhode Island they should get together, pool their resources and buy a piece of land. Gun clubs and hunting clubs have done it, they can too.
there is no excuse for entitled users of noisy, destructive, polluting, wildlife endangering machines damaging our public woodlands. Severe penalties are needed to deter this, otherwise it will continue and get worse
If a solution to this problem is indeed far off, there is yet a vital first step toward one that could be taken as early as next year: re-institute the Natural Heritage Program at DEM. Inexplicably, the successful NHA we had was eliminated by DEM almost twenty years ago.
Natural Heritage Programs are an idea conceived by The Nature Conservancy and first adopted in the 1970’s. Their basic purpose is to keep local inventory of wildlife and their habitats. Rhode Island was an early adapter. Through 2007 we had reliable data on our most vulnerable species and habitats. The Northwest corner of RI, with the contiguous George Washington and Buck Hill Wildlife Management Areas, and the Durfee Hill W.M.A, plus private holdings, added up to such a rich ecological assembly that The Nature Conservancy, in 1995, published the “Northwest Corner Conservation Plan.” In its introduction it stated: “Both the Arcadia/Nicholas Farm region and the Northwest Corner are of great conservation concern due to their intact condition and preponderance of
globally and state-imperiled species and natural communities.”
Clearly, state protection of habitat from un-policed ATV use is needed in the Wildlife Management Areas of this region. But accurate, current data is the first imperative for such a plan. A renewed Natural Heritage Program would supply it. But first, DEM itself must choose to pursue it and create a line item for it in its budget.
Next, that line item can only survive the General Assembly’s axe if the conservation interest groups of Rhode Island get off their duffs and rally around the cause. …How such a vital program has never been advocated for by the Environmental Council of Rhode Island is simply astonishing!
And those big, leading well-financed conservation organizations, some with full-time “Advocacy” officers, who have leading voices in the ECRI, where are their heads at?
Duh!
I volunteer with the AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) and a local Land Trust to maintain state and private property hiking trails in Rhode Island. Spending much time repairing trails damaged directly or indirectly by ATVs takes away from the time we have to clear blowdowns throughout the state. The RIDEM depends on volunteers to help maintain many popular hiking trails in our state. With the huge number of standing dead trees in our state, they simply do not have the staff to keep all the trails clear.
I have experienced trespassers speeding on ATVs though my posted 123-acre woodlot for over 25 years. I will be the first to admit that I do not play nice with such vandals. Some locations in Providence have been totally overwhelmed with huge numbers of ATVs illegally speeding down public streets.
I suggest it is time to treat ATMs and dirt bikes similar to how airborne Drones are tracked, where one may use a handheld receiver to record the Serial Number of devices, to help LE track down the owner, with expensive penalties for those who disable their pingers. I predict these problems will continue, until technology gives us a potential fix.
Doug
I am a Trail Adopter for the Narragansett Chapter of the AMC, and volunteer many hours a year trying to maintain trails for hikers throughout the Arcadia Mgt area. I have seen the damage done by unauthorized motor vehicle use on many if the trails our organization maintains. ATV and dirt bike riders don’t pay any heed to restrictions on many of the Trails we maintain. We have seen permitted events on our trails as well, and nothing is ever done to repair the damage caused by these events. RI DEM should do something to find a designated area for motor vehicles, but ATVers and motor bikers should not use the lack of a designated space as an excuse to do harmful and difficult to repair damage to our delicate trail systems. All user groups need to come together to push pressure on RI DEM and our General Assembly to develop a comprehensive trail use plan. RI DEM also needs to get more aggressive about posting signage with use restrictions on established trails now, to preserve our forests and better manage our trail systems. The AMC Narragansett Chapter Trails Committee is always looking for help and is open to partnerships with other user groups to develop and promote sustainable use of our forest resources
I am 57 and have been riding dirt bikes and ATVs since I was 9 and I can tell you that the area in NW Rhode Island you are referring to was never a problem until the jeep clubs started taking over the area, cutting there own trails, making deep ruts with their overweight vehicles and leaving trash behind. Sure there are always a few ATV or dirt bike riders that abuse the trails but we have always policed it ourselves and set them straight so this type of attention was never brought to the area. There are endless areas where people can hike, bike, walk, horse back ride etc. but not one place in the whole state to ride dirt bikes or ATVs. We pay our taxes like everyone else a deserve a place to enjoy our hobbies just as much as the rest of you. Every other State has trails and it works for them. It brings income to business etc. Just like all the other states, if there was a legal trail system there would be clubs to maintain the trails. Dirt, bike and ATV riders over the years have been the ones maintaining the trails. We clear downed trees etc. most of the trails would be overgrown if we did not ride them. Most trails started out as deer trails and that’s all they would still be if dirt bike and ATV riders did not ride them.
