After earlier voting for a bill that would allow bikes in wilderness areas, Montana’s lone congressman, Republican Greg Gianforte, says his views have changed and he no longer supports the legislation.
“I’ve spent a lot of time in the backcountry, and I’ve always believed that travel in the backcountry should be foot or horseback,” he said Monday.

Late last year, a U.S. House committee approved, along with Ginaforte’s support, House Resolution 1349. The resolution, brought by Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., would amend the 1964 Wilderness Act to “to permit the use of bicycles, strollers and other human-powered wheeled implements, and motorized and non-motorized wheelchairs in wilderness acres.”
The legislation would not open all wilderness trails to bikes, but would rather leave the decision up to local officials. Current regulations prohibit bikes, based on language in the Wilderness Act prohibiting mechanical transport.

The legislation drew debate on two main fronts. The first was an ongoing disagreement over allowing mountain bikes on wilderness trails. The second came from criticism over the wheelchair portion of the bill, as wheelchair access in wilderness is protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act and subsequent regulations.
Gianforte had cited concerns that wheelchair protections were not uniformly enforced and reiterated Monday that ADA compliance should be uniform. He believed the bill attempted to bring some clarity to ADA compliance, but “in hindsight it went too far.”
“My understanding going into this vote on 1349 was this was an attempt to clarify the Wilderness Act in some corner cases that I didn’t really believe applied to Montana,” he said.
“I’ve never wanted to see bikes in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, and I honestly I didn’t expect that to happen because I didn’t think Montanans would support it.”

Gianforte says the bill is unlikely to come to the House floor for a vote, but would vote against it given the opportunity.

(photo credit: Ingram Publishing)
CLICK HERE to see the original article in the Independent Record newspaper, based in Helena, Montana

A number of guided outdoor hikes, outings and events are in store for nature lovers in 2018. Join Bear Yuba Land Trust and Certified California Naturalist Steve Roddy the second Saturday of each month for the ongoing family series, "Junior Conservationist: Stories in Nature."

On Feb. 10, participants will explore the wonders of the Litton Trail near Sierra College. Bear Yuba Land Trust's first trail project, the Litton Trail, weaves through a forested greenbelt alongside a pretty irrigation canal. This urban trail provides opportunities to get off the pavement and enjoy nature while still in the heart of town. A conservationist is someone who advocates or acts for the protection and preservation of the environment and wildlife.
These outings are designed for children ages 5 to 12, accompanied by a parent or other caregiver. Suggested donation is $10 per family.

Other special outings and events planned for this spring include:
Birding with Ted Beedy at Black Swan Preserve on March 17,
a guided hike on Independence Trail on April 21,
a BioBlitz Citizen Science Youth Summit on May 6, and
Wildflowers with Botanist Cynthia Gilbert at Garden Bar Preserve on May 12.

This summer, stay tuned for a Fireside Chat Series at Inn Town Campground with gatherings for families, teens, women in the outdoors, hikers and an adventure and learn panel; a weekend of activities is planned for Celebration of Trails June 1-2 and Hank Meals will lead a challenging High Country Hike for experienced hikers into the newly conserved Lindsey Lakes area of Grouse Ridge.

Other treks are planned, including EquiTreks for the trail horse folks.

Learn more and register HERE for TREKS.

Questions or Comments? Contact Community Engagement Manager Laura Petersen

An unprecedented attacks on wilderness and environmental laws. The tally of bad bills emanating from Capitol Hill seems to be growing every day. Not surprisingly, Congress has launched yet another multi-pronged, broadside attack on our environment and this latest one has dire consequences for what remains of the wild West.
Wallace Stegner referred to the creation of the National Park System as America’s best and most original idea, worthy of emulation around the world.
The centerpiece of this radical attempt is contained within a bill fallaciously labeled the SHARE Act. Its full title is the: “Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act” (HR 3668).
Tucked away in the SHARE Act’s original 29 pages is Title IV, the “Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage Opportunities Act” which mandates that wilderness managers support and facilitate state wildlife agencies with access to, and use of federal public lands for purposes of protecting and enhancing public fishing, hunting and general recreation.
If attacking America’s second best idea–our system of Wilderness areas—isn't offensive enough, this assault also aims to take the public out of the public land management decision-making process. If successful, this one-two punch will devastate a landmark conservation law like no other effort in recent history.

