Monongahela Wilderness Update- 2/19/2008

"Great is truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view, is silence about truth. By simply not mentioning certain subjects... propagandists have influenced opinion much more effectively than they could have by the most eloquent denunciations." Aldous Huxley

West Virginia Wilderness Coalition (WVWC) employees, paid lobbyists, have failed to mention in their slick publications, in their pitch to potential supporters, in their numerous visits to the WV Congressional delegation and in their exclusive promotions on WV National Public Radio about some of the management restrictions that come with the traditional Wilderness designation in the Monongahela National Forest.

These restrictions include a ban on all wheeled vehicles, including bicycles, a ban on all mechanized trail maintenance, including chainsaws and wheelbarrows, and restrictions on groups of more than ten people and commercial events like running and adventure racing.

Of course by not mentioning these issues they have made their task of persuasion much easier because they do not have many valid arguments against them or the reasons why alternative designations would not make more sense.

The Sierra Club has published a book of the top ten most environmental inventions of man and number one is the bicycle.

The National Park Service published a study in 2006 on the environmental effects of various users on trails in the Big South Fork National River in Kentucky. The results found that mountain bikes and hikers had very similar effects with the bicycles actually doing less damage.

A study in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada concluded that pedestrians actually disturbed wildlife more than cyclists. Conflict between users in the Monongahela National Forest is a non-issue at this time and bicycles were using Dolly Sods North long before the Forest Service purchase and the influx of hikers there.

In order to avoid having to argue these issues and be on the losing side, the WVWC has chosen instead not to provide a forum for this debate and not to compromise or discuss any deviation from their original position created by their bosses at the Wilderness Society in Durango, Colorado.

In order to distract people from the real issues at hand, the WVWC has used spin and false accusations about the mountain bike community in West Virginia. The latest word from Morgantown is that we are “radicals” and have launched personal attacks against them by merely mentioning their names.

The true “radicals” here are the WVWC on the one end of the spectrum who advocate for huge expanses of Wilderness, regardless of the economic repercussions in the localities nearby, who are unwilling to compromise and who will be back again for more in ten years or so. The other end of the spectrum would be the advocates of absolutely no acreage left untouched by man and a National Forest run by and for big business interests.

West Virginia Mountain Bike Association has always advocated for preservation and protection of our “special places”. We actually endorsed several Wilderness areas in the most recent Forest Plan revision, the continuation of all existing 6.2 non-motorized backcountry designations and we have ceaselessly promoted a compromise with the WVWC that we can all support, but to no avail.

The West Virginia Mountain Bike Association position is a moderate and adaptable stand that is supported by the vast majority of West Virginians and is far from being “radical”. Ours is a message of inclusion not exclusion.

It is unfortunate that our Congressional delegation has failed to let us come to the table and be a part of the process of developing the Monongahela Wilderness bill. Even after the introduction of this bill in the House and Senate, WVMBA continues to try to become involved in the process.

Right now we are trying to have the National Scenic Area designation, already in place in Dolly Sods North, expanded to include the newly purchased acreage and given more protective language. We are also advocating for “cherry-stemming” the trails out of the Cranberry Expansion and Roaring Plains West if they become Wilderness. Finally, WVMBA and IMBA are asking for a minor boundary modification in the Big Draft/ Anthony Creek area so the existing trails would fall just outside of any Wilderness area.

WVMBA needs your help in influencing our elected officials. Here is a link to the latest International Mountain Bike Association alert:

https://secure2.convio.net/imba/site...s6vqfjz5.app2b

Below is our original press release and additional information follows that. Thank you for your support and long live legal single-track for bicycles. -Matt Marcus

Governor Manchin's site: http://www.wvgov.org/

Senator Byrd’s email page: http://byrd.senate.gov/byrd_email.html

Senator Rockefeller's email page: http://www.senate.gov/~rockefeller/services/email.cfm

Congressman Mollohan's site, email: http://www.house.gov/mollohan/bio.htm

Congresswomen Capito,:
https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml

Congressman Rahall's email site:
http://www.rahall.house.gov/index.ph...521&Itemid=162



WV Wilderness Bill Takes Bicycle Advocates by Surprise
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:22:59 +0000

January 24, 2008

The West Virginia Wilderness Bill that is slated to be introduced to both houses of the
U.S. Congress next week was written without the knowledge or cooperation of the West
Virginia Mountain Bike Association (WVMBA) or the International Mountain Bicycle
Association (IMBA). The Senate and the House versions have both been written with
identical language to put them on the fast track to passage by Congress.

