M
Mike Vandeman
Guest
At 02:36 PM 2/21/03 -0600, Scott G. wrote: Bedwetter.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Vandeman" <[email protected]> Newsgroups:
sci.environment,rec.bicycles.soc,rec.backcountry,ca.environment,alt.mountain -bike Sent: Saturday,
February 22, 2003 9:34 AM Subject: Re: Mountain Bike Damage in Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park --
Three Years Later
> On Fri, 21 Feb 2003 15:33:15 GMT, "GSL" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> .Mike, . .I have co-founded a mountain bike club here in Florida, and about
one-third
> .of the members are environmentalists.
>
> Wrong. NO real environmentalists (as opposed to environmental rapists masquerading as
> "environmentalists") mountain bike.
>
> I also hike and run on the trail. . .Non-motorized access to nature should be promoted.
>
> BS. It destrous wildlife and wildlife habitat.
>
> It is well documented .that equestrians, off-road cyclists, and yes, hikers, all have an impact
on
> .nature. You know this, I know this, and fortunately so do most park .managers. . .You really
> should consider directing your energy toward the cross-country .motocross and ATV invasion. The
> current administration is
pro-hydrocarbon
> .recreation. We should all be aware of this trend and do what we can to
stop
> .it as they are the true destroyers of the trail.
>
> What are you doing about it? When the land managers find out that you are
a
> mountain biker, ripping up the land with knobby tires, they will know you
are
> nothing but a hypocrite, and won't listen.
>
> .Where I ride, I am having to stop and pick up bottled water jugs left by .hikers on a weekly
> basis. The equestrians cause major erosion and leave .heaping piles of feces everywhere. Off-road
> cyclists skid into corners
and
> .loosen the trail. Do I get upset? A little.
>
> But not about your OWN destruction.
>
> .But then I remind myself that when more people share a resource, such as
a
> .state park, the more likely we are all going to benefit from it. We
should
> .all be joining forces, and working toward expansion, access, and
protection
> .of public lands - - not against one another.
>
> If you would think about the wildlife for ONE SECOND, you would know what
BS
> this is: wildlife don't appreciate the presence of humans!
>
> .Consider this thought, stop hating, and start hiking & enjoying your
life.
>
> I hate the destruction of nature, as EVERY responsible person should.
>
> .Scott G. .www.porc.org . . . . . ."Mike Vandeman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> .news:[email protected]... .> February 18, 2003 .> .> Board of Directors
> .> East Bay Regional Park District .> 2950 Peralta Oaks Court .> P.O. Box 5381 .> Oakland,
> California 94605-0381 .> .> Re: Mountain Biking in Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park -- .> Three
> Years Later .> .> Gentlepersons: .> .> I heard that mountain bikers will be doing trail .>
> maintenance on the Sinbad Creek Trail next Saturday, just .> as they did three years ago. So
> naturally I wanted to see .> why this has become necessary. Last Sunday I hiked that .> trail
> again. I was pleased to see that many of the illegal .> trails I reported to you three years ago
> have been marked .> "closed", and are in the process of being revegetated. The .> signs also warn
> the mountain bikers that if they fail to .> obey the rules, mountain biking could be banned from
> the .> park. Of course, they already knew that, and have known it .> for a long time. But who
> cares about rules, when you're .> having fun (and no rangers are in sight)? .> .> As you will
> recall from my March 27, 2000 letter, .> mountain bikers were crisscrossing the park with illegal
> .> trails, riding off-trail, riding during wet conditions, .> riding through the creeks, and
> creating deep U- or V-shaped .> grooves that make the trails difficult and dangerous to .> walk
> on. Nothing has changed! I photographed tire tracks .> ____________________ .> through the grass
> away from the trail, through a pile of .> gravel you imported to "improve" the trail, and through
> the .> creeks. (It may be a while before I can send you the .> photos, since I am only halfway
> through that roll.) It had .> rained the previous night, and there were long skid marks .> in the
> woods near the Shady Creek Trail. .> .> Hiker-only trails (such as the Chaparral Trail in .>
> Augustin Bernal City Park) are flat, and easy to walk on! .> ____ .> Most of the Sinbad Creek
> Trail (particularly its narrow, .> "singletrack" section) is so badly rutted by the bikers, .>
> that it is very difficult to walk on. Not only hikers, but .> even bikers are forced to go
> off-trail. None of it is flat. .> ____ .> .> .> In one section I noticed that you brought in a
> bunch .> of large, exotic rocks to try to keep the bikers in the .> trail. They stand out like a
> sore thumb, since they look .> like no other rocks in the park. You also imbedded a .> plastic
> matrix in that section of trail in a vain attempt .> to keep it from being damaged, and covered it
> with exotic .> gravel. Just as I predicted, all of the gravel covering the .> plastic has been
> eroded away, and the plastic itself is .> starting to wear away, polluting an otherwise natural
> park .> with particles of plastic! .> .> Also, as I predicted, few people like walking or .>
> riding on plastic, so they are starting to go around it, .> causing further erosion. And the
> plastic must be .> dangerously slippery, when wet! In one place, the plastic .> has even sunk and
> tilted, making it impossible to ride or .> walk on it. .> .> Near that section of the trail, I met
> a girl walking a .> dog. She didn't have a map, so I gave her mine. When I .> mentioned all the
> damage done by the bikers, she said "I .> can't get too mad, because I like to mountain bike,
> too". .> This is typical of mountain bikers: deny, deny, deny. Never .> "rat" on your fellow
> bikers. That is called "the Code of .> the Streets": criminals aren't supposed to tell on each .>
> other. If mountain biking is harming the park, just look .> the other way. Pretend that it is not
> a problem. Well, this .> attitude seems to have taken hold among Park District .> personnel, as
> well. Instead of admitting that bicycles are .> incompatible with the protection of the parks'
> resources, .> they pretend that the trail just isn't built well enough! .> .> Well, you are right!