The SHARE Act by itself is bad enough, it is accompanied by several other hydra-heads of anti-environmental extremism.
One is House Bill H.R. 1349  that would “amend the Wilderness Act to ensure that the use of bicycles, wheelchairs, strollers, and game carts is not prohibited in Wilderness Areas.”
This bill was passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee on December 13, 2018. Only one Republican, Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming voted against the bill, stating that: “While I believe we need to do all we can to provide access to our public lands, our wilderness areas are special and those who enjoy those pristine lands, including our guides and outfitters, should not have to worry about mountain bikes and other vehicles on our wilderness land and trails.”
A surprisingly bold, and commendable position statement yet it comes replete with inconsistency on the part of Wyoming’s Congresswoman.
As of the time of this writing, H.R. 1349 has not been scheduled for a vote by the full House and appears to be a low priority for House Speaker, Paul Ryan. Fortunately, if it were to get to the Senate, its passage there is considered by observers to be slim, but far from zero.
Passage of this bill is the singular mission of the non-profit California-based Sustainable Trails Coalition, and represents the second time in as many years that they have attempted to open Wilderness areas to mountain biking.
It must be noted that the International Mountain Biking Association has come out against this bill. Another vey commendable position but why haven’t they been more vocal in defending wildlands conservation?
In an inexplicable twist of position, a week after Rep. Cheney voted against the mountain bikes in wilderness bill, she introduced her own bill, H.R. 4697 that completely contradicts her earlier position.
This bill specifically targets three Wyoming Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs): the Palisades (135,840 acres), High Lakes (15,224 acres), and Shoal Creek (32,374 acres). It would legalize “…all recreational uses occurring within such Wilderness Study Areas on the date before the day of the enactment of this Act, including horseback riding [already allowed in all WSA’s], snowmobiling, dirt bike riding, mountain biking, and helicopter skiing.”
Yes, the bill would legalize snowmobiling, dirt bike riding, mountain biking, and helicopter skiing—accommodating these user groups that, to date, have defied the law governing wilderness study areas, invading those lands as trespassers.

This is only a portion of this long, well-researched article in the Mountain Journal. CLICK HERE to see the whole article and photos.

I mountain bike. I bike all winter and use biking for commuting, satisfaction, a challenge, health and to feel youthful. I am also a hiker and enjoy observing my surroundings in a slow and peaceful manner. I have found that I can’t do both very easily or safely because I have to focus my attention on the trail while mountain biking, so I don’t end up over the handlebars onto the trail.
Hikers and most mountain bikers have a lot of common values and respect for public lands and wilderness areas. Though, it appears we differ in our focus when traveling on the trails. As a hiker I observe my surroundings in a relaxed and laid-back manner. On my bike, I am gripped and totally focused on the trail until I stop.
To the point, there is a bill that just came out of a Congressional committee in Washington D.C. to allow mechanized vehicles, i.e. bicycles, in Wilderness areas. Why? Is it the mountain biking community demanding full access to the last 5 percent of public land that does not allow mountain biking? Is it a fairness question?
I have talked with other mountain bikers, and most do not have these concerns. One pointed out that 80 percent of public land already has mountain biking trail access. I haven’t fact-checked that number but I do know that 95 percent of U.S. lands are within 2 miles of road access.
I can remember my local mountain biker friends who peddled the Sarvis Creek Trail for years, but when it became a wilderness area, they went for their last ride, a little bummed. Yet, they shared a common respect for the meaning of wilderness and understood that the new designation afforded protection for one of the few lower altitude wilderness areas in Colorado.
So, where do we go from here? Do we let ideological goals of limiting regulations put our public lands at risk? Do we open up and develop wilderness areas for other uses that will degrade it with overuse like the Moab area? Will this change the very solitude that even mountain bikers seek on their rides?

