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Mountain bikers oppose wilderness, as usual



 
 
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Old March 26th 13, 05:52 AM posted to alt.mountain-bike
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Default Mountain bikers oppose wilderness, as usual

On Monday, July 18, 2011 7:04:45 AM UTC-7, Mike Vandeman wrote:
So much for the Sierra Club's Park City Agreement, where IMBA promised
not to oppose Wilderness designation. They have never lived up to
their "promise", even though the Sierra Club did. It's as if mountain
bikers are incapable of walking, or too lazy to do so!

Mike


Date: Fri, 08 Jul 2011 10:17:36 -0600
Subject: Mountain bikers oppose wilderness
From: Brian Horejsi

AS SENT TO BLH:

Note that mountain bikers are among the most "vocal" opponents of new
wilderness in Colorado. However, this guy Dennis Coello seems to be an
exception and might be someone worth talking to for support for non-
mountain biking wilderness.


SNIP: Dennis Coello, author of "The Complete Mountain Biker," says,
"In this day of man's increasingly mechanical approach to the
outdoors, when thousands experience nature not for what it is through
observation but as a playground, there aren't many places left where
one is guaranteed one won't be run over by a Jeep or snowmobile or
mountain bike. Preserving those [wilderness] areas * at the cost of a
disgruntled few * seems worth the price."

The Denver Post (CO)

July 8, 2011

Opinion

Bennet’s wilderness bill a mixed bag

By David A. Lien

It's obvious to me that hunters and anglers and other outdoors-men and
women stand to benefit from Sen. Michael Bennet's proposed Hermosa
Creek Wilderness Bill. Sen. Bennet and his staff have worked
diligently on crafting the bill, and he's seeking public comment on
the proposal.

The Hermosa-Hesperus Peak Roadless Area, at 148,000 acres, is the
largest roadless area in Colorado. I've hunted elk in some of this
terrain. It's rough country and excellent big- game habitat. As
southwest Colorado native, outfitter and hunting guide Mike Murphy
says: "This is a rare wild place where elk have enough hiding cover
that a few still die of old age. And if we don't have that, we're
mismanaging the resource."

Sen. Bennet's bill would create a three-zone special management area
for Hermosa Creek made up of 37,236 acres of wilderness on the west
side of the creek, a 43,217-acre roadless area, and a zone open to
timber activity and other uses.

However, we have mixed feelings. For almost 40 years, conservationists
have wanted to see wilderness protection for much of the 100,000
undeveloped acres in the Hermosa watershed. As one of Colorado's San
Juan National Forest representatives from the Backcountry Hunters and
Anglers put it: "Overall, this is a great bill. However, it lacks
adequate protection for part of the Hermosa Roadless Area that
includes Bear Creek, Hesperus Mountain, Rough Canyon, Rio Lado, etc.
This would connect the Animas River drainage to the Dolores River
drainage * a rare opportunity that should not be missed."

Another Durango-area BHA member adds, "The area for the proposed
wilderness designation is already roadless. It is a very steep, rugged
area . . . . I will support this bill because I know that some
wilderness designation is better than none."

Some of the most vocal opponents of additional Colorado wilderness
designations in the San Juans and elsewhere have recently come from a
small, if loud, user minority group: mountain bikers.

Dennis Coello, author of "The Complete Mountain Biker," says, "In this
day of man's increasingly mechanical approach to the outdoors, when
thousands experience nature not for what it is through observation but
as a playground, there aren't many places left where one is guaranteed
one won't be run over by a Jeep or snowmobile or mountain bike.
Preserving those [wilderness] areas * at the cost of a disgruntled few
* seems worth the price."

Mountain bikes appropriately are not allowed in designated wilderness
areas because they represent a mechanical advantage. Bicycles, and
ORVs even moreso, effectively shrink the wilderness, allowing a
visitor to cover distances in a short time that might otherwise
require several days of foot travel. As authors Mark Pearson and John
Fielder explain in "Colorado's Canyon Country," the spirit of
wilderness is "one of shedding the trappings and pace of civilization
in favor of the slower rhythms found in nature."

With 62 miles of streams eligible for designation under the Wild and
Scenic Rivers Act, the Hermosa Creek watershed is rated "outstanding,"
the state's highest water-quality designation. But as the state's
largest unprotected roadless area, it's at risk of losing that coveted
designation. While the significant protection offered in the draft
Hermosa Creek Wilderness Bill is greatly appreciated, for a place this
special we should be able to do even better and encourage Sen. Bennet
to make the most of this fleeting moment to add the full protections
sportsmen and women have been asking for since this long process first
began.

David A. Lien is co-chairman of Colorado Backcountry Hunters and
Anglers.

http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_18434963


Wow, there's some pretty rough and disrespectful language on this older post! Sad to see.

Though it's the current law of the land, it's unreasonable, unfair and discriminatory to ban bicycles (human powered transport) from Wilderness.

TA
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