> Until the trail is paved, it will .> _____ .> continue to deteriorate and need constant repairing.
> That .> is exactly why Yosemite National Park has insisted that .> bikes stick to pavement. You
> should do the same! .> .> Another hiker I met said that he thought that the .> bikers should have
> separate trails, since their presence on .> the fire roads makes it very unpleasant and scary to
> hike .> there. But that is no solution: either you have to build .> many new trails for the
> bikers, destroying a lot more .> wildlife habitat (and the impact of people extends far from .>
> the trail!), or you have to take some trails away from the .> majority (hikers) and give them to a
> small minority .> (bikers), which is not fair to the hikers. Besides, have .> you noticed?:
> mountain bikers are never satisfied, no .> matter how many trails they have! .> .> When are you
> going to face the truth?: bicycles and .> other vehicles belong on paved roads, as is the rule in
> .> Yosemite National Park! How many years do we have to wait, .> _____ .> before you admit that
> "education", as a way of taming .> mountain bikers, simply doesn't work?! .> ___________________
> .> .> .> Sincerely, .> .> Michael J. Vandeman, Ph.D. .> [email protected] .>
> http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande .> .> === .> 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 .
>
> ===
> 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
===
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
----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Vandeman" <[email protected]> Newsgroups:
sci.environment,rec.bicycles.soc,rec.backcountry,ca.environment,alt.mountain -bike Sent: Saturday,
February 22, 2003 9:34 AM Subject: Re: Mountain Bike Damage in Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park --
Three Years Later
> On Fri, 21 Feb 2003 15:33:15 GMT, "GSL" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> .Mike, . .I have co-founded a mountain bike club here in Florida, and about
one-third
> .of the members are environmentalists.
>
> Wrong. NO real environmentalists (as opposed to environmental rapists masquerading as
> "environmentalists") mountain bike.
>
> I also hike and run on the trail. . .Non-motorized access to nature should be promoted.
>
> BS. It destrous wildlife and wildlife habitat.
>
> It is well documented .that equestrians, off-road cyclists, and yes, hikers, all have an impact
on
> .nature. You know this, I know this, and fortunately so do most park .managers. . .You really
> should consider directing your energy toward the cross-country .motocross and ATV invasion. The
> current administration is
pro-hydrocarbon
> .recreation. We should all be aware of this trend and do what we can to
stop
> .it as they are the true destroyers of the trail.
>
> What are you doing about it? When the land managers find out that you are
a
> mountain biker, ripping up the land with knobby tires, they will know you
are
> nothing but a hypocrite, and won't listen.
>
> .Where I ride, I am having to stop and pick up bottled water jugs left by .hikers on a weekly
> basis. The equestrians cause major erosion and leave .heaping piles of feces everywhere. Off-road
> cyclists skid into corners
and
> .loosen the trail. Do I get upset? A little.
>
> But not about your OWN destruction.
>
> .But then I remind myself that when more people share a resource, such as
a
> .state park, the more likely we are all going to benefit from it. We
should
> .all be joining forces, and working toward expansion, access, and
protection
> .of public lands - - not against one another.
>
> If you would think about the wildlife for ONE SECOND, you would know what
BS
> this is: wildlife don't appreciate the presence of humans!
>
> .Consider this thought, stop hating, and start hiking & enjoying your
life.
>
> I hate the destruction of nature, as EVERY responsible person should.
