Montana Land Protection Campaign
More than 700 miles of Montana singletrack could be closed by early 2007. A proposed Forest Service policy will ban bikes from "Recommended Wilderness," and areas we've ridden for more than 20 years will become off-limits. We want to see the land permanently protected, but in a way that accepts bicycles.
- The Montana Mountain Bike Alliance is Born (pdf file)
- -- The Montana Mountain Bike Alliance (MMBA) is a forum for IMBA clubs, members and concerned cyclists across Montana to share ideas, educate ourselves and act with a unified voice when it comes to land access issues in the State. Together we can make a difference.
- Lawsuit Threatens Alpine Riding Near Bozeman and Big Sky (offsite link)
- -- In April 2007, the Montana Wilderness Association, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, and subsequently, the Wilderness Society filed a lawsuit against the Forest Service that would ban mountain bikes from the Hyalite Porcupine Buffalo Horn Wilderness Study Area (WSA). With over 175 miles on 36 alpine trails and 155,000 acres, the closure would be tragic. Click here for a map of the WSA. (link to HPBHLandscape...pdf)
- Outside Bozeman Magazine Explores Riding, Hunting and Land Access Issues in Montana (offsite link)
- -- A hunting-by-mountain-bike article by Estela Villasenor Allen which appears in the Fall issue of Outside Bozeman magazine describes riding in the threatened Hyalite Porcupine Buffalo Horn WSA and the tradition of bike hunting up there. It contains great insights to the land access challenges on the horizon.
- IMBA, Working Together to Protect Wild Lands (10-09-07)
- -- Local Montana mountain bike advocates, working with IMBA, have been busy in recent months, meeting with Forest Service staff, elected officials and other stakeholder groups. Their goal is to protect Montana's wild lands, and to preserve sustainable backcountry recreation experiences.
- Action Alert Update: More Than 50 Montana Areas Still at Risk
- -- One year after generating nearly 4,000 comment letters from concerned mountain bikers, Montana advocates and IMBA continue to fight widespread proposed closures to backcountry trails.
- Help Preserve Bike Access in Montana and Northern Idaho (04-11-07)
- -- Send your comments to Montana's governor and U.S. senators and representative!
- Trails Lost to Bicycles in Recommended Wilderness Proposals (Updated 09-11-06)
- -- The following trails will be lost to bicycles in recommended wilderness proposals for the Bitterroot and Lolo National Forests.
- Precedent Threatens Backcountry Singletrack (08-30-06)
- -- A dangerous new Forest Service policy could close hundreds of miles of singletrack in two states.
- Additional Montana National Forests Will Close More than 400 Miles of Singletrack to Bicycles (07-18-06)
- -- A proposed Montana forest plan revision could set a dangerous national precedent by closing hundreds of miles of singletrack to bicycles.
- Hundreds of Miles of Montana Singletrack Could be Closed by Next Spring (06-12-06)
- -- Mountain bicyclists are facing significantly reduced access in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest in Montana.
- Help Protect Mountain Biking in Southwestern Montana (07-31-05)
- -- Montana's Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest draft management plan recommends Wilderness designations that would ban mountain bikes and block access to the Continental Divide Trail.
