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In reference to J. Curtis’s letter (CCN August 28): Mountain biking and trail-building destroy wildlife habitat.
Mountain biking is environmentally, socially, and medically destructive.
There is no good reason to allow bicycles on any unpaved trail!
Bicycles should not be allowed in any natural area.
They are inanimate objects and have no rights.
There is also no right to mountain bike.
It’s dishonest of mountain bikers to say that they don’t have access to trails closed to bikes.
They have EXACTLY the same access as everyone else — ON FOOT!
Why isn’t that good enough for mountain bikers?
They are all capable of walking.
A favourite myth of mountain bikers is that mountain biking is no more harmful to wildlife, people, and the environment than hiking, and that science supports that view.
Of course, it’s not true.
To settle the matter once and for all, I read all of the research they cited, and wrote a review of the research on mountain biking impacts (see https://mjvande.info/scb7.htm ).
I found that of the seven studies they cited, (1) all were written by mountain bikers, and (2) in every case, the authors misinterpreted their own data, in order to come to the conclusion that they favoured.
They also studiously avoided mentioning another scientific study (Wisdom et al) which did not favour mountain biking and came to the opposite conclusions.
Mountain bikers also love to build new trails – legally or illegally.
Of course, trail-building destroys wildlife habitat – not just in the trail bed, but in a wide swath to both sides of the trail.
Mountain biking, trail building, and trail maintenance all increase the number of people in the park, thereby preventing the animals’ full use of their habitat.
Mountain biking accelerates erosion, creates V-shaped ruts, kills small animals and plants on and next to the trail, drives wildlife and other trail users out of the area, and, worst of all, teaches kids that the rough treatment of nature is okay (it’s not).
What’s good about that?
In addition to all of this, it is extremely dangerous.
Email, Aug 31
M Vandeman, San Ramon, California, USA