And then, there is the slippery slope we all can imagine and predict with some certainty — electric motor-assisted bikes on the trails, then motor-driven bikes, then motorcycles and so on.
Beginners and novice bikers need easy trails to get started. Expert and intermediate trails that challenge a biker can be built and exist throughout much of our public land. Neither level needs Wilderness areas.
In the Steamboat area, biking is an activity that can happen on roads, on existing bike trails around town and on the extensive Buffalo Pass, Rabbit Ears Pass and the Mad Rabbit proposed bike trail system. Mountain bikers don't need Wilderness too.
Please call your Representatives to protect Wilderness by voting No on HR 1349.

CLICK HERE to see the original opinion piece in the Steamboat Springs newspaper

The Nevada County Board of Supervisors endorsed the Pines to Mines Trail and wrote a letter of support, specifying that the Pines to Mines Trail was a cooperative effort  "...Four Nevada County nonprofits—Bear Yuba Land Trust, Bicyclists of Nevada County, Gold Country Trails Council, and the Truckee Trails Foundation—have partnered to make this project a reality."

Here is letter:
"The Nevada County Boaxd of Supervisors would like to express their support for the proposed Pines To Mines Trail, a multiuse, non-motorized trail connection between the Nevada County municipalities of Truckee and Nevada City. The trail will be suitable for use by hikers, equestrians, and mountain bikers.

The Pines To Mines Trail, when completed, will be an approximately 80-mile route that offers both single and multi-day excursions across Nevada County's most beautiful mountain landscapes. Utilizing portions of the Trout Creek Canyon Trail, the Donner Lake Rim Trail, the Hole In The Ground Trail, the Spaulding Lake Trail, and the Pioneer Trail, approximately 14 miles of new construction will be required to create a single connection. On the far west end of the trail, a segment between Harmony Ridge and Nevada City will then link the trail into a single cohesive whole.

Four Nevada County nonprofits —Bear Yuba Land Trust, Bicyclists of Nevada County, Gold Country Trails Council, and the Truckee Trails Foundation —have partnered to make this project a reality. As a recreational amenity, it will add to the quality of life of those who live here and enjoy trails, and in so doing it could well serve as a feature that attracts new businesses along with entrepreneurs who value the outdoors. The Pines to Mines Trail will also enhance the public's understanding of the pioneer history of Nevada County, and will enhance, too, their appreciation for Sierra geology, topography, and the varied alpine-to-foothills habitats that span this notable section of California's most significant mountain range. The Nevada County Board of Supervisors very much appreciates the collaborative effort between the Bear Yuba Land Trust, Bicyclists of Nevada County, Gold Country Trails Council, and the Truckee Trails Foundation, and look forward to the successful implementation of their Pines to Mines Trail —an extra- ordinary, visionary project.

Sincerely,
Hank Weston, Chairman, Board of Supervisors

You may see the original document and letter here:
https://www.mynevadacounty.com/DocumentCenter/View/13329

Below is the statement that went with the letter of support:

Should bicycles be allowed in wilderness areas? The question tends to provoke an immediate answer – thumbs up or thumbs down – and it is at the heart of the Human-Powered Travel in Wilderness Areas Act. The legislation is not written in terms so starkly black and white. If passed, the proposals would not lift the ban of bicycles or other human-powered wheeled conveyances from federally-designated wilderness areas. The measures would, however, give local land managers the discretion to open certain trails to wheels.

There are some intriguing possibilities:
A family, with a robust stroller, could take a toddler or two a few miles into the Weminuche Wilderness to camp in the spectacular valley of the Los Piños River. Hunters, knowing they could pull a game cart to retrieve big game, could venture deeper into the backcountry of the South San Juans or the Flat Tops in search of elk. And mountain bikers eager to ride the entire Colorado Trail could do so, not obligated to detour around the six wilderness areas the trail traverses on its route from Durango to Denver.

