Comments to the BLM on Future Management of Mountain Bicycles on Public Lands

Topic

Recommendation/Comment

Single Track Trails

What is it, define, make it a legitimate designation

Trail Standards

48" for hiking: 18" - 24" for mountain bike single track

Zoned Use/Diversity

Mostly shared use, long-term is better for entire trails community: Caution that separation can build problems and user conflicts

Trail Systems

Trail surface types can lead to separation/user groups find their opportunities provide a variety of experiences.

Signage

Go light on signage...retain the spirit of adventure...reduce the man- made presence

Trail Designations

Open unless designated closed

Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS)

Define mountain bike use within the ROS...Forest Service has placed in their MOU with IMBA that mountain bike use may be appropriate in Primitive categories

Wilderness in California

What is BLM’s position on proposed wilderness bill (Boxer) in California? BLM’s position is that we would wait until the Administration’s position came out. BLM would provide maps and data on proposals but no recommendations. Local grass roots groups have more say in those efforts.

Free-Riding

Special riding areas don’t need similar ROS experiences as single track riding. These areas can fit in motorized use areas. By providing this type of activity in areas, BLM can reduce enforcement problems.

National Energy Plan

Advocates want to know when they could comment so that they could protect mountain biking opportunities. They want to be informed early...primarily through IMBA representation

Trail Network

Recommend a "stacked loop" system with opportunities from easy to difficult. A main stem with spurs and loops. Many mountain bikers prefer a stacked loop system to a long distance trail.

Family Riding

BLM should not forget about families and should create opportunities.

ADA

Removal of obstacles can lead to sanitized riding opportunities. Can also lead to over-development of a trails.

Trail Network

See trail network above

What is the Process

Will the 1992 strategy be used as a base? Need to provide success stories. Did Arizona (Bio-Sphere IMBA Summit) strategy lead to success? BLM needs to ensure the strategy is signed at the National level so that it covers all of BLM.

Partnership/Grants

BLM mentioned the new CCI program where BLM will have dollars to use for challenge cost share on use for repair of damaged lands, repair of bad routes (i.e., triple track) and threatened and endangered species habitat.

Native Americans

BLM should promote good will in mountain bike mission including economic development issues, health issues and assisting in building trails on Native American lands. Develop partnerships to create trail networks on public and tribal lands.

Resource Advisory Councils

The BLM will use the RACs as part of the public input process. The process will involve all public interests.

Fees

Recommend a national (interagency) pass. Recommend that fees not be charged for general public access. Fees should be used where there are developed facilities and services.

Shimano

Stated that there were some good successes in the past and that Shimano was interested in being a player.

Expectations of the relationship between the BLM and the mountain bike industry needs to be well defined up front.

Budget for Strategy

BLM stated that we had to cut our original budget from approximately $75,000 to $10,000 due to overall budget cuts. The Washington Office’s budget was cut by 2/3 from the previous year.

Research

Need research on mountain bike use and impacts to trails, soils, vegetation and T&E species. Agencies need to lead the research effort and include academia in efforts.

Shared Use

Some areas are most suited to one type of activity. Indicate by signing, symbols, and education.

Shared Use

Directional travel reduces conflicts. Loop trail - bikes clockwise, hikers counter clockwise.

Shared Use

Need to make shared use appropriate for the single track experience. Example: Nice singletrack with motorcycles, then ATVs moved in and developed triple track which impacted the single track experience.

Recreation Opportunity Spectrum

Needs to be in BLM planning. Needs better definition so mountain bikers know where they belong in the ROS.

Free-riders

There could possibly be some displacement of traditional use mountain bikers from free-riders.

Education

Example of the San Rafael Swell - could be looked at over other areas on BLM: Due to lack of BLM staff and intensive management sometimes user conflicts occur. There is plenty of land but more proactive management is needed. People on site to direct different user to different areas.

1992 Plan

The BLM 1992 Mountain Bike Strategy was a good model of an agency reaching out to a user group and BLM needs to continue this model.

Single Track

Usually single track is located in primitive and/nonmotorized areas, wilderness study areas, wilderness, or open to all forms of travel. BLM needs to designate some areas as nonmotorized or "quiet use" areas.

Strategy Process

BLM stated that the team will work on the strategy. End of September for a draft. BLM will bounce the draft off of IMBA and other groups and will hopefully complete the strategy by end of the calendar year. This action plan/strategy will not go through NEPA, as it is not a decision document. Local plans with proposed actions will go through NEPA, BLM will involve its RACs and other constituents.

Trail System

Strategy guidelines needs to define the elements of a good trail system, such as, saturation levels, directional travel, range of extremity. This could help educate and reduce renegade actions and help the agency should shorten the process for developing trail systems.

Interagency Coordination

There are inconsistent regulations, boundary identification, standard signage, icons, etc. among the agencies. Helpful to public to have standard icons, etc. BLM will share information with other agencies but cannot force them to implement the same initiative. Congress, or at the Secretary level, needs to provide direction to the agencies to ensure closer coordination.

Shimano

Shimano had good results on the Kokopelli trail. Need to look for innovative methods to provide educational opportunities. Good innovative education on loop off of Kokopelli’s trail with interpretive signs.

Free Riding

Need to educate managers on free-riding so they know how to respond to its needs and/or impacts. Need to work with free-riders on unauthorized trail building.

Family Recreation

Need to plan for quieter use including spurs and loops off a main trail that starts easy. Need to look at network concept. There was a survey in California that suggested that people want short loops from residential areas.

Trail Systems

BLM should not only look at loop systems but also long-distance trails that are nonmotorized/mechanized..

Signing

Possibly look at a trail rating system. Rating for each user group. Another option is provide staging areas with description of trails and trail profile instead of rating.

Funding

Encourage BLM offices to work with IMBA clubs for new trails, maintenance of old trails. IMBA should work more for raising funds.

Trail System

Need a trail inventory process including 1 day trail work, 1 day ride (IMBA Epic Rides) to encourage sponsor participation.

Single Track

The IMBA Website has information on the importance of single track...there is a passionate feeling from riders on single track.

Regulations

Recommendations on regulations for 3 levels of limitations on trails. These are: limited to existing, limited to a system, or limited to designated trails. These limitations should apply to all users. There should be good training to land managers on how to manage trails. We should discourage open areas so we don’t have renegade trails. All users should stay on trails. In some sensitive areas all users should stay on designated trails. Designated trails could be mitigation in sensitive areas.