There are currently two Action Alerts that we need mountain bikers attention:

1) CT: Public Recreation Threatened at MDC Properties

2) NH: Support for the US Forest Services Alternative 4 to formalize the legitimacy of 13+ miles of trail in the Moats Mountain Trail System

CONNECTICUT ACTION ALERT: 

Public Recreation Threatened at MDC Properties

CT NEMBA urges Connecticut mountain bikers to attend a public meeting and help convince the MDC not to close its doors to public recreation.  Mountain biking is an important activity on MDC property, especially at the West Hartford Reservoir, and we need to show the MDC that we wish public access to continue.

As you may have heard, last May a Superior Court jury awarded $2.9 million to a mountain biker who was injured at the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) Reservoir property in West Hartford.  In response to this surprising verdict, the MDC is considering a closure of all its lands to all recreational activities. 

CT NEMBA is working with other recreation groups to prevent the closure and to support the MDC by urging the Legislature to strengthen the protections offered to individual and municipalities that allow public recreation.  While Connecticut’s Recreational Liability Statute offers private individuals and utilities a high decree of liability protection, protections offered municipalities and non-profit municipal corporations, such as the MDC, have eroded over the past 15 years.  This needs to be changed by the legislature.

On July 20th the MDC held a public meeting at the Town Hall Auditorium to a crowd that overflowed the building.  Various politicians, the mayor of West Hartford, and AG Blumenthal all supported keeping the MDC properties open and urged that the Recreational Liability Statute in CT be strengthened to include municipal agencies.  NEMBA's Philip Keyes and CT NEMBA's Art Roti provided testimony, along with numerous other organizations and citizens.  Most CT television stations were present.  Here's one new piece from the event.

Here’s what we wish Connecticut mountain bikers to do:

1) Sign the Online Petition urging CT’s Legislature to strengthen the Recreational Liability Law:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/fixtherecreationliabilitylaw

2) Be listed as a “Friend of the MDC” by going to the www.SaveTheMDCTrails.org.  Both the online petition and the list of “friends” will show politicians that the public supports recreational access to MDC properties. You can become a “friend” here:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/fixtherecreationliabilitylaw

3) Pass on this Action Alert to any and everyone who enjoys riding, walking, running, skiing, bird watching, or dog walking on MDC lands.  We need broad support from everyone who enjoys recreating on MDC properties.

If you have any strong personal political contacts in state government that could be useful in helping change the Recreational Liability Law, please let CT NEMBA’s Art Roti know via email

New England ACTION ALERT: 

Email Support for US Forest Service to Legitimize 13 miles of Inventoried Trail in the White Mountain National Forest

The U.S. Forest Service has released their analysis report on the Moat Mountain Trail System Project in the White Mountain National Forest. The analysis document can be seen at http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/project_content.php?project=30375

The analysis report contain four alternatives:

• Alt 1 – no action
• Alt 2 – formalize of 12.1 miles out of 13.9 miles of inventoried trails; Bloody Arm Trail and Cathedral Connector would be closed, Thompson Falls Trail to be open for foot traffic only
• Alt 3 – same as Alt 2 but with winter closures of some of the westernmost trails to protect wildlife habitat.
• Alt 4 – formalize 13 miles out of 13.9 miles of inventoried trails; Thompson Falls Trail to be open for foot traffic only

NEMBA strongly recommends selection of Alternative 4. Closure of the Bloody Arm Trail and Cathedral Connector would be a significant loss to our trail network. These trails provide long loop opportunities that are not possible with the existing Forest System trails. While we understand concerns of user conflict with bikers descending the Lucy Brook/North Moat Mountain Trail, this has not proven to be historically true. The Bloody Arm Trail is at least 10 years old and largely follows old skidder paths; Cathedral Connector is multiple generations old and allows a high crossing of Lucy Brook to avoid Diana’s Baths. These trails are important to the west side trail network and we are not aware of any conflicts with other users. Both the Bloody Arm and Cathedral Connector trails are on well-drained soils with minimal, if any, wetlands impacts.

We urge you to please call or write the Forest Service and request Alternative 4 be chosen for reasons outlined above. Please use your own words, as form letters are essentially lumped together as one comment.

How You Can Comment

Comments are due by July 22nd and should be addressed to Saco District Ranger Terry Miller as follows:

Written comments must be postmarked by the Postal Service, e-mailed, faxed or otherwise submitted by 11:59 PM ET 30 days following publication of the legal notice in the New Hampshire Union Leader.

Mail: Send to Jana Johnson, Saco Ranger Station, 33 Kancamagus Highway, Conway, NH 03818. Letters may also be hand delivered Monday, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM and Tuesday through Sunday, 8:00 AM – 4:30PM.

FAX: Send to Attn: Jana Johnson at 603-447-8405.

E-mail: Send to  comments-eastern-white-mountain-saco@fs.fed.us  and include an identifiable name. Comments submitted as electronic documents must be in plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rft) or Word (.doc) format. You

should receive an automated electronic acknowledgement as confirmation of receipt of your comments. If you do not receive acknowledgement, it is your responsibility to ensure timely receipt by other means.

Oral comments may be submitted Monday through Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm, by phone (603-447-5448 x109) or in person; and must be received by close of business at the end of the 30-day comment period.

Comments should include the following information:

• Your name, address, and if possible, your phone number and e-mail address.

• The title of the project you are commenting on.

• Your specific concern and reasons the concern may lead to environmental

effects.

The purpose of soliciting your comments during this scoping period is to collect additional information and to identify any unresolved issues regarding the proposal. To make your comments substantive they should be specific to the proposed

action. Be sure to provide supporting rationale for your comments, including concerns about environmental effects of the proposed project. Please be aware that your name, address and comments will become part of the public record and may be available for public inspection.

Thanks - Rob Adair,  President, White Mountains NEMBA