Much could be added to a wilderness experience with wheels. But what would be lost? Plenty, according to Aaron Teasdale, an ardent hiker and mountain biker who recently penned an article on the subject for the Sierra Club. Mountain bikes would fundamentally change the experience, which for hikers and horseback riders is all about relaxation and slow, deliberate movement through spectacular landscapes.

“A mountain biker speeding around the bend can shatter that peace…. Just knowing bikers could be coming around the corner can add ambient tension to a hike, ” he writes.
And many cyclists do not want the access. The Boulder-based International Mountain Biking Association does not support the change. But many cyclists do advocate for the return of trail access they lost in more recent wilderness designations, as happened with Idaho’s Boulder-White Cloud Wilderness in 2015.
Their point is valid, and going forward, the answer might be best modeled next door by the Hermosa Creek watershed plan. It preserves more than 35,000 acres as wilderness but also sets aside 70,000 acres as a special use area, where mountain bikes are welcome. Clearly, all supporters of wild public lands will get more accomplished as allies than as adversaries.

But the question remains. And so does the answer: a firm and unequivocal no. Just 3 percent of the continental U.S. is designated wilderness, leaving some 500 million acres of public land available for wheels. And the Wilderness Act is not discriminatory (wheelchair access is allowed).

“It doesn’t discriminate against anyone,” said George Nikas of Wilderness Watch. “It says if you or I choose to go, we have to go on foot or on horse. Mountain bikers can hike.”
Yes, mountain bikes evolved after the act was passed, but they remain machines, and machines, by the wisdom and foresight of the act’s authors, are banned from designated wilderness.
According to Ted Stroll, president of the Sustainable Trails Coalition and a strong advocate of the bills, “Wilderness is about rugged and self-reliant recreation.”
He couldn’t be more wrong. Wilderness is about wilderness itself, the spectacular land set aside for its inherent pristine and undeveloped qualities.
We will continue to explore it without wheels, gladly moving at the speed of a stride.

To see the original article and photos in the Durango Herald newspaper, CLICK HERE.

From Idado Statesman newspaper - We are experiencing unprecedented, multilateral attacks on our public lands heritage: from Trump’s dismantling of many of our national monuments, to opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas exploration. From politicians working to turn our public lands over to state and corporate control, to budget cuts for our public lands agencies resulting in a backlog of scientific research, land conservation, and trail and campground maintenance.
In addition, a bill has recently been introduced to Congress to weaken the Wilderness Act and open all wilderness areas to mountain bikes. That bill is HR 1349, introduced by Rep. Tom McClintock, R-California, who has a lifetime rating of 4 percent from the League of Conservation Voters.
As an avid mountain biker, I strongly oppose any reduction in the protection of our wilderness areas and stand with many fellow mountain bikers, including the International Mountain Bike Association, who are against this idea.
Our amazing public lands offer a diversity of opportunities for every dimension of our economic, recreational and spiritual pursuits and are an irreplaceable part of our American heritage. These lands are managed along an environmental modification spectrum, from “paved to primeval” as Roderick Nash, a prominent wilderness scholar, describes it. The various protections, or lack thereof, given to each designation of public land are designed primarily around human needs and desires and with substantial public input. However, occasionally, we self-absorbed humans recognize the world doesn’t revolve around the sun only for us.