>
> .Scott G. .www.porc.org . . . . . ."Mike Vandeman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> .news:[email protected]... .> February 18, 2003 .> .> Board of Directors
> .> East Bay Regional Park District .> 2950 Peralta Oaks Court .> P.O. Box 5381 .> Oakland,
> California 94605-0381 .> .> Re: Mountain Biking in Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park -- .> Three
> Years Later .> .> Gentlepersons: .> .> I heard that mountain bikers will be doing trail .>
> maintenance on the Sinbad Creek Trail next Saturday, just .> as they did three years ago. So
> naturally I wanted to see .> why this has become necessary. Last Sunday I hiked that .> trail
> again. I was pleased to see that many of the illegal .> trails I reported to you three years ago
> have been marked .> "closed", and are in the process of being revegetated. The .> signs also warn
> the mountain bikers that if they fail to .> obey the rules, mountain biking could be banned from
> the .> park. Of course, they already knew that, and have known it .> for a long time. But who
> cares about rules, when you're .> having fun (and no rangers are in sight)? .> .> As you will
> recall from my March 27, 2000 letter, .> mountain bikers were crisscrossing the park with illegal
> .> trails, riding off-trail, riding during wet conditions, .> riding through the creeks, and
> creating deep U- or V-shaped .> grooves that make the trails difficult and dangerous to .> walk
> on. Nothing has changed! I photographed tire tracks .> ____________________ .> through the grass
> away from the trail, through a pile of .> gravel you imported to "improve" the trail, and through
> the .> creeks. (It may be a while before I can send you the .> photos, since I am only halfway
> through that roll.) It had .> rained the previous night, and there were long skid marks .> in the
> woods near the Shady Creek Trail. .> .> Hiker-only trails (such as the Chaparral Trail in .>
> Augustin Bernal City Park) are flat, and easy to walk on! .> ____ .> Most of the Sinbad Creek
> Trail (particularly its narrow, .> "singletrack" section) is so badly rutted by the bikers, .>
> that it is very difficult to walk on. Not only hikers, but .> even bikers are forced to go
> off-trail. None of it is flat. .> ____ .> .> .> In one section I noticed that you brought in a
> bunch .> of large, exotic rocks to try to keep the bikers in the .> trail. They stand out like a
> sore thumb, since they look .> like no other rocks in the park. You also imbedded a .> plastic
> matrix in that section of trail in a vain attempt .> to keep it from being damaged, and covered it
> with exotic .> gravel. Just as I predicted, all of the gravel covering the .> plastic has been
> eroded away, and the plastic itself is .> starting to wear away, polluting an otherwise natural
> park .> with particles of plastic! .> .> Also, as I predicted, few people like walking or .>
> riding on plastic, so they are starting to go around it, .> causing further erosion. And the
> plastic must be .> dangerously slippery, when wet! In one place, the plastic .> has even sunk and
> tilted, making it impossible to ride or .> walk on it. .> .> Near that section of the trail, I met
> a girl walking a .> dog. She didn't have a map, so I gave her mine. When I .> mentioned all the
> damage done by the bikers, she said "I .> can't get too mad, because I like to mountain bike,
> too". .> This is typical of mountain bikers: deny, deny, deny. Never .> "rat" on your fellow
> bikers. That is called "the Code of .> the Streets": criminals aren't supposed to tell on each .>
> other. If mountain biking is harming the park, just look .> the other way. Pretend that it is not
> a problem. Well, this .> attitude seems to have taken hold among Park District .> personnel, as
> well. Instead of admitting that bicycles are .> incompatible with the protection of the parks'
> resources, .> they pretend that the trail just isn't built well enough! .> .> Well, you are right!
> Until the trail is paved, it will .> _____ .> continue to deteriorate and need constant repairing.
> That .> is exactly why Yosemite National Park has insisted that .> bikes stick to pavement. You
> should do the same! .> .> Another hiker I met said that he thought that the .> bikers should have
> separate trails, since their presence on .> the fire roads makes it very unpleasant and scary to
> hike .> there. But that is no solution: either you have to build .> many new trails for the
> bikers, destroying a lot more .> wildlife habitat (and the impact of people extends far from .>
> the trail!), or you have to take some trails away from the .> majority (hikers) and give them to a
> small minority .> (bikers), which is not fair to the hikers. Besides, have .> you noticed?:
> mountain bikers are never satisfied, no .> matter how many trails they have! .> .> When are you
> going to face the truth?: bicycles and .> other vehicles belong on paved roads, as is the rule in
> .> Yosemite National Park! How many years do we have to wait, .> _____ .> before you admit that
> "education", as a way of taming .> mountain bikers, simply doesn't work?! .> ___________________
> .> .> .> Sincerely, .> .> Michael J. Vandeman, Ph.D. .> [email protected] .>
> http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande .> .> === .> 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 .
>
> ===
> 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
===
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
