Senate Hears Mount Hood Protection Bill This Week
For Immediate Release
05-01-07
Contact: Mark Eller, Communications Director
303-545-9011
This week, the U.S. Senate will hear the Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act of 2007, which will protect many important places to Oregon cyclists. Senator Ron Wyden (D) and Senator Gordon Smith (R) recently introduced S 647. The bill bodes well for both land protection and mountain bicycling and maintains many boundary adjustments that will accommodate access to important trails.
The Oregon Mountain Bike Alliance (ORMBA) and the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) have worked diligently on the bill for almost three years and believe the Senate version is good for land protection and continued mountain bike access. IMBA's Jill Van Winkle testified before Congress last year about the importance of preserving recreational opportunities on Mount Hood.
National Recreation Areas Key for Oregon Land Protection
Most promising for cyclists, the bill creates three National Recreation Areas (NRA) protecting more than 34,000 acres. These will allow mountain biking to continue in areas such as Fifteen Mile Creek, Boulder Lake and Shellrock Mountain. ORMBA and IMBA strongly endorse the NRA proposal and suggest expanding it to several other key areas such as Hell Roaring Creek, and including provisions to prohibit mining, resource extraction, logging and motorized access.
"The mountain bike community thanks Senator Smith and Senator Wyden for including the National Recreation Area designation in their proposal and recognizing all that mountain biking brings to Mount Hood communities," says Oregon-based IMBA Rep Mark DeJohn.
While most land protection bills only consider Wilderness, which prohibits bicycle access, the National Recreation Area will allow for continued mountain bike access, and even new trail construction. Establishing NRAs is not a new practice, Congress has done so on numerous occasions. They can be tailored to preserve critical lands and waters while allowing low-impact, non-motorized recreation such as hiking, bicycling and horseback riding.
"We think National Recreation Areas are the future of land protection in Oregon and we hope to work with the delegation and other interested groups to expand their acreage," says DeJohn. "Oregon is the kind of state that thinks creatively and NRAs could be the way to better engage our large mountain bike constituency behind protecting more lands."
Bill Needs One Important Change
ORMBA and IMBA strongly support protecting the lands around Mount Hood, and are asking for one important change to the bill. The groups strongly support protecting a popular trail, known as the Bonny Butte Trail or Trail #471, with "Wild and Scenic River" status.
The Bonney Butte Trail starts in the Twin Lakes area and travels east toward Boulder Lake. It provides a critical connection across three key areas for mountain biking: Boulder Lakes, Bonney Meadows, and Twin Lakes. It currently enjoys "Wild and Scenic River" designation status - one of the most protective land designations afforded by Congress.
As proposed, the Mount Hood bill would change the status of the Bonne Butte Trail to Wilderness protection. Layering this area with Wilderness unnecessarily prohibits continued bike access and blocks a connector trail to other key trail systems.
As a low-impact, quiet and human powered activity, mountain biking is compatible with Wild and Scenic areas. We ride on many trails protected under this designation. Mountain bikers care deeply about these areas and want the lands protected for our existing use. Some of the most popular and scenic places for cycling will remain open in the Senate bill, such as Fifteenmile Creek, Larch Mountain, Dog River, Surveyors Ridge, Boulder Lake, Shellrock and Mount Defiance.
IMBA is also asking for a minor boundary adjustment to help re-open the Clackamas River Trail.
Provisions in the Bill Benefit Cyclists
The Senate bill offers many positive steps for bicycling, including an annual infusion of approximately $800,000 for trails and recreation in the Mount Hood area, bicycle-friendly boundary adjustments, and a mountain bike representative on the Mount Hood National Forest Recreational Advisory Council. It also suggests converting old forest service roads to singletrack around the mountain.
"Mountain bicycling belongs on Mount Hood and is an appropriate form of recreation," says Van Winkle. "IMBA has long championed protections other than just Wilderness - which prohibits bicycle access - and we are pleased to see the senators embrace this approach to land protection that allows our quiet, low-impact, human powered sport to continue."
What You Can Do
Write Senator Smith and Senator Wyden to thank them for their efforts on behalf of mountain biking, and encourage them to keep Bonney Butte Trail (#471) as Wild and Scenic River status to allow our continued trail access.
Senator Gordon Smith
Attn: Matt Hill
404 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Fax: 202.228.3997
Use Senator Smith's webform.
Senator Ron Wyden
Attn: Michele Miranda
230 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Fax: 202.228.2717
Use Senator Wyden't webform.
