M
Mike Vandeman
Guest
Mountain bikers complain that hikers don't like to "share" the trails
with bikes. Now the shoe is on the other foot! Suddenly mountain
bikers don't like to share, after all! The smell of hypocrisy is
pretty strong....
Mike
Single Track threatened by Single Desire for Oil and Gas
Energy Development Could Impact Aspenites Bike Trips to Fruita
By Mitzi Rapkin, 5-01-06
There aren’t many trees on the high plateau along I-70 between
Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction. The tallest and most dense
tree-like structures are oil rigs. And that denseness is set to
increase. Today the Aspen Times is reporting that a May 11th BLM lease
sale on thousands of acres of the federal agency’s land in Colorado
includes leases next to some of Fruita, Colorado’s most popular
mountain biking trails.
It wouldn’t be fair to say Fruita is the Moab of Colorado because it’s
just Fruita – and for most mountain bikers that says it all.
As early as March, eager mountain bikers from Aspen and the Roaring
Fork Valley searching for a respite from the fluffy white stuff (that
would be snow) head to warmer climes and hit the dry, red singletrack
trails of Fruita without having to leave the state.
Shawn Hunsberger, a personal trainer from Basalt told the Aspen Times
he’d be opposed to oil drilling right next to the trails. “There’s
plenty of places they can get oil without drilling there,” he said.
Sarah and Troy Rarick own Over the Edge Sports in Fruita, a bike shop
and meeting place for bikers near and far. Sarah said she’s heard
mountain biking brings in about $6 million dollars net into the
community yearly.
The most noticeable aspect to the city’s website at www.fruita.org is
a huge color photo of a mountain biker on the home page.
News of the impending lease sale spread in Fruita last month. Chris
Herrman is president of the Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Trail
Association (COPMOBA), based a few miles away in Grand Junction.
COPMOBA's mission is to build and maintain mountain bike trails, work
to preserve singletrack, and promote responsible riding. Herrman
described the mood of the mountain bikers in the area as one of
“outrage.” He told the Aspen Times that the BLM recently concluded a
four-year planning process which dedicated a portion of the North
Fruita desert to mountain biking, which makes the lease sale difficult
to swallow.
Sarah Rarick said COPMOBA sent out information to all members and are
encouraging them to contact the BLM to make their concerns known.
Last weekend the Fruita mountain biking community had an ample
opportunity to spread the word. Last Thursday more than 2,000 people
flocked to Fruita for the 11th Annual Fat Tire Festival.
“Our festival brings people from Colorado, Utah, the East Coast, West
Coast, UK and Germany,” Sarah said. ““We try to make the least sale
known. Obviously we’re not going to get on a political soapbox in the
middle of the festival but all of our visitors are willing to write a
letter. If the leases are sold it can really affect the quality of
mountain biking and camping here. No one wants to camp next to an oil
well. Even some in the oil and gas companies say this is silly
economically because mountain biking brings in so much money to
Fruita.”
The largest area of concern is along 18 Road north of Fruita and 27 ¼
Road in Grand Junction. Popular trails like Chutes and Ladders and
Zippety Do Da would be most impacted.
COPMOBA’s Board of Directors filed a formal protest over the inclusion
of the parcels that could affect trails and asked that they be removed
from the lease auction. The letter states “The COPMOBA Board can not
stand by and let energy development destroy our quality of life and
our sustainable economy. Grand Valley residents pursue a high quality
of life that includes our world class mountain bike trails. Our local
businesses profit from mountain biking, one of the mainstays of our
current recreation and tourism based economy. Our energy needs can be
met and the resources beneath the Grand Valley accessed, without
destroying our quality of life and our economy.”
Mel Lloyd, Public Affairs Specialist for the Western Slope Western
Region with the BLM said 45,721 acres in Mesa County are up for
auction.
Even though COPMOBA and others have protested the inclusion of
specific parcels in the May 11th lease auction, she said they will
still be offered for sale. “Protests are noted 15 days prior to lease
sale and are still included,” Lloyd said. “Whoever wants to bid is
made aware that certain parcels are under protest and whoever wins is
still required to put money down. If the protest is upheld the buyer
receives a refund. The outcome of the protest could take 60 days and
we’ve received so many protests it can take longer. We have gotten
more and more protests with the increased activity and the public
interest depending on the area.”
Lloyd said she has no track record of how the BLM has decided on
protests. The lease sale begins at 9 a.m. on May 11th in Lakewood
Colorado.
