Newsletter, December 1998
by Lisa Luzzi
Back in 1988, the California State Parks established their Mountain Biking policy, which in essence, banned bikes from all single track trails. In 1995, a mountain bike implementation review committee was formed to deem whether this restriction was still appropriate. At that time, all districts were directed to review their trail designations and determine if the trails could be used by multiple user groups. Though the wheels of progress have been turning quite slowly in our district, progress is beginning to be made.
A public meeting was held in early December to discuss opening up Bill's Trail in Samuel P. Taylor Park, to both mountain bikers and equestrians. Ken Leigh, District Superintendent, gave an excellent presentation, including slides that showed many sections of the trail and it's current condition. He summarized what has been done to date: interviews with staff of neighboring land agencies, trail statistics were reviewed, and a survey was sent to all user groups. He explained that progress has been slowed due to lack of funding, manpower and motivation.
The meeting was held so the public could bring to light any issues the State Parks might have overlooked in their evaluation of the trail. Mr. Leigh attempted to state this premise in hopes that the age-old classic hiker/biker/equestrian rhetoric would not monopolize the meeting. Though the effort was made, the same old arguments, by the same old people, had to be heard yet one more time. 'Mountain bikes destroy the wilderness experience, the trail is too narrow, erosion, skids, safety is threatened, wildlife is frightened', etc. etc. etc.
If you have never attended a meeting like this, it is definitely an eye opening experience, but if you've attended more that one in your political career, you have to ask yourself, haven't I been here before? But Mr. Leigh had some good factual responses to the age-old arguments. When the China Camp debate started up, Ken stated that China Camp has the highest rated trail system out of all of the state parks, when the danger topic came up, Ken reported that statistics on mountain biking accidents are extremely low. He stated that one year the highest reported accident rate was hikers tripping on trails and postured that they should then close all trails to hikers because its too dangerous. The meeting was managed very well, and the crowd was held to a dull roar.
What I found most disheartening was the viewpoint of the number of young people in attendance. When I first saw the numbers of early teens present, I was surprised, not a typical representation for this type of event. I quickly assessed that they must be equestrians, (something in the way they walk). I wasn't sure what their opinion might be, most young kids like bikes, don't they? They were bold enough to stand and speak (though a bit ignorant of the trail situation in Marin), and they were clear on expressing that same old rhetoric. Too narrow, fear of getting hurt, etc. etc., and this sweet, young 14 year old girl concluded her statement with "this is our special place." This is the attitude of Marin County, that I'd hoped would die, when the silver hair crowd finally tripped off the edge of Mt. Tam, but I can see the tradition is being passed on to the next generation, and the generation after that. Parents of Marin really need to teach their children to share. It finally looks like we will have a good opportunity with opening up Bill's Trail to all users, to show that we can all share the trail and respect one another.
So what's next? Nothing was presented at the meeting that the State Parks had overlooked. (allowing dogs on leash was suggested via a letter). There is yet an unanswered question about the impact on the Spotted Owl habitat and the Salmon which Fish and Game will need to answer. The park ecologist doesn't believe this to be a real concern. And then, the trail would be opened for a one year trial period. Photo documentation will be made to assess the trail condition before and after that period, surveys will be done, and the BTC will help maintain the trail. It could be real progress for Marin County.
By Mark Flint
I am still reeling from the recent National Trails Symposium held in Tucson, AZ. It was a high-energy, information-packed event, and IMBA was well represented by board and staff. Mountain bikers made a lot of good presentations, and Tim Blumenthal spoke at a general session, doing his usual superb job of making us all look good. I managed to lure most of them out for a ride or two, along with the other mountain bikers who were presenting and attending, and those rides were a lot of fun.
There was so much happening that a summary would take up too much space, but three immediate impressions come to the surface:
1. IMBA and mountain bikers are major players in the trail community. The acceptance of mountain bicycling - and of mountain bikers as welcome allies - was pervasive. The only exception was David Lillard of the American Hiking Society, who managed to go against the grain and the spirit of the Symposium by advocating the AHS latest assault on mountain bike access, the luddite and exclusionist "original use" argument. Attendees that I talked to, from all user groups, were less than impressed.
2. The current political mood on open space is very much in our favor, and we need to capitalize on it. If you have an opportunity for open space protection, whether through city, county or state legislation or by bond measures for purchasing the land, jump on it. People are now very aware of the effects of sprawl and over-development, and are willing to spend tax money to stop it.
3. The people who work for trails are in general as good a bunch of people as you will want to rub elbows with. I know that some of us have problems in some parts of the country with different user groups, but we need to remember that in the overall scheme of things, all user groups are on pretty much the same footing, and really want the same thing. If we can focus on that rather than the distractions of the pesky HOHA types, join together for open space initiatives and work together as American Trails envisions, we can ensure adequate opportunities for all of us to enjoy urban, front country and back country trails experiences. Some people fault AT for including motorized users, but they are part of the family. Even if we don't happen to like motorized recreation, they deserve to be at the table. And the bottom line is they are at the table anyway, and so it might as well be as allies.
On a personal note, one of the things the Symposium did for me was reconnect me with the reason I like to ride on trails. Listening to people talk about their trail experiences, in sessions and in conversations during meals and breaks, reminded me that getting out on a trail is more than the challenge of riding it, or achieving a destination. It's more than the sights we see, the air we breathe, the sounds we hear, or the silence we enjoy. When we are out on trails we are fulfilling a fundamental need to connect with Nature. We are renewing our spirit, nourishing the soul.
Sometimes we get caught up in our advocacy work, or in the need to get in a workout on the trail, and we lose sight of where we are. But even at that level we are still affected, just by being there. If we can focus a little on the connection and stop now and then to relax, take a deep breath and soak it all in, we can really help that renewal process. Trails take us to the places we need to go to be in tune with the universe. They are, as one presenter put it, sacred lines through time and space.
It's no accident that the theme of this year's National Trails Symposium was "Trails and the American Spirit."
I am guessing that the 600 or so people who came to the Symposium are going to take all the positive energy they got back to their communities, and we are going to see the kind of quantum leap that we saw in mountain biking advocacy after the first IMBA Summit nearly three years ago.
©1997 Bicycle Trails Council of Marin
Old Spokes
by Abby Minot
For many years, Jim Jacobsen has worked tirelessly to improve mountain biking opportunities in Marin County. As President of the BTC, he has exemplified the purpose of the BTC in his actions. Some of us know him as our trail building teacher, some as the bearded fellow who chairs the Board Meetings, and everyone knows him as the guy who can answer all your mountain bike questions. He's endured countless hours of dull land management agencies' meetings in the hopes of improving access and promoting cooperation between the various user groups. His work has resulted in great benefit to all mountain bikers, not the least of which is the single track trail system in Camp Tamarancho.
Obviously, something needed to be done to show our appreciation. Since Jim had been riding the same old chromoly bikes for the last 15 years, it was pretty natural to think a new bike would be something he'd enjoy. Several people networked the idea, and with the generosity of a "screaming deal" from WTB, we collected donations for his new Phoenix Titanium bike. Everyone was sworn to secrecy, and we presented it to him at the BTC annual picnic on October 11.
He was definitely surprised, perhaps stunned, as he maintained his trademark poker face at the picnic. In the days following, he rode the bike a lot, and the grapevine started buzzing with the news: He likes it. We were pretty sure he would. And in classic Jim Jacobsen style, he wrote a great thank you to the donors, saying he couldn't have done the work he did without our support. Thanks, Jim, and thanks to all our supporters and thanks again to WTB!
The BTC website is growing. Every month BTC volunteers add content and features, including event listings, local rides, the current and past newsletters, and repair tips. The classfied ad section has been newly revamped, courtesy of BTC member Kevin Cotter. Submit your ads for Road or Mountain bikes or parts or find a riding partner via the new online form. We're looking to expand the rides section, so any member interested in contributing their favorite, legal ride, local or otherwise, can e-mail Chas Blackford at chas@ikonetic.com. We're also looking for more volunteers who might want to contribute content, ideas, or energy to this electronic resource... you don't have to be a techno-geek or own a pocket protector!
The BTC hosted another picnic this year, and it was a great success. There was such a large turnout for the ride, that four separate groups gathered and hit the beautiful trails in China Camp, on an absolutely glorious fall day. Lots of Beer (thank you Sonoma Mountain Brewery) and good food was consumed, it was an all around good time.
The Raffle winner was selected at the end of the event, and Paul Bloom from San Francisco won the Wilderness Trail Bike Phoenix. He was an extremely happy winner. Thank you one more time WTB and congratulations Paul. Thanks also to all who bought raffle tickets and supported the BTC.
