Advocacy & Safety - New Mexico trail closure potential!

ALERT

The Department Of Defense (DOD) is planning to build a security perimeter fence around Kirtland Air Force Base near Albuquerque, New Mexico. Current plans for the fence would deny access to the Otero Canyon trail system, popular with hikers and mountain bicyclists. The trail starts and ends in the Cibola National Forest but runs through Department of Defense property. Efforts to get the DOD to reroute the fence line to give access to the canyon have been met with silence.

You can help by making phone calls, sending letters and signing an online petition. Trail supporters want the DOD to extend the comment period (currently slated to end in mid-June) and consider an alternative routing of the fence line. For more information go to www.saveotero.org.

I really don't care how many trails are closed. Bicycles don't belong in our National Forrests/Parks.

Originally posted by cycletourist
I really don't care how many trails are closed. Bicycles don't belong in our National Forrests/Parks.

I see where you are coming from, but National parks were set up for people to explore, and to protect designated areas from civilization developing there. Mountian biking is my favorite way of exploring.... True, I am dissapointed when people rip up the land riding off trails and such in the National Parks and forests, but riding respectfully on a trail doesn't damage it anymore than all the hikers that use the trail.

On the issue of National forests, here in Oregon there is quite a bit of National forest land. It's supposed to be protected, but what is damaging it is the politrick-tions giving the timber industries the rights to log it, not mountain bikers using the paths. There is so much national forest land here, and only a small fraction of it is made into bike/hiking paths.

What is important is to be respectful when visiting the national parks/forests. I don't see why one can not ride respectfully and in harmony with sacred old growth trees and billion year old rocks. This is where evolution has brought us, together.

National Parks - Administered by the Department of the Interior, designed to preserve forever in an undisturbed manner as possible the scenic or other unique American features.

National Forests - Administered by the Department of Agriculture, has been administered under the "Land of Many Uses" concept, but with the more recent designation and expansion of Wilderness areas, is becoming a little more exclusive. The ever increasing population of the US of A is bringing tremendous forces to bear on too much use of too little land.

These are two different animals and can't be easily discussed together.

Personally, I get distraught when I think I am hiking in somewhat solitude and a mtn biker comes barreling down the path with little or no regard for me and my safety, not even slowing down. Mtn Bikers, you do not have a good record, IMHO.

As Denver said, different areas need different treatments. I'm quite happy to have mountain bikers exploring Nerang State Forest, Hinze Dam etc, but the world-heritage listed Springbrook National Park is a different animal completely. As far as I'm concerned, there need to be areas set aside for different uses in order to avoid the inevitable conflicts, and the distinction between National Parks and State/National Forests is a very real one.