Along the wide spectrum of public lands protections, wilderness designation provides the highest level of preservation our laws offer and is reserved for areas that meet stringent criteria for scenery, seclusion, watershed and wildlife attributes. The fact that wilderness designation is so stringent is why it often takes decades of public argument and discussion to get an area designated with this highest of public lands protections.
The beauty of wilderness designation is that we have recognized our immense negative impact on the planet’s ecosystem and some space must be set aside to give natural processes and critters unfettered places to do their thing.
And that’s the point: Wilderness is not primarily about us, or our favorite recreational pursuit; it is about wilderness. It is one of the few laws where human desires are the last consideration but which also acknowledges the necessity for us to escape the all-surrounding mechanized, electrified, social-mediafied, anthropogentrified world we have created.
Wild country, accessible only by foot and hoof, can be as important for the human psyche as it is for the ecological security of critters from mountain goats to marmots, from whitebark pine to pikas.
Designated wilderness areas comprise less than 3 percent of our lands in the lower 48. Of the approximately 23,000 miles of trails in Idaho, less than 4,000 miles are within wilderness areas. We mountain bikers do not lack for amazing trails to ride. Let’s not allow a selfish, short-sighted desire to ride everywhere weaken the law that protects wilderness areas found hardly anywhere.

A new deal between Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and Bear Yuba Land Trust (BYLT) brings exciting news for outdoor recreationists and lovers of the wild. Habitat for important mountain species are now permanently protected and some of the most popular non-motorized trails are located on the property. With the deal, 857-acres of scenic Sierra Nevada landscape within Grouse Ridge Non-Motorized Area of Northern California’s Nevada County will be retained by PG&E with a perpetual conservation easement granted to BYLT. (Photos by Laura Petersen, BYLT.org)

A landscape worth protecting
With its breathtaking setting of glacier-carved granite and high alpine lakes, the land located within the Grouse Lakes Vehicle Control Area of the Tahoe National Forest is a recreationist’s dream.
“That’s what we used to call our own Desolation Wilderness, right out our back door,” said BYLT’s 2017 President Terry Hundemer.
Lindsey Lakes provides hike-in camping opportunities and an extensive network of non-motorized trails for hiking, mountain biking, and equestrian riding. People can choose from car camping at Lower Lindsey Lake or more primitive walk-in camping sites at Middle Lindsey Lake and Lower and Upper Rock Lakes.

Habitat for special status wildlife
The planning unit lies within the ancestral territory of the Maidu, Washoe, and Nisenan Southern Maidu groups.
As elevation increases, vegetation in this section of the Sierra Nevada transitions from mixed conifer hardwood forest to a lodge pole pine and fir forest.  Other habitat types include lakes, riparian corridors, wet meadows, fens, and patches of alder and willow. Barren rocky mountain slopes are found throughout the landscape.
The area is a key winter and summer deer range with fawning areas and major migration corridors. Rainbow, brook, and brown trout are found in the many lakes that dot the region.
The landscape offers diverse habitat for special status wildlife such as Sierra Nevada snowshoe hare, Pacific fisher, Sierra marten, the California spotted owl and the elusive wolverine.

The Lindsey Lake conservation deal was stipulated as part of PG&E’s bankruptcy settlement in 2003 when the utility company – considered one of the state’s biggest private landowners – agreed to permanently protect the beneficial public values on the watershed lands associated with its hydroelectric generation facilities.

BYLT’s newest conservation easement is one in a series of agreements with PG&E that will allow BYLT to grow from 12,000 to 20,000 acres by 2020, caretaking places like Lindsey Lakes, Grouse Ridge Forest, Lake Spalding, Deer Creek headwaters, Bear Valley and the headwaters of the Bear River, Fordyce Lake, Meadow Lake, Sterling Lake and White Rock Lake.

Community-supported organization, Bear Yuba Land Trust has protected more than 13,000 acres of land from development, has built and maintains more than 30 miles of local trails and provides year round nature programs such as treks and lectures for people of all ages and backgrounds.

For original article and photos in YubaNet. net, CLICK HERE

Trail options in the Tahoe Basin are growing and changing (responsibly) and more paths are on the way.The Tahoe Rim Trail Association and Tahoe Area Mountain Bike Association both completed substantial projects last year and have big plans for 2018.
Among TRTA’s many projects, the largest involved hundreds of volunteers and trail builders who finished a ¾-mile reroute to move a section of trail off a dirt road. TAMBA linked neighborhoods when it added 5 miles of mulit-use trail in the Angora burn area, and it will continue its pursuit in 2018 to connect a track around Lake Tahoe.
Photo by TAHOE RIM TRAIL ASSOCIATION


TRTA FINISHES ONE REROUTE, TAKES ON ANOTHER THIS YEAR
TRTA executive director Morgan Steel is on the trail a lot, “pretty much every weekend.” She takes pride in the appearance compared to other trails she has visited.She helps with maintenance, brush clearing, building, you name it, she’s putting in the work on the trail. She was on hand all summer during the association’s reroute near Mott Canyon. The TRTA completed moving ¾ mile of trail off a dusty road and onto more suitable, exciting, hiking terrain.
It was a difficult, technical pursuit. Specialists were called in to figure out a way to build the trail and mitigate risk for workers. At times a rotary hammer was used to split massive granite rocks.

“It’s one thing to give a volunteer loppers and say go clear brush off the trail, it’s quite another thing to say, ‘OK, now we’re going to turn on this rotary hammer and drill a hole into this 2 ton boulder and then we’re gonna put wedges in it and split it apart.’ It makes for a challenging time for volunteers to come back again,” Steel laughed. “But our organization is small and scrappy and we do what we do because of the community support. It’s amazing.”
Overall, the organization had about 350 volunteers who contributed over 17,000 hours that helped maintain over 180 miles in the trail system.

TRTA will begin another trail transformation when the snow melts, which may be earlier than normal this year with low snow.
The Echo Summit reroute is almost twice as long, 1.3 miles, and will be a multi-year project. A section of the Tahoe Rim Trail parallels the highway, just feet away, and it collects a lot of garbage. The TRTA is partnering with the Pacific Crest Trail Association, the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and the Eldorado National Forest to make the change.
The project is nearing the end of the extensive permitting process.

It’s another job that is expected to be difficult with much granite to move. It could require explosives.
“Clearly we enjoy moving heavy rocks,” Steel said. “Where the trail should go is not always the easiest place to put it. But it’s the right spot. I think it’s exciting and people will really enjoy having that new experience. We’re constantly trying to keep up with trends. We’re a world-class destination here and we want to feel like our trail reflects that.”
The TRTA also is partnering with the Forest Service to assess hazard trees near the parking lots and trail.
The association removed a whopping 673 trees that fell on the trail in 2017, after the near-record snowpack melted.
Steel pointed to the four years of drought that contributed to a serious tree mortality problem in the Sierra Nevada. The basin has been spared somewhat compared to other areas, but there are still issues.
“We’ve been kinda spared from some of the big impacts from the drought, but we’re still monitoring that, especially if this low snow trend continues, it’ll continue to be a problem,” said Steel, who’s an avid skier both at resorts and in the backcountry.
Steel also says the big projects are a highlight for everybody, but all the annual maintenance that has to happen “is a big effort that kind of goes unnoticed.”

In the last year, TRTA also launched a new website; continued to expand its youth programs with a full-time employee now running weekly camps in the summer; and in October became the first two-time Tahoe Chamber Blue Ribbon geo-tourism award winner for its efforts in helping satisfy 400,00 annual trail visitors.
“Overall, I feel we had a really good year and I feel like we’re on a great trajectory,” Steel said.

TAMBA ROLLING THROUGH, INTO PROJECTS
TAMBA began work on linking Angora Lake and Fallen Leaf Lake residents on June 24, the 10-year anniversary of the Angora Fire that consumed over 3,000 acres, destroyed more than 250 residences and threatened South Lake Tahoe.
Roughly 200 volunteers and 70 trail builders worked into October to compete the association’s biggest project of the year.
TAMBA continues to grow substantially, said chairman and president Ben Fish. For the first time, the group hired a full-time employee and also had staff at Bijou Community Park.
“One person can handle all that stuff volunteers aren’t eager to do,” Fish said. “We’re growing and trying to transition from all-volunteers and become more effective.”

