M
Mike Vandeman
Guest
At 11:51 PM 4/14/2006, you wrote:
>You may not be aware that China Camp was created with the idea of providing a refuge for mountain bikers from the innumerabe hiking trails throughout the Bay Area that are increasingly off limits to them.
Why can't you guys ever tell the truth? There are NO trails in the Bay
Area, or anywhere else, off-limits to mountain bikers. You are free to
walk there, JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE! You have destroyed an entire
park, making it worthless for everyone else. Most of the population go
to parks to GET AWAY from bikes & other trappings of civilization. We
want to see untouched nature, as she was meant to be. What's wrong
with that?
> Rather than complaining about one of the few remaining places that we have nearby to pursue our interest, why not hike on the many other trails available?
I do. I have no interest in hiking around large, fast-moving pieces of
machinery! But only a tiny proportion of trails are closed to bikes,
e.g. in Briones or Pleasanton Ridge.
> Also, I question whether erosion from singletrack is as big an issue as you make of it. I've heard that horseback riding is at least as big of an issue (though my sources may not be impartial). I would be interested in any studies you could send that show that biking causes ireparable damage to habitat (other than making trails surfaces slightly more uneven).
Killing animals and plants is irreparable. So is driving wildlife out
of the park due to too many humans being there.
> Have some compassion and empathy for those who, in addition to hiking, enjoy riding a bicycle in nature from time to time.
Nature is no place to have bikes. Or any other machinery. Don't
destroy the last vestige of pristine nature. You are welcome to ride
on paved roads. Just get rid of the cars (many of which are driven by
mountain bikers to get to the trails)! I can't think of a single good
reason to allow bikes on tralis. Nor can you.
>Sincerely,
Tor Unsworth
===
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
>You may not be aware that China Camp was created with the idea of providing a refuge for mountain bikers from the innumerabe hiking trails throughout the Bay Area that are increasingly off limits to them.
Why can't you guys ever tell the truth? There are NO trails in the Bay
Area, or anywhere else, off-limits to mountain bikers. You are free to
walk there, JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE! You have destroyed an entire
park, making it worthless for everyone else. Most of the population go
to parks to GET AWAY from bikes & other trappings of civilization. We
want to see untouched nature, as she was meant to be. What's wrong
with that?
> Rather than complaining about one of the few remaining places that we have nearby to pursue our interest, why not hike on the many other trails available?
I do. I have no interest in hiking around large, fast-moving pieces of
machinery! But only a tiny proportion of trails are closed to bikes,
e.g. in Briones or Pleasanton Ridge.
> Also, I question whether erosion from singletrack is as big an issue as you make of it. I've heard that horseback riding is at least as big of an issue (though my sources may not be impartial). I would be interested in any studies you could send that show that biking causes ireparable damage to habitat (other than making trails surfaces slightly more uneven).
Killing animals and plants is irreparable. So is driving wildlife out
of the park due to too many humans being there.
> Have some compassion and empathy for those who, in addition to hiking, enjoy riding a bicycle in nature from time to time.
Nature is no place to have bikes. Or any other machinery. Don't
destroy the last vestige of pristine nature. You are welcome to ride
on paved roads. Just get rid of the cars (many of which are driven by
mountain bikers to get to the trails)! I can't think of a single good
reason to allow bikes on tralis. Nor can you.
>Sincerely,
Tor Unsworth
===
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