Wilderness plan closes trails to bikes

The Durango Herald ^ | January 23, 2008 | Katie Burford

[george76]

Mountain bikers worry proposal could kill ‘epic ride’.

Many of the area's skilled mountain bikers are concerned about a proposal that would ban them from some of their most-prized local trails, including a segment of the Colorado Trail.

The proposal is part of a draft plan by the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service to guide management of 2.4 million acres of public lands in Southwest Colorado.

The plan recommends classifying 55,000 acres as new wilderness, including 51,000 acres west of Hermosa Creek.

Congress is ultimately responsible for establishing wilderness areas, which cannot be used by motorized vehicles or mountain bikes.

"There's 500,000 ways to preserve it other than by banning bicyclists," mountain biker Gardner Catsman said.

The Colorado Trail, a 500-mile route from outside Denver to Durango, is "a premier, world-class, long-distance" trail for mountain bikers, according to the trail's Web site, with the strenuous 75-mile segment from Molas Pass to Durango being especially revered among the sport's elite.

Severing it, Catsman said, would eliminate the area's "only classic, epic ride."

[Lancer_N3502A]

First it was ATVs, now it’s bikes, next it’ll be people. UN biosphere coming soon to your area.

[Pablo64]

The road through Phantom Canyon is beautiful. My wife and I lived in Canon City for a few years after we were married (before moving back to the Durango area), and her parents live near there in Williamsburg. I don’t know if you got the chance to take a drive along Hwy 50 going west past the turnoff for the Gorge, but the drive through the canyon along the Arkansas River between Canon City and Salida is amazing. The rock formations are fascinating, and you are along the river almost the entire way.

[TChris]

The BLM is an unconstitutional, steaming pile of fascism.

If the FedGov obliterated the BLM, along with the Dept of Ed, we could all be a little freer and send a little less money to Washington.

[Bruce 22-250]

Anyone that send any money to the gang green is a traitor to America. All these groups do is collect billions to take away our rights. Sierra Club, PETA any and all of these NGO’s are socailist scum. Cut the money off stop supporting them.

[CDHart]

I will remember that info, as we have plans to go back maybe next summer. Thanks!

Carolyn

[Madame Dufarge]

PUBLIC PROPERTY

NO TRESPASSING

Thank You - The Management

[VeniVidiVici]

They ride through soft mud leaving deep ruts that remain all year when the soil hardens.

I don't condone the other actions of the bikers you mention but those deep ruts out in the middle of the boondocks, well, they can be quite hazardous to deer and elk.

The Ocala National Forest near me just closed down another 8000 acres, claiming vehicles (4x4) were damaging the area. To back up their claim they showed the picture of what looked to be a single mud hole probably about 25 yards in diameter and a single seedling that had been run over. 8000 acres for that.

[Age of Reason]

mountain bikers are concerned about a proposal that would ban them from some of their most-prized local trails

They should ban them--and snowmobiles, too.

Those noisy, smelly, terrain disfiguring things don't belong in place prized for its natural beauty.

Get out and walk, ski, or ride a horse, you lazy cheap thrill seekers.

[Age of Reason]

I used to mountain bike back around 1990-95. Horses on the trail would sometimes freak out at a moving bike. And the rider would look at us like it was somehow our fault that their animal was skittish.

Horse riders should be accorded right of way over any mechanized means of transport, in the same way that sailboats have right of way over powerboats.

[JasonC]

To the green nazis, the whole point of the federal government is to legislate humanity out of existence, to let nature take back the world. I am not exaggerating.

[passionfruit]

I don’t know about the 8000 acres you talk about, but they are destructive and unwelcome on my 42 acres.

[george76]

b

The BLM is an unconstitutional, steaming pile of fascism.

.

[george76]

The feds have also banned skiing, hiking, tent camping, horse back riding...too.

[Sicon]

Now wouldn't it be ironic if, as I suspect, most of these cyclists were cheering when the government put restrictions on the use of the land by motorcyclists or ATV riders? It's the same old thing: "When they came for the [insert group here], we did nothing. When they came for the [insert another group here], we did nothing. When they came for us, there was no one else left to help us fight."

Schmucks.

I can imagine the scene in a few more years:

Father with children at the edge of some blighted urban landscape, looking at the distance forest and mountains:

Daughter [pointing at a tree]: "Daddy, what's that?"
Father: "Don't touch it!"
Daughter: "I wasn't touching it, I was just pointing..."
Father: "Well, don't point at it."
Daughter: "Can I just look at it?"
Father: "No! No, don't even look at it. I think we've had enough of that one, anyway."

(If you've ever seen "This Is Spinal Tap", then you know the inspiration for the dialog)

[VeniVidiVici]

I don’t know about the 8000 acres you talk about, but they are destructive and unwelcome on my 42 acres.

I'm sure if you shoot a couple that would end.

[george76]

That is the liberal eco-nut agenda :

Now wouldn’t it be ironic if, as I suspect, most of these cyclists were cheering when the government put restrictions on the use of the land by motorcyclists or ATV riders? It’s the same old thing: “When they came for the [insert group here], we did nothing.

When they came for the [insert another group here], we did nothing.

When they came for us, there was no one else left to help us fight.”

[VOA]

The mountain bikers...(snip)...pee and defecate where they are
when the urge strikes, and they drink out of plastic bottles and
aluminum cans which they throw on the ground.

Gad! I hope those are the "One-Percenters" of the mountain biking
world. ("One-Percenters" was the term respectable motorcyclists
applied to the motorcycle "clubs" that sprung up in CA after WWII,
e.g., Hell's Angels, Mongols, etc.)

I'm sorry your area is hit by that sort of offensive assault.

And that more mountain bikers are like the ones I knew in college:
nearly Sierra-Club-styled outdoors folks that picked up after themselves
and only went into authorized areas.

Sounds like mountain-biking is like surfing: some jerks have to
turn an outdoor activity into gang-style activity.

[PapaBear3625]

First it was ATVs, now it’s bikes, next it’ll be people. UN biosphere coming soon to your area.

It's a way to preserve pristine areas for the Elites, who will get to them via helicopter

[Proud2BeRight]

We do a lot of back country hiking and see nothing that is wrong with bikes also being on the trails. Hikers can step aside when they meet as we do with horseback. Actually, the bikes are a lot less annoying than the horse poop and damage done by hooves. But don’t get me wrong, bikes, horses and hikers are low impact and fine together on most mountain trails.

[B4Ranch]

Has Bush sold off the Parks? What in the hell is going on? Doesn’t the new owner allow trespassers?