Ask Napa County Supervisors to Support Preservation of Mountain Bike Trail

Action Alert

Contact Supervisors by August 31

For Immediate Release
08-29-04
Contact: John J. Gardiner, California IMBA State Representative

303-545-9011

On August 31, the Napa County Board of Supervisors will consider supporting new Wilderness designations as part of Representative Mike Thompson's Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act (H.R. 1501). Wilderness land designations categorically prohibit bicycles and Thompson's bill would close more than 150 miles of singletrack trails to bicycling.

The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) supports protecting all of the areas in the bill, but for one-quarter of the land under consideration, Congress should use protection measures other than Wilderness or adjust boundaries to accommodate bicyclists. The 150 miles of trail that face closure are fabulous riding routes such as the Kings Crest and Lost Coast-Chemise Mountain trails in the King Range National Conservation Area and the Red Bud and Judge Davis trails in Cache Creek in Napa and Lake counties.

Please urge the Napa County Board of Supervisors to withhold support for Representative Mike Thompson's bill until adjustments are made that protect access to trails important to California mountain bikers. Please contact the Board of Supervisors before August 31 (the date of the hearing). The time to act is now!

If you live in the area, IMBA needs mountain bikers to attend this hearing and voice your concerns. For hearing information, visit the following web page. Please note that Napa County will post hearing information on Friday, August 27 at: http://www.co.napa.ca.us/AgendaNet/

You can contact the Napa Supervisors at:

Napa County Board of Supervisors
1195 Third Street, Suite 310
Napa, CA 94559
Phone: 707-253-4386
Fax: 253-4176
Email addresses: Brad Wagenknecht ( )
Mark Luce ( )
Diane Dillon ( )
Bill Dodd ( )
Mike Rippey ( )

Some points to make in your call/email/letter:

• We support preservation of all the lands in the bill, but believe in a greater diversity of preservation tools. Wilderness is not the only way to protect public lands.

• This bill is not ready for passage and needs to better accommodate bicycling. It would close more than 150 miles of trails cyclists have ridden for years.

• Mountain biking started in California and is a popular sport - 5.2 million Californians participated last year (Outdoor Industry Association).

• Mountain bicycling brings a tremendous amount of revenue to the state's economy through bicycle related industry, tourism, bike shops, touring companies, and more.

• Residents of Napa County and the entire Bay Area need wild places and bicycling is a great way to experience these lands. Some of the places within the bill are an easy drive from the Bay Area.

• Mountain bicycling is a great way to help combat America's societal trend toward obesity.

For more information about IMBA's work to protect mountain bike trail access in California visit: http://www.imba.com/news/action_alerts/ca_land_protection/index.html