>From: "Shaun Rimmer"
[email protected]
>
ignore the environmentalist whack jobs until said group sets the crosshairs on their local trails.
Being proactive in keeping trails open, and exposing the Mike V's and Terri A's as the frauds they
truly are, is much easier than trying to get the disastrous results of their work reversed.
Of course, trying to keep the MTB'ers from fighting amongst themselves is often tough enough. In my
local area, a trail advocacy and maintenance group (with membership open to any person who wishes to
join) has to keep wasting time and money in replacing trail markers because other MTB'ers are
constantly vandalizing or removing them. The group of yet-to-be-caught idiots responsible for the
destruction doesn't realize that if it wasn't for the advocacy/maintenance group, which is the only
special interest user group officially recognized by the county (who owns the park), the facility
would have been closed to bikers years ago.
The key to it happening was through a proactive approach, and beating the hikers to the punch in
making the voices of MTB'ers heard.
As a result, we have a stable, mapped facility open to mountain biking, legal and properly
maintained multi-use trails that aren't "dumbed down," and a certified NMBP crew who patrols the
park to keep an eye out for users in need of assistance.
It's hard to believe anyone would view that as bad... but when someone shows
the sand than neutralize the environmentalist nut cases, I guess we shouldn't be surprised...