IN 2020 the Smithfield Land Trust discussed the use of deer cams to capture images at the time of incidences, especially of those downhill motor and manual bikers creating extra hazards for hikers going uphill on steep, abraded paths. Our police recommended placing them up high enough to avoid vandalism but our town council liaison at the time said she wouldn’t support their use as an attorney. concerned about privacy rights (?). As a member I told her if you aren’t doing anything wrong you have nothing to worry about, but her politically appointed friends, including the chairman voted against them. Imaging in the areas of this article is how the Scituate Reservoir security dept. handles their vandalism. Since then the Conservation Commission voted for the use of solar dummy camera motion sensors in two littering spots that still work well on their property. I wasn’t re-appointed because the T. Council president told me they wanted to “avoid more problems “. Vote with caution in Smithfield!
So just because an “Advid” biker complains you punish the ATV riders???? What if the ATV riders complain about hikers being in the way?? Would something be done about that??? NOOOOOOOO. So you buy land for exploring for.. people, the birds , the animals and everybody else what about buying g land so people CAN ride in peace.. LEGALLY!!! And NOT be harassed!! It’s always about everyone else and ATV riders get singled out !! Everytime !!!
How about a FEE for Mtn. bikers, like fisherman and hunters pay, to hunt and fish…hell Mtn. bikers have done so much damage to Big River, they should be fined !!! Come on you greedy politicians, think of the monies you could waste !!!
For the benefit of readers, I suggest that Eco RI be careful to describe state forests such as George Washington by their complete title, ie: “George Washington Wildlife Management Area.”
And in following mentions of the title in a given report at least initialize the crucial descriptors: W.M.A.
This would make clear to readers that such state property as George Washington W.M.A. was not only purchased for the express benefit of wildlife residing in such forests, but purchased in large part with Federal money collected from taxes levied on sporting fire arms and sporting archery equipment bought by sportsmen and women who pursue the subset of game animals that such forest ecosystems maintain. Without this clarity of description, readers cannot fully appreciate the scope of the problem reported above.
Fence it all off add more green energy solar panels. No more ruts , no more horse crap, no more dog crap, no more water bottles, no more deer guts, no one allowed on STATE PROPERTY, no more complaints. Sit at home and watch tv and obey with your green electricity. Wake up it’s not all about you.
Fascinating how ATV and off roaders are claiming their illegal property access is a right. Oh, and you will do trail maintenance if access becomes legal. That’s a hostage situation. Give us what we want and maybe we will fix the damage. There is no law against trail maintenance TODAY. Instead leave the trails torn up and full of your garbage. That is Easy. Here’s and idea: Do the actual work of lobbying, public outreach, working with the community and the DEM… That’s what many groups have done to secure access, funding, public property rights. Look to groups like Ducks Unlimited or the Appalachian Mountain Club or the Nature Conservancy. Nobody just handed anyone these things. It requires work, and a plan, and maybe admitting you are causing these problems and would like to make it right. What? Too much work? I guess since destroying public land is easy and fun, why rock the boat? Let someone else clean up your mess. That’s how babies live. Letting others deal with their… Wonder why there is no sympathy for lazy and entitled groups destroying public property and crying about how unfair it all is? Buy a mirror.
To all the Bikers/ATV ers out there. You have the right to establish a dedicated space for motor vehicle use. You do NOT have the right to cause irreparable damage to preserved open spaces. RI DEM dies need a comprehensive plan to accommodate all recreational uses of outdoor spaces. Do what other outdoor groups like the AMC have done to work for their users. Get involved! Participate in the process. The AMC does not look to exclude you from your recreational activity. We are looking to make a long term, sustainable plan that accommodates all groups while protecting the precious and limited outdoor open space we still have in RI. Organize as a group. Join the meetings that are happening and bring your perspective to the discussion at tge State level. Advocate to the State for a dedicated space. I can tell you, tge AMC would also advocate for a dedicated space for ATV’s and dirt bikes, so that the trails we maintain would not sustain so much damage. Invest time, effort and resources like our group does to repair and maintain trails. Show that your user groups is serious about the concerns of property owners and other conservation groups. We are all aware of the problems with the State open space use “plan”, and all are looking for ways to accommodate all recreational activities. Reach out to other organizations like the Narragansett Chapter of the AMC, to work to find a solution, rather than just complaining about the situation. It takes time, effort and money to do what all these conservation organizations are doing out there to promote outdoor recreation and open space conservation. Get involved and stop complaining about the other groups who are doing the hard work every day.