If this bill passes it would close down over 70 miles of high quality backcountry trails
to bicycles in the Monongahela National Forest and end special events like
running races and the Odyssey Endorphin Fix adventure race. All of these
activities are important to tourism based economies in West Virginia counties like Tucker, Randolph and Pocahontas.

“All of the offices of the West Virginia delegation, both Senators and the three House
members, had assured WVMBA and IMBA representatives that we would be ‘at the table’ when the specifics of boundaries and designations were negotiated and this did not happen”, said WVMBA vice-president Matt Marcus.

“The Ridge and Valley Wilderness Act in Virginia was worked out in advance by mountain bike and Wilderness advocates and now enjoys a broad base of support by a variety of users. We have been using this as a model of what can happen when we have talked to the WV delegation but they apparently haven’t heard that message yet.”

WVMBA and IMBA did not receive the Wilderness maps until January 11th, 2008 while Wilderness advocates had knowledge of the designated areas as early as October or November, 2007. Bicycle advocates found out about the Wilderness Bill from a Charleston Gazette article dated January 20, 2008.

“We have visited all of the WV members of Congress every year for the last five years and have been willing to come to the table with Wilderness advocates to compromise but the WV Wilderness Coalition formulated their position in February, 2003 and have not been willing to compromise one word since they introduced it,” said Marcus.

“The WV Wilderness Coalition has used deliberately misleading information and spin to convey the message that they have reached a compromise with the mountain bike community, but all we ever got was an ultimatum. People who are concerned about bicycling or special events in Dolly Sods North, Roaring Plains West and the Cranberry Expansion need to contact the WV members of Congress immediately. Thanks for your support!”

Below you find a list of your Representatives call or email them, PLEASE!

SENATORS
Robert Byrd 202-224-3954
John Rockefeller 202-224-6472

(WV) GOVERNOR
Joe Manchin III 304/558-2000

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Shelley Capito 202-225-2711
Alan Mollohan 202-225-4172
Nick Rahall 202-225-3452

This is Matt Marcus, VP of WVMBA. We discussed the issue of the list of businesses supporting Wilderness on wvwild.org at the last WVMBA meeting on Sunday, February 10th.

In all fairness to the businesses on this list we are not advocating a boycott. There are several reasons for this:

1) Some of these businesses were put on this list without their knowledge. An example of this would be Highland Prospects in Davis, WV who only attended a Wilderness Coalition event and never authorized support for the WVWC Wilderness proposal. One of the owners was not aware that they were on the list and certainly does not support the Wilderness proposal.

2) Highland Prospects has requested that their name be taken off the list and it has not happened. This could be true of others.

3) Some of the businesses on this list were not told about the restrictive management restrictions that come with the traditional Wilderness. An example of this would be Charleston Bicycle Center whose name has already been removed.

Additionally many of these businesses do not exist or are just P.O. boxes. Whitetail Bicycles has been closed for over four years... since before the Wilderness Coalition was formed. The Art Company has been closed since late 2007. Joseph Henry Photography is a P.O. box, not a retail business in Davis, WV.

These are just the ones I know about locally so if this is indicative of the rest of the list then the list of supporters that the WVWC has been working on for the last four years is way short of 100.

Also there is a list of organizations and govermental bodies that supposedly support the Wilderness proposal that you should check out at wvwild.org. This can also be misleading. The Pocahontas County CVB does not support the Wilderness proposal OUTSIDE of Pocahontas County which means they only support a few acres in Spice Run and Cranberry expansion and only one trail closure.

