[pct-l] Forest Service...ban . ..mountain bikes on PCT

Sat Feb 9 23:02:41 CST 2013

Thanks a lot Heather.  I'll be getting a few out tonight.

Shroomer

On Sat, Feb 9, 2013 at 5:53 PM, Heather Darnell <mom_and_alex at yahoo.com>wrote:

> Good Catch, Squatch! If you were referring to the information on the
> Facebook page called “Sharing the PCT” that shows their rejection letter!
> I’m sure there will be lots of responses to this, and I’m not waiting to
> read them, just putting in my .02 now!
>
> Mountain bikers are directed how to respond, and I’m urging hikers to
> follow those same instructions for the hiker point of view. Here are the
> instructions, quoted:
> 1) Contact your member of Congress. Tell them who you are and what you
> want. Make it reflect your personal views. A sample letter is shown below.
>
>  .2) Contact Tom Tidwell, the Chief of the Forest Service, in Washington,
> D.C. Tell him who you are and what you want. Make it also reflect your
> personal views. His contact info is here: (direct e-mail address
> ttidwell at fs.fed.us).
>
> Re your letter to your Congressmember, here's a SAMPLE. Since your member
> of Congress likely won’t know much about the PCT, it’s probably best to
> start your request with an introductory paragraph along these lines:« Dear
> [name of Congressmember]:”
>
> Here is where the quoting stops. I am re-writing the letter found there,
> to better suit the purposes of hikers
>
> "I am a hiker who would like to walk at least some part of the Pacific
> Crest Trail, which runs for over 2,600 miles from Canada to Mexico along
> the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada. In 1988 the Forest Service closed the
> PCT to bicycles to help preserve the wilderness and keep hikers safe I
> SUPPORT that closure order.
>
> On February 5, 2013, the Forest Service announced the ban on cyclists
> remains in effect. and plans to keep safe for hikers and wildlife those
> portions  already closed to bicycles. Again, I SUPPORT that closure order.
> There are numerous reports of bicycle vs hiker incidents. The hiker is
> usually seriously harmed, and the careful planning, finances and logistics
> that went into his or her hike are non-recoverable. (Bicyclists do not
> necessarily carry insurance to cover loss or damages.) The cyclist and his
> or her bike are often damaged, as are native flora and the trail itself,
> due to heavy braking, tumultuous falls, and swerving off-trail.
> Mountain bikers have formed a group called the Pacific Crest Trail
> Reassessment Initiative (PCTRI) to work on getting the closure rescinded or
> at least reassessed so that ALL cyclists can more of the PCT. By ALL, I
> mean to include those who do not contribute to trail maintenance (bicycles
> can cause serious ruts in the pathway, which destroys planned water run-off
> and creates very difficult-to-unsafe hiking conditions.) Interestingly, in
> their petition, they fail to acknowledge how much of the trail is
> accessible to bikes in certain areas – especially near towns through which
> the trail passes.  A flaw in their argument is that they will bring more
> revenue to economically depressed towns near the trails. Which is where
> they already have access. Opening other stretches of trail will not greatly
> help those towns.
> I am writing to ask you to support the Forest Service in preserving the
> 1988 order. As even the mountain bikers agree, the Forest Service knows
> very well how to manage shared-use (for foot traffic and wheeled traffic)
> trails, and this is why they have chosen to preserve the PCT. The PCT
> deserves to  be protected,. Please support the Forest Service!
> Sincerely,
> [Your name]
> In addition to the foregoing and any points you think of yourself, you
> could mention these items to your member of Congress, the Chief of the
> Forest Service, and the PCTA (but keep it short!):
> 1. Any statistics you can provide regarding hours and dollars on the part
> of trail crews and trail angels in maintaining and preserving the PCT.
> 2. The Pacific Crest Trail Association admits that it cannot keep up with
> maintaining the entire trail. It seeks federal funding to do the work. If
> mountain bikers are sincere in their suggestion that they will support
> trail maintenance, they need to demonstrate those efforts AHEAD of time,
> putting into place preventative measures NOW that guarantee to protect the
> trail, hikers and wildlife, not make promises that may or may not be
> fulfilled in the future.
> 3. Because mountain biking is often quiet, there is no warning when
> cyclists are about to come flying down hill or around a curve. There are
> numerous instances of bicyclists riding portions of the trail that are
> closed to wheeled traffic. There have been many You Tube videos where
> riders flaunt their violations of safety requirement. Fortunately, there
> are MANY other places that are both safe and designated for bicycles!
> 5. A significant portion of the support for mountain biking is derived
> from legal representatives and motorcyclists, who have been very open in
> their desire to “ride on the coattails” of bicyclists to gain more access
> for motorcycles as well. This cannot be allowed to happen. It is my very
> grave concern, regarding the PCT and wheeled vehicles, that “if you give
> them an inch, they will take a mile. ” .Thank you for your support! We hope
> to end this campaign in such a way that the doors are closed to future such
> requests, leaving your time and energy for more appropriate and relevant
> concerns..
>
> Yes, this is lengthy. And that's because I strongly urge you to TAKE
> ACTION by writing to your representative, and I am making it as easy as
> possible to do so by including all the information in one place.
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 4
> > Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2013 11:30:23 -0800
> > From: "Scott \"Squatch\" Herriott" <yetifan7 at gmail.com>
> > Subject: [pct-l] Forest Service rejects efforts to rescind
> > or restrict
> >     ban on mountain bikes on PCT!
> > To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> > Message-ID:
> >     <CAE+nFzLKr5KWLPN3T4Z-O3ZTum+L+dB-mBaryG3zQZ8sTOV8dg at mail.gmail.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
> >
> > Sweet!
> > https://www.facebook.com/SharingThePct?fref=ts
> > Squatch
> > squatchfilms.com
>
>
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