Bush to open national parks to mountain bikes and other Public Lands

[Rocks 'n Roots]

Some of the worst people for hiking trails are hikers themselves. A case in point are hikers who voice opinions like "does the AT have too much land already?" or "The Maine AT needs to do its part for green and allow wind turbines". These people take offense when someone suggests those aren't the best opinions for the AT. But truth is they aren't. The basic rule with mt bikers is once they get in they'll branch out and seek trails wherever they find them. The damage from mt bikers on the southern NY trail network put in place by volunteers for decades was obvious. Tire tracks with the water table puddling up into them and wider mud bogs along with braided avoidance tracks around hazards, some created by bikes themselves, were all in clear evidence, as well as advancing erosion.

That's why I don't like the previous 'conservative' political climate in America. It allows lesser sophisticated or credible opinions to feel they have a strong voice when really they are just forcing a lesser ethic or sensibility. I'll take it that since no effort was made to address the damage part of my post that it says enough in itself. Some people want to go right to the political part, bypassing the entire damage/use conflict part, and still feel they have a credible opinion.

Unlike some Trail Conference people I think mt bikers should be allowed to build and maintain trails of their own in the lower NY area. But the two very definitely don't mix for people with a credible learned knowledge from volunteer experience with hiking trail authorities and their long volunteer hour, back-breaking maintenance (ehemm ehemm).

A good example of the irresponsibility of this laissez faire share and share alike opinion is a hiker who reported from the Continental Divide Trail that the upper mountain tarns all had their fragile riparian zone with their fragile grasses and ecosystem scoured away by ATV's. I'm sure the people doing it would love to have the argument simplified down into simple 'environmental elitist' terms - but it isn't that simple. The forces behind it, and their agenda, and how it translates to the overall environment, is clear to those paying attention. The idea is an attack by higher members of government on environmentalism. It's an insidious force using dubious tactics to weaken environmentalism at a time it is needed most. For lesser minds it is reduced to a wrestling type level of extreme right vs extreme left. It's silly.

[Mags]

Let's try to stay on topic and not mention the left vs. right crap again...

Thanks!

This post to be deleted soon. So many brainwashed people in this country.

Nope. Not gonna delete posts. However, I think most of you can be respectful and keep the political debates of left vs. right outside of this multiuse thread. Aye?

[Mags]

I suspect many of the offhand multiple use commenters are not maintainers and probably have a hiking connection to the AT mainly.

http://www.comba.org/index.php?optio...id=5&Itemid=41
(They maintain a long stretch of the CO trail)

http://bma-mtb.org/getinvolved/volunteer.php
(They were one of the moving forces to help construct a new trail in Boulder County/Lyons that connected two big chunks of open space
http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008...-picture-rock/)


Those who argue against multi-use are probably not familiar with the spirit of cooperation and stewardship that is shown among outdoor users out West. We value our resources together. Not work against each other.

[Pedaling Fool]

http://www.imba.com/news/action_aler...le_change.html

[yappy]

On portions of the Colorado trail there were dirt bikes going so fat... spooking the sheep, that they busted ankles and legs running away in confused fear. we saw it happen more then once. I did ask a guy to slow down cuz of it and he did. He did'nt seem to realise is was happening. That is the key seems to me. We ALL have to recognise that we play a part if we are gonna share the trails well. Noone owns them. it was incredibly sad to see though. Also, there were so many branching off trails that it gets really beat up and abused.

[Rockhound]

Wilderness, or not, mountain bikes are not environmentally harmless. A mountain bike churning through a muddy trail does the same damage as an ATV, though on a smaller scale.

Our town land trust two years ago built a half mile of bog bridges on one small preserve to keep the path hikeable from trails chewed up by bikers who loved to get out in the woods on the first good days of early spring.

Conditions in Maine with 60 inches of rain and lots of clay soils are different from the dry barrens of Texas and the west.

Weary

or the impact of 5000 pairs of hiking poles and boots. people should be able to enjoy the outdoors in whatever manner they chose. hiking, biking, horseback riding, all will have an impact. there is enough land to have seperate trails for bikers, horses and hikers while still keeping our human impact minimized. the key is living in harmony with our environment. raise revenue from hikers/bikers/riders to protect the land from those who would clearcut and stripmine every last acre.