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Help Add MTB to Wilderness on Case by Case Basis

 
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sick4surf



Joined: 04 Jun 2007
Posts: 146
Location: Lawnguyland

PostPosted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 1:44 pm    Post subject: Help Add MTB to Wilderness on Case by Case Basis Reply with quote

Help Add Mountain Biking To Select Areas of Wilderness

It's time to right a wrong and overturn the unjust ban of mountain biking in Wilderness. Please take a few moments to write your state's two Senators and ask them to support and co-sponsor the "Human-Powered Travel in Wilderness Areas Act".

Here are some pointers and how to email your comments. Please take action and make your voice heard.

Action Alert: Ask Your Senators to Support Bill S.3205 | NEMBA

It's not a Long Island issue as there is only one federal wilderness area near us. Nationally, it's not a blanket approval. It's a case by case plan to open areas that were recently closed to bikes. Epic trails in Idaho, California,Colorado and Montana are not so epic anymore due to newly closed sections fragmenting their ride

Rebuttal to NY Times article:
No, Mountain Bikes Won't Destroy Our Wilderness Trails - Men's Journal

Thanks Rob for taking action and posting your letter as an example. This is about helping others less fortunate than those of us living on Long Island

Letter:

Dear Senator ____________, (Shumer or Gillibrand)

I write today request that you support and/or co-sponsor Bill S.3205, providing access for cyclists to appropriate wilderness areas, as was the case for twenty (20) years until the unfair ban on that activity.

I fully support the concept of Wilderness and preserving our open space, while providing access for human-powered travel, such as mountain biking. The impacts of mountain biking are the same as hiking and pose no threat to our Wilderness. In fact, as a member of a volunteer mountain biking organization (Concerned Long Island Mountain Bike Association C.L.I.M.B.), I am involved in cooperating with the local D.E.C. in creating and maintaining approved trails in our area. Our involvement proves that mountain biking can and does co-exist with goals of preserving federally protected lands while providing responsible access for local constituents.

It seems clear that the US Forest Service’s 1984 ban on bicycles was a misinterpretation of the 1964 Wilderness Act, and between 1964 and 1984 bicycles were allowed in Wilderness. Banning bicycles is fundamentally unjust, and removes the opportunity for your constituents to have fair access, while also removing volunteer support and knowledgable, responsible use of our local resources.

I fully understand that the appropriate use of Wilderness areas must be determined by our local USFS and am very interested in any appropriate involvement to support that process.

It is critical that we broaden the connection of our friends and neighbors to our beautiful Wilderness lands to maintain the support for this important resource. This bill will help connect more people to Wilderness and garner the mountain bike community's support for expanding Wilderness protections to other lands.

This bill is narrowly worded and carefully crafted to allow only human-powered travel and permit the USFS to maintain the trails using small scale equipment, such as wheelbarrows and chainsaws. The bill does not threaten the protections offered by the Wilderness Act to prevent logging, mining, and motorized transportation. It is a very limited bill that would strengthen Wilderness, not undermine it.

I rarely write to request your support, but this issue offers important access to federal lands for your constituents. I have seen and admired your ability to “get behind” issues that affect New Yorkers, and hope you will show that support for our quality of life and access to our land here in New York and throughout the country.

Thank you,
_________________
Michael Vitti
CLIMB President
http://www.climbonline.org
Trips for Kids Affiliate
NY State Trails Council Member
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GG
Veep


Joined: 25 Sep 2008
Posts: 907
Location: new splatz

PostPosted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 4:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Done! Thanks Mike for highlighting this opportunity to remedy a misguided piece of legislation!

Stick it to the man, Fatties!!!
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