Jefferson National Forest Wilderness Bill: A Message To Mountain Bicyclists
Please write your Virginia Congressional delegation today to support the bill
To all mountain bikers in Virginia:
Representatives of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) and the Virginia Wilderness Committee (VWC) reached a historic agreement last week. IMBA agreed to support a Wilderness bill proposed for the Jefferson National Forest in southern Virginia.
IMBA and its members generally support protecting undeveloped public lands. But IMBA cannot back proposed Wilderness for areas that overlap significant riding areas, since bicycling is categorically prohibited in Wilderness. In the case of the new Virginia bill, Wilderness advocates worked closely with mountain bikers to craft a bill that will have broad support.
U.S. Representative Rick Boucher and U.S. Senator John Warner introduced the proposed "Virginia Ridge and Valley Wilderness and National Scenic Areas Act of 2004" on Earth Day, April 22. It would designate four new Wilderness areas, expand five existing Wilderness areas, and create two National Scenic Areas.
IMBA supports this bill for several reasons:
1. If approved as drafted, the bill would close only one area of significance to bicycling, Raccoon Branch, and that closure would be partially mitigated by a provision in the bill that calls for the U.S. Forest Service to build a new trail around the area to ensure the long-distance riding opportunities across Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. This NRA will continue to offer many other great riding areas.
Mountain bikers expressed concern about Raccoon BranchÕs inclusion in the proposal. To assess this, IMBA communicated with a number of local and state-level mountain bike groups. We agreed with many of the criticisms. But in the end, the consensus opinion, especially among cyclists closest to the area, was to support the measure.
2. Virginia Wilderness proponents did more to accommodate bicycling in this process than in any previous Wilderness process nationwide. They discussed the proposal in detail with many different groups and shared detailed maps. They adjusted a number of boundaries to exclude trails that are important to mountain bikers, and they supported National Scenic Area designations, instead of Wilderness, for the two areas of greatest concern to our community. Thus, Crawfish Valley and Seng Mountain will remain open to bicycling.
3. The legislative language for the National Scenic Areas protects the land in a way very similar to Wilderness. It prohibits mining and road building. It prohibits logging and motorized travel, with some exceptions. It promotes water quality protection and fire management.
IMBA has been advancing the idea that Congress should use a variety of designations to protect public lands, not just Wilderness. The National Scenic Areas proposed in this bill would demonstrate that it's possible to accomplish land protection without banning bicycles. Please be assured that the scenic splendor and high quality of riding you now enjoy in Crawfish and Seng will endure for future generations.
4. The agreement will also help position IMBA and Virginia mountain bikers for future challenges. On the national level, the Virginia bill will help advance IMBA's position that Wilderness is not the only way to protect public lands.
At the state level, we can expect more proposals for new Wilderness in Virginia. This agreement opened clear channels of communication between cyclists and Wilderness advocates. It establishes a foundation for addressing future issues. IMBA will work diligently to advance and improve bicycling access as Wilderness proposals surface.
Some cyclists will be disappointed that we agreed to the loss of riding at Raccoon Branch. Any time cyclists are asked to give up something of value it is a difficult decision. We continually ask the question, why must land preservation come at the expense of mountain biking? But we must all recognize that politics involves compromise. Wilderness advocates made sacrifices and so did we.
IMBA asks Virginia mountain bikers to support the Virginia Ridge and Valley Wilderness and National Scenic Areas Act of 2004. Please write a letter, send a fax, email, or make a phone call to your U.S. senators and representatives in support of this bill. Please thank them for their support of this important measure. For names and addresses for the Virginia delegation to Congress, visit http://www.congress.org and type in your zip code.
Thank you,
Gary Sprung
IMBA Senior National Policy Advisor
