IMBA's Partnership with National Parks Moves Forward

IMBA Trail News
Volume 18, Number 2
Summer 2005

IMBA's milestone agreement with the National Park Service is gathering steam and mountain bikers are buzzing about the potential for new places to ride

The agreement has sparked unprecedented media coverage, including articles in the L.A. Times, Velonews and dozens of local newspapers nationwide. Mountain bikers have been celebrating the news in Internet chat rooms and e-mail lists as well.

As part of the agreement, IMBA and the Park Service will initially partner on two pilot projects to be selected later this year. The projects will bring mountain bikers and park officials together for on-the-ground teamwork and serve as models for future collaboration. Dozens of park units have already been nominated as potential pilots. IMBA and the NPS will now work together to evaluate the candidates and select two locations to develop new mountain biking.

Additionally, IMBA and IMBA affiliates are providing volunteer assistance to park units interested in improving their opportunities for off-road cycling. IMBA programs such as the National Mountain Bike Patrol, Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew and IMBA Trail Solutions can now apply their stewardship skills to our National Parks.

But the partnership has generated some controversy as well. In May, the watchdog group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) issued an anti-mountain biking press release, titled "Mountain Bike Deal May Open Up Park Wilderness." PEER's statement claimed the IMBA/NPS agreement could prevent proposed Wilderness areas inside National Parks from becoming designated Wilderness if bicycling became established on these land parcels. The Wilderness Society joined PEER to send a letter to the NPS asking officials to clarify that lands eligible for Wilderness designation be off-limits to mountain biking. Bicycling is banned in all designated Wilderness, but not in areas being considered for Wilderness.

"PEER's attempt to misrepresent the NPS agreement as a blanket threat to Wilderness is deplorable," said IMBA's Executive Director Mike Van Abel. "We're not going to allow them to sully this important partnership. The agreement clearly states that new mountain biking opportunities will be investigated on a case-by-case basis."