Give us a legal place to ride or we’re going to keep tearing up your precious hiking trails. You can b*tch and moan all you want it’s never going to stop. We’re the ONLY user group that is given NOTHING. ZERO. And then you have this entitled attitude like we’re scum and you all are gods gift. Where’s the outrage when developers level hundreds of acres of forest in the name of progress? But a couple dirt bike ruts and you’re going to cry like babies. Most of the trails that you entitled a**hats claim as your own wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for us. WE’RE the ones who originally cut them and we’re the ones who are going out with chainsaws and clearing deadfall and you have the gall to complain. Next time you come across a dirt biker in the woods you should stop and thank them for creating the trails that you get to enjoy walking on. Your the epitome of entitled cry babies
Braap, Your comment is not constructive, and if indicative of the general ATV/Dirt bike user group mentality, certainly explains why no progress has been made on developing a designated area for motor sports. Contrary to your claims, dirt bikes did not create the trails the AMC maintains, nor those in other conservation areas. Your childish name calling does nothing to foster the cooperation among the existing conservation organizations that will be critical to developing a dedicated space for motor sports. You are also oblivious to the the fact that groups like the AMC are already advocating on your behalf for a dedicated space. Maybe you should try something more constructive that your name calling. Maybe like get involved and do the hard work that other groups have done to earn and maintain a space for our activities.
There are a lot of great comments and concerns here. Braaap, I think your words show your immaturity and David was the opposite, addressing your comments with respect and maturity. I’m a dirt bike rider in my 40’s and I’ve been riding since I was 7 years old. There’s never been a legal or acceptable place to ride without fear of getting a ticket or getting your bike confiscated. There’s no way hikers, mountain bikers or hunters (with license) have ever felt that way, and good for them. In the name of freedom and fun I can’t understand how some of you think we’re disturbing or harming wildlife when the state allows hunters to go in the same wooded areas and kill the precious wildlife you’re so concerned about…for fun. And thats Ok? Ok, although I disagree, that person is enjoying a hobby of theirs and I respect that. And they have a right to do that because they paid money to the state and have a license to kill. Cool, God bless America. In the name of freedom and fun, I would like to gather any and all riders to join me in finding a solution to this longtime problem. I will pay the state for a license if it meant that I could finally ride my dirtbike in peace, without being ridiculed like I’m some hooligan. I’m respectful to the woods in which I ride, as I know many of my friends are as well. We don’t litter and we do our best to SHARE the trails with EVERYONE, regardless if we agree with what they’re doing.
We obviously can’t ride them in the street and I do not condone that behavior, those people should just buy street bikes if they wanna ride on the street. Easy solution. For those of us who would like to ride our dirtbike bikes in the dirt, we should have a place to do so. I drive to NH and pay that state to ride their trail systems. I actually got a ticket for not stopping at an intersection last year. The money from that ticket goes to the state to maintain the trails and patrol them. Wow! What a great idea!
This all needs to be treated like a business and the state doesn’t know how to run a business, especially a business they have no interest in.
There’s one motocross track in the state where people can go to ride for a fee after signing a waiver. The man there runs a business and provides a place for riders to ride. Thank you Buttonwoods MX! And God bless America. The guy gets his balls busted constantly by some of the locals but at least this guy is providing a solution to the problem. I personally reached out to him to build an all year round indoor riding facility for all ages. Think of it like go karting on two wheels. Add a restaurant and other family fun things to do (not axe throwing) and you have a solution to the problem. Anybody interested in doing something like this, please reach out and let’s be a solution to the problem.
Derek, Thank you for your thoughtful and constructive comments. I would encourage riders who really want to find a permanent solution to reach out to the Trails Committee of the Narragansett Chapter of the AMC to talk about the process we are navigating to work for an inclusive and respectful trail use policy. I think we can all agree that the State is the problem, and only by working together (tirelessly), presenting a comprehensive plan, and then pushing for it, will we get to the solution. I would also mention that I believe that the hikers, bikers, and horsemen that use the trails all share the desire to create a dedicated space for motor sports.
ATVs and Guns go hand-in-hand as sporting outlets. To me, the idea of such sport is inconceivable compared to other options available. The mental health that comes from a quiet immersion in nature, thanking one’s ancestors for the gift of life, and naareatural ecosystem services for maintaining it, has always been a secret sauce to my quality of life. That said, catharsis for those not capable of finding a resonance quietly in nature, is very useful as aggression and anger and a need for adrenaline are human realities. The awareness of both sides in any potential preferences clash is important to deal with in a manner of compassion and kindness. Otherwise, escalation of bad feelings is almost guaranteed. If there is a need for ATV trails, I would support designated areas among our managed land areas. Ideally, they would rotate and the ATV riders would restore trails for any damage that led to degradation over time. Non-ATV riders, who have the requisite kindness and compassion, might join them in that endeavor. I could be talked into it quite readily as I have enjoyed conversations with those who have passed me on gas or electric-powered vehicles in the woods. I was unaware that it was against regulations as I just figured ATVs and Guns are a part of the grand American experiment. No matter what the situation, our management areas are precious resources for our mental health and deserve our appreciation.