by Meghan McCausland

Feature

Public Land Management Act Affects Mountain Biking

On March 30, 2009, President Obama signed into law the Omnibus Public Land Management Act. This Act, consisting of 160 different bills, concerns the application of resources, boundaries, protection and regulations to valuable public land.

Translation: Some bills buried deep within the confines of the Act affect mountain biking on public lands. Mountain bikers have struggled to find a suitable place in the use of public lands, often experiencing exclusion due to the boundaries of wilderness areas. Yet advocates like the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), gained a strong victory through this Act, as many of the bills save a lot of singletrack access.

Photo by Courtesy of John Zilly/Adventure PressFifteen Mile Trail is now under the protection of the Fifteen Mile Creek National Recreation Area designation, providing continued biking access for all to enjoy.

In President Obama’s signing address he marvels at the weight of this Act, saying it’s “the largest public land expansion in 15 years” according to political blog The Caucus. He also states, “This legislation guarantees that we will not take our forests, rivers, oceans, national parks, monuments and wilderness areas for granted; but rather we will set them aside and guard their sanctity for everyone to share.” The President’s inspirational speech may cause some mountain bikers to wince since the words “guarding” and “sanctity” may conjure images of signs reading, “No bicycles! Wilderness Area!” However, by the phrase “everyone to share,” the President readily includes cyclists too. The Act actually “creates thousands of miles of new scenic, historic and recreational trails,” Obama claims.

The Omnibus Act passed in the House of Representatives with a 285-140 vote. The impact for the National Park Service (NPS) extends not only to trail development but a number of new resources as well as many areas now included in the National Park System (NPSy). There are 9 new National Heritage Areas as well as 3 new units in the NPSy. The recent units include Paterson Great Falls National Historic Park, The William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site and the River Raisin National Battlefield Park. Kate Phillips of The Caucus puts it succinctly: “It will create 2 million acres of wilderness, set aside thousands for scenic rivers, create a new national monument [and] 3 new national parks.” The Act also makes permanent the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) Act — a collection of 26 million acres of public lands and 800 units combined under the umbrella of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

So what does this have to do with mountain biking? Included in this Act, packed next to unrelated bills and cushioned with side-notes, stipulations and jargon, the NPS proposed a rule-change to allow an easier process for opening mountain biking trails. Currently, mounds of red tape and paperwork bar the way to the opening of a lot of singletrack. However, according to IMBA’s news release, this rule-change, “authorizes park superintendents to open existing trails to bicycles” so long as it complies with regulations such as those under the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA). Many of the bills also renegotiate park borders while still allowing bicycles on much of the singletrack. Traditionally, wilderness areas do not permit access to mountain bikers, while allowing hikers and equestrians. In 1984 the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) tacked on a regulation to the Wilderness Act, grouping bikers and hang gliders together and outlawing their presence in wilderness areas. However, with the help of cycling advocacy groups, mountain biking and the conservation community have come to more of a compromise.

Photo by IMBAJill Van Winkle riding the Fifteen Mile trail on Mt Hood.

The Omnibus Act is positive for bikers in that it protects the National Parks’ resources and much of the singletrack access. IMBA lobbied tirelessly to argue how both aspects may be protected without excluding or harming each other. The association worked closely with the Wilderness Society in order to voice their needs and concerns for conserving natural resources and biking trails. This cooperation allowed the NPS to jump aboard with many of the bills that are beneficial to cyclists. The Oregon Mountain Bike Alliance also lobbied for bills that would protect resources while keeping mountain biking an open option. Oregon gained a large victory with the addition of National Recreation Area (NRA) status to key riding areas near Fifteen Mile Creek and Boulder Lake (Mt. Hood).

The states with the most involvement in the bills are Oregon, Virginia, California and Colorado. Although each state lost access to some established trails, West Virginia’s 75 miles of singletrack in the Wild Monongahela Wilderness and California’s Eastern Sierra and Northern San Gabriel Wilderness are two significant areas now off limits to mountain biking.