Long story short , this is the kind of deception, spin and lack of real information WVMBA and IMBA have been dealing with for the last four years in our dealings with the West Virginia Wilderness Coalition employees and representatives.

Please talk to or call the businesses and find out what their true stand is. Please realise that it may be more productive to go to these businesses and educate the owners and their customers about the real issues surrounding Wilderness and the economically damaging management restrictions that will become permanent.

Thank You.

Dolly Sods North, Monongahela National Forest fact sheet


 Dolly Sods North contains 22.5 miles of high quality looping backcountry trails and is currently a popular mountain bike destination.
 Dolly Sods North has been a popular mountain bike destination since the introduction of the first mass produced mountain bicycles in the early 1980’s.
 West Virginia Mountain Bike Association began doing trail maintenance on the trails in Dolly Sods North in the early 1990’s and has continued trail maintenance into this century.
 West Virginia Mountain Bike Association has sanctioned competitive events in Dolly Sods North under Special Use Permit from the Monongahela National Forest and contributed trail maintenance as part of these agreements.
 Dolly Sods North is bordered by the Timberline Four Seasons Resort which has a mountain bike trail system that connects to Dolly Sods North.
 Dolly Sods North has trails that connect to trails in the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge that are popular with and provide access for mountain bikes.
 Canaan Valley State Park is a popular area for mountain bikers to ride from when they are going to ride in nearby Dolly Sods North.
 Restricting access for bikes in Dolly Sods North would block access to and from Timberline, Canaan Valley Wildlife Refuge, Canaan Valley State Park, Forest Service Road #19 and adjoining trails in the Monongahela National Forest.
 Restricting access to the Dolly Sods North with a Wilderness designation would harm the economy of Canaan Valley, Davis and Tucker County, West Virginia.
 Because of resource damage from horses, mechanized trail maintenance would be preferred to achieve trail sustainability in Dolly Sods North. Wilderness designation would prevent the necessary maintenance by excluding machinery, wheelbarrows ands chain saws and continue to allow trail degradation by horses.
 The Congressionally protected portion of Dolly Sods North is currently a National Scenic Area which prohibits resource extraction but allows bicycling, special events and the necessary trail maintenance. This designation could be and should be extended to the rest of Dolly Sods North instead of Wilderness.
 Virtually all of the tourism related businesses in Tucker County support keeping the trails in Dolly Sods North open to bicycles, special events and trail maintenance and oppose the restrictive, exclusive Wilderness designation.
 The U.S. Forest Service, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and the West Virginia Governor’s Office have not recommended that Dolly Sods North be designated Wilderness.
 West Virginia’s Congressional delegation indicates that First District Congressman Alan Mollohan has chosen Dolly Sods North to be included in the Monongahela Wilderness Bill.
 Wilderness users make up less than three percent of Monongahela National Forest visitors while mountain bikers make up over six percent. Non-Wilderness users spend over five times more than wilderness users on average.

Dolly Sods North Talking Points

The vast majority of West Virginia and Tucker County citizens and businesses are opposed to Dolly Sods North being closed to bicycles, special events and meaningful trail maintenance by Congressman Mollohan.

Over twenty of West Virginia’s bicycle retailers oppose the exclusion of bicycles, special events and badly needed trail maintenance in Dolly Sods North by Congressman Mollohan. Only one outdoors’ shop that sells bicycles and is not located near any National Forest lands supports closing Dolly Sods North to bicycles.

The vast majority of mountain bikers, those who do trail maintenance and those that take part in organized mountain bike events, are opposed to the Dolly Sods being restricted by Congressman Mollohan.

The Tourism economy of Tucker County and Northern West Virginia will be permanently damaged if Congressman Mollohan is successful in making Dolly Sods North a Wilderness area.

