Bill would end longstanding ban on bikes in US wilderness | stltoday

Headlines are quick hits from media outlets from Missouri and around the world. Follow the headline link for the full story. The source of this headline says:

More than 100 million acres of America's most rugged landscapes designated as wilderness are off-limits to mountain bikers, but two Utah senators have introduced legislation that would allow bikers to join hikers and horseback riders in those scenic, undisturbed areas.

The proposal is controversial within the biking community and opposed by conservationists who say bikes would erode trails and upset the five-decade notion of wilderness as primitive spaces.

The bill from U.S. Sens. Mike Lee and Orrin Hatch, both Utah Republicans, would give local officials with the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and other federal management agencies two years to decide in each wilderness area if bikes will be allowed. If no decision is made within two years, the bike ban would be lifted in that area.

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Bill would end longstanding ban on bikes in US wilderness | stltoday

MoBikeFed comment: This issue has been a matter of discussion in Congress for some time, and we have discussed it several times with members of the Missouri Congressional delegation and staff over the years.

In Missouri, sections of the Ozark Trail are located in wilderness area and opening wilderness areas to mountain biking could potentially open up those segments of trails so that through mountain biking of the Ozark Trail becomes possible.

However, design of trails in ecologically sensitive areas needs to be done carefully and with deliberation. Some trails may simply not be suitable for mountain biking and some areas may not be suitable. It requires careful examination and consideration of each situation and each trail.

This bill seems to be a rather blunt instrument, designed to force the issue. Even if the idea of allowing mountain biking in (some) wilderness areas and on some trails is a good one, a more careful and deliberate approach may be needed.

Backgrounders on this issue from IMBA:

http://www.americantrails.org/resources/fedland/IMBAstrategyWilderness05...

https://www.imba.com/resources/land-protection/frequently-asked-question...