IMBA World Summit Day 2: Prestigious Panel Discusses the Future of Mountain Bikes on Public Lands

For Immediate Release
06-26-08
Contact: Mark Eller, IMBA Communications Director
markeller@imba.com
303-545-9011

Once a little understood form of recreation, mountain biking is now embraced and celebrated on thousands of trails around the world. Mountain bikers today are also prolific volunteers, activists and partners to public land managers.

Speaking before hundreds of mountain bikers gathered in Park City, Utah, for the IMBA World Summit, http://www.imba.com/summit/index.html a prestigious panel of officials from federal land management agencies discussed the future of mountain biking on public lands and answered important questions about their strategies for managing this popular activity.

In his opening remarks, former IMBA president Jim Hasenauer said that the mountain biking community deeply cherishes the close partnerships it has forged with federal and state land managers. He then introduced the panelists:

Ed Jager, Manager of Visitor Experience, Products and Services, Parks Canada
Karen Taylor-Goodrich, Associate Director for Visitor and Resource Protection, U.S. National Park Service
Bob Ratcliffe, Chief of Recreation and Visitor Services Division, U.S. Bureau of Land Management
Jim Bedwell, Director of Recreation, Heritage and Volunteer Resources, U.S. Forest Service

Highlights from their remarks can be found below.

Ed Jager (Parks Canada)

IMBA Canada led a successful 2006 pilot project in Kouchibouguac national park, rehabilitating a damaged singletrack trail and establishing it for shared-use status.
IMBA Canada is actively assisting Parks Canada with trail planning in Jasper National Park, and is conducting trail education workshops for park staff across the nation.
This spring, IMBA Canada and Parks Canada signed a partnership agreement to promote mountain biking on natural-surface trails.
Shared-use trails help raise awareness and enhance visitor experiences in Canada's national parks.
Parks Canada considers mountain biking a supported activity that is appropriate for many national park settings.

Karen Taylor-Goodrich (U.S. National Park Service)

IMBA is a tremendous partner and assists the National Park Service (NPS) in reaching out to the mountain bicycling community.
IMBA and the NPS signed a partnership agreement in 2005.
IMBA and the NPS enjoy a close working relationship and share in a collaborative process together.
The NPS can be slow to embrace new forms of recreation, but its goal is to look for opportunities to integrate appropriate uses into parks - while abiding by the Organic Act and other protective measures such as the Wilderness Act, National Environmental Policy Act and the Archeological Resources Protection Act.

Bob Radcliffe (U.S. Bureau of Land Management)

Mountain biking is now considered a historic use of many Bureau of Land Management (BLM) trails.
The BLM was the first federal agency to sign a partnership agreement with IMBA. IMBA has gone about things the right way and helped the agency understand how to manage the sport.
The BLM is currently mapping all the trails it manages. When the process is complete in 5 years no new trails will be added, so cyclists should be sure to participate in the mapping process.
Mountain bikers should be concerned that their sport is not as racially or culturally diverse as it could be. If Americans are not engaged by an activity it may not have a future on public lands.
IMBA's leaders are skilled in taking a partnership approach, and mountain bikers have broadly stepped up to the challenge of maintaining trails and performing volunteer stewardship.

Jim Bedwell (U.S. Forest Service)

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) manages 145,000 miles of trails, of which about 100,000 miles are open to bicycling. About 12,000 miles of those are managed specifically for mountain biking.
The USFS has held partnership agreements with IMBA since the 1990s. Lately, the partnership has included National Forest Foundation grants to help develop IMBA Ride Centers on FS lands.
The agency plans to manage mountain bikers as non-motorized trail users.
Agency staff will continue to work with IMBA to advance the current partnership agreement for the benefit of USFS trail programs.
IMBA and other mountain bike leaders should think big when it comes to access - but we should do so with humility and always strive for a collaborative approach.
Mountain bikers should stay engaged in the planning and political process and work closely with both like-minded groups and with groups that represent competing interests.