The West Virginia Mountain Bike Association (WVMBA) and the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) have been in discussions with Congressman Mollohan’s office since 2004. WVMBA and IMBA have proposed that the existing Congressional designation of National Scenic Area currently protecting the Dolly Sods North be extended to include the newer sections.

Existing bicycling opportunities, special events and badly needed trail maintenance in Dolly Sods North would be permitted if a National Scenic Area designation was extended. All of these activities would be prohibited with Congressman Mollohan’s Wilderness designation.

Contact Information

Web Site: www.house.gov/mollohan
E-mail: CongressmanMollohan@mail.house.gov

Washington Office:
2302 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-4801
Phone: (202) 225-4172
Fax: (202) 225-7564

Main District Office:
Room 232, Fed. Bldg., PO Box 720
Morgantown, WV 26507
Phone: (304) 292-3019
Fax: (304) 292-3027
District Offices of
Representative Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV 1st)

Parkersburg
Phone: (304) 428-0493
Fax: (304) 428-5980
Address:
425 Juliana St., #2040
Parkersburg, WV 26101

Wheeling
Phone: (304) 232-5390
Fax: (304) 232-5722
Address:
1125 Chapline St.
Wheeling, WV 26003-2900

Clarksburg
Phone: (304) 623-4422
Fax: (304) 623-0571
Address:
Post Office Bldg., Rm. 209
Clarksburg, WV 26302-1400

WV Mountain Biking and Wilderness Fact Sheet

The former West Virginia Mountain Bike Association (WVMBA) President, Matt Marcus attended a meeting with representatives of the WV environmental community at Laneville Cabin in the Monongahela National Forest around the year 2000. Dave Saville, Jim Sconyers, Don Gasper and representatives of the WV Highlands Conservancy, the WV Chapter of the Sierra Club and Trout Unlimited were represented. The meeting was upbeat and informative with all parties agreeing to try to reach a consensus on Wilderness that everyone at the meeting could support.

After the formation of the WV Wilderness Coalition (WVWC) another meeting was held in early December, 2003 with Saville, Marcus, Gil and Mary Willis from Elk River Touring Center and Virginia International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) representative Chris Scott in the “icebox” on Canaan Mountain near Davis, WV. At that meeting, Mr. Saville assured all attendees that he would look into and consider options such as “Wilderness with bikes”, cherry-stemming trails and alternative Congressional protections (such as National Recreation Areas, National Scenic Areas and National Conservation Areas) as alternatives to traditional Wilderness, which prohibits bicycles, special events and mechanized trail maintenance.

In February, 2004 WVWC staff member Matt Keller, Saville, Marcus, Gil Willis and former WVMBA Executive Director Greg Moore attended a meeting at the “Green House” in Elkins, WV. A PowerPoint presentation outlining the WVWC Wilderness Proposal was shown to the representatives of the mountain bike community. WVMBA representatives were shocked to see that the proposal asked for 300,000 acres (out of 900,000) to be put into Wilderness and restrict over 250 miles of trails. WVWC representatives said that they did not include Canaan Mountain or Tea Creek (less than 10,000 acres) in the proposal as a concession to mountain bikers. WVMBA and IMBA representatives told Saville and Keller that they could not accept this deal and the WVWC should go ahead and include Canaan and Tea Creek in their plan if they so desired.

WVMBA and IMBA representatives asked WVWC representatives why they had not included alternatives to traditional Wilderness in the proposal as they had previously indicated they might. Keller and Saville stated that their boss at the Wilderness Society in Durango, Colorado, Michael Carroll had been uncompromising, rejected these ideas and had characterized them as “Wilderness Lite”. At this time Mr. Willis formally withdrew Elk River Touring support from the WVWC.

In 2005 IMBA requested that Virginia Wilderness advocate Mark Miller, who had helped to form a consensus on the Jefferson National Forest Ridge and Valley Wilderness Bill with mountain bikers, come to the table with the WVWC, WVMBA and IMBA to help negotiate an agreement on the Monongahela National Forest. His participation was rejected by the WV Wilderness Coalition and the meeting never occurred.

