Mike has a good point. It's called "urban sprawl." I can't really throw stones, though, as I live in a neighborhood that probably qualifies as an urban sprawl development. Texas is notorious for it, though. Florida has a state law requiring counties to develop comprehensive plans to help prevent urban sprawl and keep as many open spaces as possible. One problem, though, is that most suburbanites like myself don't like to be pidgeon-holed into dense, crowded, citified areas. So we seek calmer, quieter neighborhoods in the outskirts. Another problem that feeds off the former is that private landowners cry foul saying they can't sell or develop their land to make money by turning their piece of pristine land into yet another cookie-cutter subdivision, golf course or shopping center. Since our 4x4 hobby relies mostly on undeveloped land with crude trails, it tends to clash with private landowner/developer needs to flatten, pave and develop that land.
Then you have another problem we face here in TX - plenty of undeveloped land here in TX owned by private interests. Let's face it, if I owned a huge tract of land, I probably would not want to allow folks to wheel on it. Notwithstanding insurance and liability issues, there's the risk that fourwheeling activity will simply trash the land. Any revenue generated from it probably would be paltry, too, compared to what I could get if I leased it out for hunting. My guess is that you'd have to really love fourwheeling to invest your own land for purposes of a park. I like what Superlift did, though, which is buy a tract of land and open up their own park. They're in the business of making and selling suspension components for 4x4s, so why not invest in an ORV park that relates to their business, right? I don't know why more 4x4 dependent businesses don't do this. As big as 4WPW is, you'd think they'd benefit from doing the same by buying and developing ORV parks in the states where they've established stores.
I also think the TPWD should get involved, too. There's obviously a big demand for our kind of recreational activity. I mean, I go to state parks to go camping, and sometimes the campgrounds are packed. But how often do you see them packed to the brim like you do at events like Mega Run or the Jeep Jamborees? It's great that the state has bought and invested land in state parks, but I think it's high time they do the same for OHV parks. They've already established the OHV decal program, but not all the money is allocated for OHV parks. If I remember the text of the bill, only a certain portion of the funds from OHV decal sales is apportioned to the program, while the rest goes into the general fund. I've already written my representatives about that in the hopes they'll amend the law.