The effects of the new bills are mostly positive as they were shaped with riders in mind. On the plus side, IMBA lists:

Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act: Traditional bike trails such as Surveyors Ridge, 8 Mile, Fifteen Mile, Knebal Springs and Gorge Trail 400, among others, are now protected under the National Recreation Area designation.

Virginia Ridge and Valley Act: Includes over 10,000 acres of National Scenic Area that still allows biking.

Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness Act: The Park’s boundaries were adjusted in order to complete a 16-mile trail.

Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area Act: This area in Colorado is designated as a “bike-friendly” zone.

Riverside Wilderness Act in California: This also preserves most of the traditional bicycle trails.

National Landscape Conservation System Act: Provides greater recognition to millions of acres of lands including many trails important for the sport, such as those near Fruita, Colo.

Photo by Courtesy of John Zilly/Adventure PressMount Hood trails are now protected.

Four years of diligent work on the part of the Oregon Mountain Bike Alliance finally came to fruition with the Omnibus Act as Oregon experienced a huge growth in public lands. The Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act adds thousands of miles of new wilderness and recreation areas. Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith helped boost the legislation along. Around 127,000 acres of wilderness has been established around Mount Hood. Also, Senator Wyden’s legislation brief announces, “[the Act creates] more than 34,000 acres of Mount Hood National Recreation Area with improved access for mountain biking and other recreation opportunities.” The legislation’s text (bill number S.647) clearly states that exactly 34,550 acres of the Mount Hood National Recreation Area will open within Mount Hood National Forest: this is good news for mountain bikers eager to experience the new terrain.

Although it is a collaboration between the conservationists and the mountain bike community that brought these bills to pass, cycling has dealt with, and is still facing, a lot of pressure over biking territory. For example, the Montana Mountain Bike Alliance (MMBA) is currently waging a war with the USFS, among others, calling it “The Wilderness Battle.” The fight is in regards to the Gallarin National Forest between Bozeman and Yellowstone National Park. The Forest Service proposed to closing 144 miles of singletrack, stirring up a lawsuit with the Montana Wilderness Association (who claimed that 144 miles was not enough). MMBA continues to battle to keep the precious trails available to bikers.

Not only do mountain bikers struggle against the groups and coalitions intent on protecting the environment (i.e. by excluding bicycles) but hikers and equestrians — those lucky parties able to enjoy many of the areas that are off-limits to anything with two wheels. Some of the complaints have to do with differences in speed. Equestrians complain that mountain bikers are too fast and dangerous to share a trail with a horse, “hikers accuse cyclists of creating erosion … [while] mountain bikers say hikers are narrow-minded ideologues who see no other way to enjoy the wilderness.”(The Denver Post).

Whatever the issue may be, it has been difficult for mountain bikers to sustain a place on the heavily protected public lands. However, in the defense of off-road riders, according to one scientific study, it is a toss-up as to who has the most impact on trail erosion and the environment. In 2001 at the University of Guelph, Ontario, botanist Richard Reader and graduate student Eden Thurston conducted a study to help clear up the issue. They published the “Impacts of Experimentally Applied Mountain Biking and Hiking on Vegetation and Soil of a Deciduous Forest,” a study which ultimately concluded that hikers and bikers trample vegetation in equal measures (uoguelph.ca).

Although the signing of the Omnibus Pubic Land Management Act does not answer this argument about the potential harm to public lands, many of the bills aim to compromise with the growing numbers of mountain bikers eager to utilize the trails. The cycling community finally has cause to clap alongside all the other eager parties affected by the signing. It seems mountain biking is slowly finding a place in the consideration of public lands. This time, there has been enough advocacy and support to turn the heads of congress, ultimately allowing more singletrack access near wilderness areas. This is a positive turn for the off-road community and hopefully they will be able to maintain a stable niche in the delicate balance of preserving and enjoying our land.

For further information:
-wyden.senate.gov
-denverpost.com
-govtrack.us
-thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com
-nytimes.com
-wilderness.org
-whitehouse.gov
-imba.com/news
-doi.gov
-nps.gov
-bikemag.com
-uoguelph.ca
-montananountainbikingalliance.org
-thomas.loc.gov