Mountain Bikers Actually Think a PICNIC Wil Make People Want to Permit Mountain Biking!!!!!

http://www.ebtrails.org/

I know you mean well, but the problem of mountain biking has nothing
to do with whether people can get along with each other. Minus their
bikes, mountain bikers are indistinguishable from everyone else. The
problem is the presence of BIKES in supposedly natural areas. Unless
you address THAT problem, you are wasting your time. And the ONLY fix
is to keep BIKES out of natural areas. Twenty years is plenty of time
to learn that. The only things that have changed are that (1) bikes
are more robust, and thus able to go to more places, (2) the number of
mountain bikers has increased, and (3) hikers and equestrians have
been driven off of many of the trails and out of the parks. Someone
who wants to experience nature as it was created, in peace and quiet
and without fear, has far fewer options than ever before. No picnic,
however pleasant, will ever change that.

Bicycles should not be allowed in any natural area. They are inanimate
objects and have no rights. There is also no right to mountain bike.
That was settled in federal court in 1994:
http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande/mtb10 . It's dishonest of mountain
bikers to say that they don't have access to trails closed to bikes.
They have EXACTLY the same access as everyone else -- ON FOOT! Why
isn't that good enough for mountain bikers? They are all capable of
walking....

A favorite myth of mountain bikers is that mountain biking is no more
harmful to wildlife, people, and the environment than hiking, and that
science supports that view. Of course, it's not true. To settle the
matter once and for all, I read all of the research they cited, and
wrote a review of the research on mountain biking impacts (see
http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande/scb7 ). I found that of the seven
studies they cited, (1) all were written by mountain bikers, and (2)
in every case, the authors misinterpreted their own data, in order to
come to the conclusion that they favored. They also studiously avoided
mentioning another scientific study (Wisdom et al) which did not favor
mountain biking, and came to the opposite conclusions.

Those were all experimental studies. Two other studies (by White et al
and by Jeff Marion) used a survey design, which is inherently
incapable of answering that question (comparing hiking with mountain
biking). I only mention them because mountain bikers often cite them,
but scientifically, they are worthless.

Mountain biking accelerates erosion, creates V-shaped ruts, kills
small animals and plants on and next to the trail, drives wildlife and
other trail users out of the
area, and (worst of all) teaches kids that the rough treatment of
nature is okay (it's NOT!). What's good about THAT?

For more information: http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande/mtbfaq .
--
I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-limits to
humans ("pure habitat"). Want to help? (I spent the previous 8
years fighting auto dependence and road construction.)

Please don't put a cell phone next to any part of your body that you are fond of!

http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande