On Saturday”s Opinion page, George Kieffer claims that Dave Lowrie and myself are suggesting the removal of mountain bikes from Boggs Mountain State Forest (he refers to it as “State
Park”, of which many do prohibit bikes) and Highland Springs reservoir.
Mr. Keiffer refers to me as a “horseman”. I”d like to clarify that I haven”t ridden a horse since I was a child. I actually represent another user group, that of “hiker”. Hiking outdoors has been recognized as the most popular form of exercise and recreation in the US. Most of us have the ability to walk, and hiking doesn”t require any expensive equipment or entry fees. There are thousands of people here in Lake County who each year enjoy this passive form of recreation and communing with nature.
I”d also like to admit that my position has changed since this public discussion began. I now realize that mountain bike racing on single-track trails on public land is a legitimate use and probably an exhilarating sport, somewhat akin to downhill skiing or snowboarding. A recent letter writer from Middletown stated that single-track trails are the “holy grail” of bike racing. I get that.
What hasn”t changed for me is the certainty that we need to separate these very disparate and incompatible uses. I simply don”t want to hike on trails that are being used to set speed records by bikes. Really, who does. And I know that in talking to equestrians, they feel the same way. I agree that we need to share the trails, but not share the trail. There is a fundamental difference here. As we don”t allow bikes on public sidewalks, or car racing on public streets, so do we need to stop bike racing on hiking/equestrian trails. This is not sel?sh. This is common sense. Bike racing and single-track bike riding can be directed to trails designated for that sport. There are plenty of trails in the county. Deciding on who gets what trail will not be easy. There will be acrimony and hard feelings. So welcome to the world of compromising for the public good. This has to be done by all three users; bikers, hikers, equestrians. This is why Supervisor Tony Farrington and Scott De Leon, director of the county Water Resources agency have both agreed to moderate a public process whereby all groups give ground and come up with a solution. Public safety on the trails is not a guise. It is a genuine concern that needs to be addressed. And soon.
Tom McFarling
Lower Lake
