Mountain Bike History Lesson in OHV Wars

The General believes the Carnegie crisis has actually had a positive impact as you look at the overall picture of land-use fights to preserve and protect responsible OHV recreation on public and private lands.

Besides awakening Bay Area off-roaders to the fact that anti-OHV groups have the sport square in their crosshairs, it has caused a lot of those same folks who also ride mountain bikes to ask the question, “Where are the mountain bike groups in the access fight?”

The onus for today’s study of OHV Wars is based on a recent article published in IMBA’s Magazine as written by Jen Dice.

2010 IMBA Article
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Jenn_Dice_Article_MtnBkMag_Jan2010.pdf

The tough talk is welcome but my question is if IMBA has resolved its inner turmoil between the group’s pro-Wilderness advocates (some of the old IMBA hardliners have a motto which goes like this, “We have never met a Wilderness Bill that we won’t support – even if it bans mountain bikes”) v. some others who believe that IMBA should work more closely with groups like BRC and AMA to defend trail access rights?

This internal struggle was documented in an excellent 2006 article in Mountain Bike Action Magazine (a very good and informative read)
http://www.sharetrails.org/magazine/article.php?id=755

In my position with BRC, I had extended the hand of partnership to IMBA and other mountain bikers to join us in a fight to have the BLM include mountain bike and equestrian use on a large number of existing logging roads (over 50 miles) in the Headwaters Forest Reserve. This was a case where BRC (and The General) was willing to lead the fight to protect equestrian and mountain bike access in this area. In fact, it was not an OHV issue since OHV use had never occurred there and we were not asking for it. Sadly, IMBA rejected our offer and the BLM only gave them about 3 miles instead of 50 or more.

Link to Info/Overview of Headwaters Battle where non-motorized users got screwed
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2009/02/headwaters-forest-good-idea-or-raw-deal.html

The Recreation HQ hopes the new readers of the blog will find these history lessons useful as they get up to speed on land use issues.

Thanks for your service!

Headwaters Forest - Good Idea or Raw Deal

When visiting with a reporter from the North Coast Journal the other day regarding a retrospective article on establishment of the Headwaters Forest Reserve (circa 1999) near Eureka, California, I remembered BRC’s strong advocacy for non-motorized recreational opportunity in that project.

BRC participated in the NEPA process and also filed a protest/appeal
http://www.sharetrails.org/releases/media/?print=1&story=237

BRC Protest
http://www.sharetrails.org/releases/media/?story=236

As a native of the Eureka area in Northern California, the battle for recreational access on behalf of the equestrian and mountain-bike community was more than a professional duty -- it was a personal obligation.

In the following article from today, BRC’s Beaches and Trails Certified Volunteer, Dennis Mayo talks about how the non-motorized recreation community got a raw deal.

North Coast Journal Article
http://www.northcoastjournal.com/issues/2009/02/26/headwaters-forest-at-10/

Quote from Dennis Mayo in article

"We got screwed," said Dennis Mayo of McKinleyville. "We were told, oh, come on, join in and play in the fun. We were told that we were going to get horseback riding, we were going to get all this stuff to help with ecotourism. I don't think a trail for somebody to walk on and one damn bicycle riding trail is recreation. It certainly doesn't meet the needs of the horseback riding community. We got zero."

Were there false promises made to the recreation community during the creation of the Headwaters Forest Reserve? I believe so. Did BRC work hard on behalf of the non-motorized community? Yes it did.

I guess the lesson to be learned from the “Headwaters” experience is that the recreation community must be wary of similar promises made in new Wilderness proposals and other land classification projects. The public does not have to be “kicked out” when lands are “preserved.” Buyer beware is an appropriate motto to remember.

Were there any positive developments during the Headwaters battle? You bet! Dennis Mayo who was a strong advocate for equestrian access had his eyes opened and is now a certified volunteer for the BlueRibbon Coalition. He now advocates for responsible multiple-use access for ALL users.

Since the Headwaters decision, the BLM has worked hard to preserve OHV recreation at the Samoa Dunes and for touring OHV use on the Humboldt Bay’s South Spit.

Samoa Dunes Recreation Area
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/arcata/samoa.html

“If land-use history is forgotten… it will repeat itself. The recreation community must never forget.”
--The General--

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