In 2017, TAMBA had 351 volunteers who produced over 4,000 hours of trail building, planning and advocacy.
Highlights of last year include more jumps and berms on the highly-popular Corral Trail; rebuilding a section of the Valley View Trail near Tahoe Mountain; upgrades at Bijou; partnered with the TRTA, Friends of Incline Trails and the Tahoe Fund to upgrade Incline Flume Trail on the north shore; worked on Elevator Shaft trail reroute in Tahoe City; and partnered with the state parks for the first time and started work on a new trail in Burton Creek State Park in Tahoe City.
TAMBA’s biggest project this year will come on the North Shore at Kings Beach. The group will put in a new mountain bike specific trail with features like jumps and berms.

Other projects include multiple trails near Fallen Leaf Lake, improvements to Stanford Rock Trail in Tahoe City, construction of the new Tamarack Lake Trails near Mount Rose summit; construction of new trail in the northwest Reno area; continued maintenance on several popular trails and continued work with the Forest Service on environmental approvals to continue the quest for a track around the lake.

“We do continue to work on alignments with the Forest Service to try and link up trails,” Fish said. “Our goal is to build a new trail all the way around the lake.”

The federal Wilderness Act of 1964 was not vague about its intent: to protect significant and as-yet unspoiled land and wildlife habitat from the ravages of “an increasing population, accompanied by expanding settlement and growing mechanization.” Humans could visit, but only under certain conditions, and they couldn’t stay permanently. Preserving land and seeking to maintain it as close to its “natural condition” as possible required developing strict access rules: Everyone is welcome to trek through designated national wilderness areas provided they use their feet or those of horses or other pack animals. No motor vehicles or boats, nor “other form of mechanical transport” are allowed. Years later, the Americans with Disabilities Act made wheelchairs an exception.

Now, Congressman Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove), who represents wilderness areas in the Sierra Mountains, is proposing a rule change to allow mountain bikers to cruise through the approximately 109 million acres of land designated as wilderness across the country. Game carts, strollers and wheelbarrows would be welcome too.

It’s a bad idea — if for no other reason than it cracks open the door for other changes that violate the spirit of the Wilderness Act. If you say yes to mountain bikers, how do you say no to mountain skateboards (yes, they are a thing)? Or to hang gliding and parasailing, activities that also are excluded from wilderness areas? Or snowmobiling and power boating? These lands were not set aside to be playgrounds for humans, but to preserve their continued existence as wilderness. Besides, wilderness areas account for just one-sixth of federal public lands, leaving plenty of other outdoor space for biking and other forms of human recreation.

We should be even more careful about these areas in light of recent attacks on protected public lands, including the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve and two national monuments in Utah, all of which are being opened up for destructive uses like drilling and mining.

McClintock says this bill is simply a restoration of the “original intent” of the Wilderness Act. Sorry, that’s fake news. Just ask Edward Zahniser, a former park official and the son of the man who wrote the original act. “How could they possibly say the original act allows this? They are just making it up,” he told the Los Angeles Times. Bicycles are clearly an example of the “mechanized transportation” barred by the act, and were hardly unknown in 1964 when it was passed.

Hikers and conservationists aren’t thrilled with the prospect of opening wilderness trails like the Pacific Crest Trail to mountain bikers. But not all mountain bikers are cheering it on, either. The International Mountain Bicycling Assn. decided not to support McClintock’s bill, saying, “Public lands are being threatened at an unprecedented level, and it’s imperative that public land users come together to protect these cherished places.”

A clutch of mountain bikers is probably no more destructive to the wilderness environment than a horse train (though it may well destroy the peace and tranquility of the hiker who finds herself on a narrow mountain trail with a pack of mountain bikers bearing down). But relaxing access rules is a path that leads to, well, more paths. And then roads. Pretty soon, you have cars and restrooms and escalators and gift shops and not a whole lot of wilderness left.

Photo credit: Los Angeles Times newspaper

To see the original article and photos in the L.A. Times, CLICK HERE.