===
I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-limits to
humans ("pure habitat"). Want to help? (I spent the previous 8
years fighting auto dependence and road construction.)
http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande
with bikes. Now the shoe is on the other foot! Suddenly mountain
bikers don't like to share, after all! The smell of hypocrisy is
pretty strong....
Mike
Single Track threatened by Single Desire for Oil and Gas
Energy Development Could Impact Aspenites Bike Trips to Fruita
By Mitzi Rapkin, 5-01-06
There aren’t many trees on the high plateau along I-70 between
Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction. The tallest and most dense
tree-like structures are oil rigs. And that denseness is set to
increase. Today the Aspen Times is reporting that a May 11th BLM lease
sale on thousands of acres of the federal agency’s land in Colorado
includes leases next to some of Fruita, Colorado’s most popular
mountain biking trails.
It wouldn’t be fair to say Fruita is the Moab of Colorado because it’s
just Fruita – and for most mountain bikers that says it all.
As early as March, eager mountain bikers from Aspen and the Roaring
Fork Valley searching for a respite from the fluffy white stuff (that
would be snow) head to warmer climes and hit the dry, red singletrack
trails of Fruita without having to leave the state.
Shawn Hunsberger, a personal trainer from Basalt told the Aspen Times
he’d be opposed to oil drilling right next to the trails. “There’s
plenty of places they can get oil without drilling there,” he said.
Sarah and Troy Rarick own Over the Edge Sports in Fruita, a bike shop
and meeting place for bikers near and far. Sarah said she’s heard
mountain biking brings in about $6 million dollars net into the
community yearly.
The most noticeable aspect to the city’s website at www.fruita.org is
a huge color photo of a mountain biker on the home page.
News of the impending lease sale spread in Fruita last month. Chris
Herrman is president of the Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Trail
Association (COPMOBA), based a few miles away in Grand Junction.
COPMOBA's mission is to build and maintain mountain bike trails, work
to preserve singletrack, and promote responsible riding. Herrman
described the mood of the mountain bikers in the area as one of
“outrage.” He told the Aspen Times that the BLM recently concluded a
four-year planning process which dedicated a portion of the North
Fruita desert to mountain biking, which makes the lease sale difficult
to swallow.
Sarah Rarick said COPMOBA sent out information to all members and are
encouraging them to contact the BLM to make their concerns known.
Last weekend the Fruita mountain biking community had an ample
opportunity to spread the word. Last Thursday more than 2,000 people
flocked to Fruita for the 11th Annual Fat Tire Festival.
“Our festival brings people from Colorado, Utah, the East Coast, West
Coast, UK and Germany,” Sarah said. ““We try to make the least sale
known. Obviously we’re not going to get on a political soapbox in the
middle of the festival but all of our visitors are willing to write a
letter. If the leases are sold it can really affect the quality of
mountain biking and camping here. No one wants to camp next to an oil
well. Even some in the oil and gas companies say this is silly
economically because mountain biking brings in so much money to
Fruita.”
The largest area of concern is along 18 Road north of Fruita and 27 ¼
Road in Grand Junction. Popular trails like Chutes and Ladders and
Zippety Do Da would be most impacted.
COPMOBA’s Board of Directors filed a formal protest over the inclusion
of the parcels that could affect trails and asked that they be removed
from the lease auction. The letter states “The COPMOBA Board can not
stand by and let energy development destroy our quality of life and
our sustainable economy. Grand Valley residents pursue a high quality
of life that includes our world class mountain bike trails. Our local
businesses profit from mountain biking, one of the mainstays of our
current recreation and tourism based economy. Our energy needs can be
met and the resources beneath the Grand Valley accessed, without
destroying our quality of life and our economy.”
Mel Lloyd, Public Affairs Specialist for the Western Slope Western
Region with the BLM said 45,721 acres in Mesa County are up for
auction.
Even though COPMOBA and others have protested the inclusion of
specific parcels in the May 11th lease auction, she said they will
still be offered for sale. “Protests are noted 15 days prior to lease
sale and are still included,” Lloyd said. “Whoever wants to bid is
made aware that certain parcels are under protest and whoever wins is
still required to put money down. If the protest is upheld the buyer
receives a refund. The outcome of the protest could take 60 days and
we’ve received so many protests it can take longer. We have gotten
more and more protests with the increased activity and the public
interest depending on the area.”
Lloyd said she has no track record of how the BLM has decided on
protests. The lease sale begins at 9 a.m. on May 11th in Lakewood
Colorado.
===
I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-limits to
humans ("pure habitat"). Want to help? (I spent the previous 8
years fighting auto dependence and road construction.)
http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande