Speak out Against the Injustice in the Green Mountain National Forest of VT Draft Plan

IMBA, NEMBA and VMBA urge all mountain bikers to submit comments by July 5th:

• Demand that the US Forest Service reverse its current policy of prohibiting bicyclists from all trails and roads in the GMNF unless specifically posted open. Trails and roads should be open to bicyclists unless posted closed.

• Support the preservation of Glastenbury Mountain and other roadless areas without Wilderness designation. Wilderness designation would permanently exclude bicycles from these important areas.

• Support Alternative E of the Green Mountain National Forest Plan Revision. Alternative E limits the loss of pre-existing road and trail resources to Wilderness.

We need your help, and urge you to send in letters and emails by July 5th. This is an important opportunity to increase access for mountain biking so that we can enjoy this area. Act soon: we can't miss this chance to improve mountain biking in Vermont.

View Sample Letter

Print out Action Alert Poster

Bikes Should Not Be Excluded from the Green Mountain National Forest

Bikes are essentially banned in the Green Mountain National Forest, and the Forest Service's new draft plan codifies this unusual policy. The Green Mountain National Forest is the only national forest in the United States to have such a strict policy towards bicycling.

The plan goes further: it adopts the extreme policy of banning bikes from roads as well as trails. The Forest Service might respond that the ban is not absolute; that it's just a "closed-unless-designated-open" policy; that in the preferred alternative 69% of the land will be available for possible bicycle trail development. But why build new trails for bicycling when there are hundreds of miles of existing trails that are suitable?

Currently, bicyclists are only allowed on a paltry 37 miles of a 906-mile trails system. Equestrians fare even more poorly—they only get 14 miles of trail. In contrast, snowmobilers are allowed on 471 miles, and hikers on 349 miles. Compare this policy to the nearby White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire and Maine, where mountain bikers are allowed on just about every non-Wilderness trail..

The US Forest Service is, by law, a multiple-use agency. For recreation, that should mean that people learn to share trails. These lands are not just for hikers and snowmobilers. It's time for the Green Mountain National Forest to live up to its multiple-use mandate and reverse its policy. They should follow the National Forest Service tradition that non-Wilderness trails are open to bicycling and horses unless officially closed.

Tell the US Forest Service that you wish their "Standards and Guidelines" to state that "mountain biking be a permitted activity on all roads and trails unless they are designated as closed." An "open unless posted closed" policy would bring the Green Mountain National Forest more in line with other National Forest recreational use plans.

Preserve Future Bike Access by Minimizing New Wilderness Areas

The US Forest Service currently prefers Alternative E, a recommendation we support. This option is favorable to mountain bikers since it designates the least amount of new acreage to Wilderness. It keeps the door open for more favorable riding opportunities in the future, especially in the Glastenbury area which is covered in old roads and trails suitable for mountain biking. Mountain bikers support the protection of open space, but not strictly through Wilderness designations that prevent bicycling opportunities forever.

However, all the Alternatives codify the mountain bike policy as "closed" to bikes unless specifically posted "open." It is critical that mountain bikers speak out against this.

Where to Send Your Letters:

Forest Plan Revision
Green Mountain National Forest
231 N. Main St.
Rutland, VT 05701

Email: gmflplanrevision@fs.fed.us

For More Detailed info from the US Forest Service:

Green Mountain National Forest Plan Revision Documents

Please take action no later than July 5th!

Help Spread the Word!!!

Please download this PDF poster, print it out and place it in your local bike shops! 

Click here for the poster.

If you can do more, fax or email Congress:

If you are from Vermont, your voice is especially important. If you are from out of state, write to Vermont's members of Congress about the tourism value of trails for bicycling. Bicyclists spend considerable money and travel long distances to ride trails in national forests like the Green Mountain.

Senator Patrick Leahy
199 Main Street,4th Floor
Burlington, VT 05401
fax: (202) 224-3479
voice: (802) 8632525
(800) 642-3193
senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov

Senator James Jeffords
30 Main Street
Burlington, VT 05401
fax: (202) 228-0776
voice: (802) 658-6001
web contact form: http://jeffords.senate.gov/contact.html

Representative Bernie Sanders
1 Church Street
Burlington, VT 05401
fax: (202) 225-4115
voice: (802) 862-0697
bernie@mail.house.gov
web contact form: http://www.house.gov/formbernie/forms/contact.html

Sample Letter

Please send a personal letter that reflects your views. These type of letters are much more effective. However, this sample letter will help you get started. Remember to include your name and address, and as always, be courteous and respectful.  The letter below can be modified and sent to both the Forest Plan Revision and members of Congress.

[Your Name]
[Your Address]

[Date]

Dear US Forest Service Plan Revision Team [OR appropriate Congressman],

I'm writing to strongly urge that the US Forest Service change its mountain bike use policy in the Green Mountain National Forest to allow for bicycling on all roads and trails unless specifically posted closed. With the change in use policy, I urge the Forest Service to adopt its preferred Alternative E. Lastly, it is vitally important to preserve Glastenbury Mountain and other roadless areas of the Green Mountain National Forest without designating them Wilderness. Mountain biking is a legitimate trail activity, and Wilderness unfairly prohibits it forever.

The current policy of prohibiting mountain bicycling on roads and trails in the Green Mountains is highly unjust, and runs counter to virtually every other National Forest in the country. It is high time to modernize the mountain bike policy and bring it in line with the other National Forests. There is no valid reason for the USFS to maintain this backward policy in the Green Mountains. Mountain biking is proven to be an environmentally sustainable way to enjoy the public land, and there is no reason to disenfranchise this large group of users and conservationalists.

As a mountain bicyclist, I care deeply about preserving the Green Mountains for future generations, but I believe that this can be done without resorting to Wilderness designations. I support Alternative E because it builds upon existing Wilderness areas in the Breadloaf area, and protects the Glastenbury Mountain and other roadless areas in ways that still allows for a wide range of outdoor recreation.

Mountain bicycling in the Green Mountains could provide a huge economic boost to Vermont's summer economy. Not only are there over 95,000 mountain bikers living in Vermont who would benefit from increased trail access in the Green Mountains, but also there are over two million mountain bikers in New England, and 45 million nationwide. The US Forest service is a multiple use agency that should foster shared-use in the Green Mountains, and should not cater to only hikers and snowmobilers. Bicyclists spend considerable money and travel long distances to ride trails in national forests like the Green Mountain.

Thanks you for the opportunity to share my comments.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]