David Lesh Still Banned From Colorado National Forest Land
A part-time Colorado resident, banned from national forest lands was in a Grand Junction court recently to plead his case.
In October, David Lesh was prohibited from being on national forest land following the latest in a series of stunts that have put him in hot water with authorities as well as Colorado outdoor enthusiasts.
The list of alleged offenses includes riding a snowmobile in a closed terrain park on Independence Pass, allegedly walking out onto a log at Hanging Lake, and, most recently, posting a picture that shows him supposedly defecating in Maroon Lake.
According to the Aspen Times, Lesh was in court last week trying to get the ban lifted so he could be on national forest land to promote his outdoor clothing company and to participate in skiing events.
A motion had been filed on Lesh's behalf that said the Maroon Lake photo was fake and that Lesh had never even been to Maroon Lake, however, the judge denied the motion - keeping the ban in place for the time being. Lesh's next court hearing is scheduled for January 11.
While Lesh has demonstrated little regard for the rules of the land and respect for Colorado's outdoors, I have seen a lot of anger being expressed on social media from outdoor enthusiasts. The guy is creating a lot of publicity for his company and I'm not sure it's good publicity.
Take a look at some of these comments from Facebook -and there's plenty more that aren't printable.
* "Spoiled little privileged brat."
* "He is a disgrace."
* "This guy needs to disappear."
* "He should be scrubbing toilets..."
Only time will tell if David Lesh will turn over a new leaf in 2021, but for now, he's not welcome on Colorado's national forest lands and it sounds like plenty of people are pretty happy about that.