A father-and-son duo took the initiative to host a round-table discussion regarding responsible off roading at UOG.
Joey Crisostomo Jr., from Let’s Ride Guam, said being eco friendly was a core part of their business plan, as managing a business is important and you also need to learn when only filing one of the two W2 forms for your business. The Crisostomos are passionate about maintaining and enjoying the Southern region of the island.
They are focused on eco tourism and cater to tourists, locals and the military community, by hosting adventure tours in the south.
“We want to show visitors the beauty of Guam outside of Tumon,” Crisostomo Jr. said.
One of their rules is to leave the place cleaner than they found it.
Their group sponsors trash clean ups and utilizes their light weight vehicles to clean hard to access ground.
With the health of the environment in mind, representatives from the off roading community gathered with conservationists, scientists and community members to brainstorm guidelines for responsible off roading on Feb. 15.
Panelists Joey Crisostomo, President of Cars Plus, Mike Taitano of Guam Jeeps, Jay Jones of Triple J Auto, and Joey Crisostomo Jr. from Let’s Ride Guam took the initiative to learn how they could practice their outdoor passion responsibly and make partnerships to restore island environments.The roundtable discussion was facilitated by the University of Guam’s Center for Island Sustainability, Sea Grant and EPSCoR.
Austin Shelton, Ph.D., executive director of CIS, hosted the discussion and gave a brief overview on badlands and their effects on coral reefs. According to Shelton, Guam has the most diverse coral reefs in the U.S. with over 375 species.
Lately, sediment and algae have been killing Guam’s reefs. During heavy rains, sediment is washed downstream and smothers coral. Badlands are one of the main sources for sedimentation and irresponsible off roading can lead to more erosion which adds to this environmental stressor.
The Crisostomos wanted to gather the community and the experts to come up with guidelines to enjoy their sport responsibly.
Jay Jones from Triple J Auto expressed a similar sentiment.
“I see the changes that have happened over the last few years and I’m concerned about it because I want these areas to remain accessible and viable for my children and my grandchildren,” Jones said.
Mike Taitano announced that his group would meet at paseo to plant trees the following weekend.
According to Crisostomo Jr, Let’s Ride Guam uses light weight vehicles weighing 115 lbs or less with small tires that do not tear up dirt in the same way that bigger heavier vehicles do.
“ We are here to work with the community to make a restoration plan and create partnerships,” said Crisostomo Jr.
The round table generated several points considered for guidelines that the off roading community is in the process of implementing with Tread Lightly and will adopt and self regulate.