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	IMBA World Summit Day 2: Prestigious Panel Discusses the Future of Mountain Bikes on Public Lands For Immediate Release 06-26-08 Contact: Mark Eller, IMBA Communications Director markeller@imba.com 303-545-9011 Once a little understood form of recreation, mountain biking is now embraced and celebrated on thousands of trails around the world. Mountain bikers today are also prolific volunteers, activists and partners to public land managers. Speaking before hundreds of mountain bikers gathered in Park City, Utah, for the IMBA World Summit, http://www.imba.com/summit/index.html a prestigious panel of officials from federal land management agencies discussed the future of mountain biking on public lands and answered important questions about their strategies for managing this popular activity. In his opening remarks, former IMBA president Jim Hasenauer said that the mountain biking community deeply cherishes the close partnerships it has forged with federal and state land managers. He then introduced the panelists: Ed Jager, Manager of Visitor Experience, Products and Services, Parks Canada Karen Taylor-Goodrich, Associate Director for Visitor and Resource Protection, U.S. National Park Service Bob Ratcliffe, Chief of Recreation and Visitor Services Division, U.S. Bureau of Land Management Jim Bedwell, Director of Recreation, Heritage and Volunteer Resources, U.S. Forest Service Highlights from their remarks can be found below. Ed Jager (Parks Canada) IMBA Canada led a successful 2006 pilot project in Kouchibouguac national park, rehabilitating a damaged singletrack trail and establishing it for shared-use status. IMBA Canada is actively assisting Parks Canada with trail planning in Jasper National Park, and is conducting trail education workshops for park staff across the nation. This spring, IMBA Canada and Parks Canada signed a partnership agreement to promote mountain biking on natural-surface trails. Shared-use trails help raise awareness and enhance visitor experiences in Canada's national parks. Parks Canada considers mountain biking a supported activity that is appropriate for many national park settings. Karen Taylor-Goodrich (U.S. National Park Service) IMBA is a tremendous partner and assists the National Park Service (NPS) in reaching out to the mountain bicycling community. IMBA and the NPS signed a partnership agreement in 2005. IMBA and the NPS enjoy a close working relationship and share in a collaborative process together. The NPS can be slow to embrace new forms of recreation, but its goal is to look for opportunities to integrate appropriate uses into parks - while abiding by the Organic Act and other protective measures such as the Wilderness Act, National Environmental Policy Act and the Archeological Resources Protection Act. Bob Radcliffe (U.S. Bureau of Land Management) Mountain biking is now considered a historic use of many Bureau of Land Management (BLM) trails. The BLM was the first federal agency to sign a partnership agreement with IMBA. IMBA has gone about things the right way and helped the agency understand how to manage the sport. The BLM is currently mapping all the trails it manages. When the process is complete in 5 years no new trails will be added, so cyclists should be sure to participate in the mapping process. Mountain bikers should be concerned that their sport is not as racially or culturally diverse as it could be. If Americans are not engaged by an activity it may not have a future on public lands. IMBA's leaders are skilled in taking a partnership approach, and mountain bikers have broadly stepped up to the challenge of maintaining trails and performing volunteer stewardship. Jim Bedwell (U.S. Forest Service) The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) manages 145,000 miles of trails, of which about 100,000 miles are open to bicycling. About 12,000 miles of those are managed specifically for mountain biking. The USFS has held partnership agreements with IMBA since the 1990s. Lately, the partnership has included National Forest Foundation grants to help develop IMBA Ride Centers on FS lands. The agency plans to manage mountain bikers as non-motorized trail users. Agency staff will continue to work with IMBA to advance the current partnership agreement for the benefit of USFS trail programs. IMBA and other mountain bike leaders should think big when it comes to access - but we should do so with humility and always strive for a collaborative approach. Mountain bikers should stay engaged in the planning and political process and work closely with both like-minded groups and with groups that represent competing interests.


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