In May, 2006 Marcus requested Saville to allow him to address the Board of Directors of the WV Highland Conservancy, WV Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Wilderness Society and the WV Wilderness Coalition. The request was ignored.

IMBA and the WVMBA have gone to Capital Hill in Washington, DC to visit with the entire WV Congressional Delegation for the last five years and have been repeatedly assured by everyone that they would be “at the table” when negotiations were made regarding the specifics of Congressional designations and boundaries. Unlike the Virginia Wilderness Bill, there never was a discussion including Congressional staff, cyclists and Wilderness advocates before these decisions were formulated.

WVWC representatives have repeatedly misrepresented the mountain bike community to solicit support from individuals and businesses claiming WVMBA had reached a compromise and supported the Wilderness proposal. Many of the Wilderness supporters were never told about the restrictions imposed by Wilderness legislation and several have withdrawn their support as a result.

WV Wilderness Coalition was made aware of the Wilderness designations formulated by Congress in the fall of 2007. WVMBA and IMBA were not given the specifics or maps until January 11, 2008, ten days before the Charleston Gazette announced that the WV Wilderness Bill would be introduced within two or three days.

None of the WVWC literature or the maps obtained from Congress list specific trails or trail mileages that have restricted access for bicycles, special events or mechanized trail maintenance. This table reflects the current estimate of trails and mileages and may not be complete. There are more trails and railroad grades that are not system trails that exist and are currently used by the public that are not listed here.

These are the 21 system trails totaling 70 miles that will be closed to bicycles, special events and mechanized trail maintenance if the current plan is enacted:

Dolly Sods North 22.3
509 Upper Red Creek 1.3 mi.
511 Blackbird Knob 4.7
514 Red Creek .5
520 Beaver Dam .7
521 Raven Ridge 2.8
522 Bear Rocks 2.4
523 Beaver View 1.2
524 Rocky Ridge 3.0
525 Harman 1.4
526 Dobbin Grade 4.3

Roaring Plains West 8.4
519 Flatrock Run 5.1
548 Roaring Plains 3.3

Cranberry Expansion 25.1
212 Lick Branch 2.1
213 Rough Run 3.5
214 Tumbling Rock 3.0
242 Little Fork 3.5
250 Birch Log 3.0
688 North South 10.0

Big Draft 13.6
614 Blue Bend 5.0
615 South Boundary 4.8
618 Anthony Creek 3.8

The most recent National Visitor Use Survey (NVUS) done on the Monongahela National Forest before the Forest Plan Revision did not properly account for bicycle use because of the survey methods. Surveys were taken by individuals in vehicles on Forest Service Roads sometimes at trailheads.

For example the survey on Canaan Mountain was done a mile in on the Canaan Loop Road from Rt. 32. Bicycle access for this area typically is from the town of Davis or Plantation Trailhead on Rt. 32 so none of these users were captured. Hikers normally will arrive by car and go by this area where the survey took place skewing the numbers.

The survey took place at a trailhead above Laneville in the Dolly Sods Wilderness. Only those users going into this trail were recorded. Anyone heading up to the non-Wilderness part of Dolly Sods North was not recorded. Bicycle users would typically use Forest Road 80 or pass by the Wilderness trailhead where the survey took place to access this popular area.

Regardless of these inconsistencies, estimated bicycle use in the Monongahela was over double that of Wilderness use. Wilderness use was less than 3% while bicycle use was over 6% and WVMBA suspects bicycle use is actually closer to 10%. Bicycle related tourism generates far more money for our rural tourism economies than Wilderness.

The GW/Jeff Forest Visitation and Economics & Executive Summary of a Report
by Dennis J. LaBare & H. Stacy Miller LaBare using the 2001 NVUS found that on average Wilderness users spend $74.10 while non-Wilderness users will spend $327.20.

In the mountain towns of Davis, Elkins and Marlinton there is very little support for Wilderness. Most support for Wilderness comes from out of state, Morgantown, Charleston and Lewisburg by people who don’t depend on tourism to survive.