spa-@teleport.com

Does anyone that has been following this issue better than I have any info on if

this BLM plan will or could effect road racing on BLM land owned paved roads?

this could be a impact to road races in remote areas that use sections or

unimproved sections of BLM access roads. FYI, some of the roads in Tour of

Willamete have passed along BLM roads(which are usually really COOL!)



Send me more info, if ya got it anyone...





thanks



Jim Anderson









 Action Alert!

BLM Plan Could Restrict Mountain Biking

For Immediate Release

December 11, 2000

Contact: in-@imba.com

303-545-9011

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released a draft plan that

will govern how off-highway vehicles (OHVs) can be used on BLM-managed

public land. The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) is

concerned that the plan groups mountain bikes with motorized vehicles

despite the different impacts of the activities.

IMBA is against grouping mountain bikes with motorized vehicles because it

could lead to severe and unwarranted restriction of bicycle access. The

physical and social impacts of bicycle use are clearly less than that of

motorized use and IMBA believes bicycles should be managed separately.

"We're disappointed the BLM has chosen this route," said IMBA executive

director Tim Blumenthal. "We have worked as partners with the BLM for a

decade to carefully manage mountain biking. This plan is not consistent

with that partnership."

The Draft National Off-Highway Vehicle Management Strategy was released

Dec. 4 for public comment.

IMBA is encouraging mountain bikers to submit comments on the plan before

the Jan. 3, 2001 deadline. The BLM has said it will finalize the strategy

by Jan. 19, 2001 - the last day of the Clinton Administration.

IMBA suggests the following points be included in comment letters:

Bicycling should be managed separately from motorized recreation. Explain

from your personal experience the fundamental differences between bicycling

and motorized recreation.

IMBA believes that bicycling should be grouped with other nonmotorized

recreation forms, such as hiking and horseback riding, in the management

guidelines for public lands. We agree that bicycling and all forms of

recreation need management. We will be happy to work with BLM to improve

the management of bicycling on the public lands, and we encourage the

agency to develop a bicycling strategy, or a nonmotorized recreation

strategy, to complement its OHV strategy.

The BLM did not sufficiently inform the public that bicycles would be

included in the plan during the initial comment period. Because of this,

many bicyclists did not comment. The deadline for additional public

comment, Jan. 3, 2001, is too soon for cyclists to adequately review the

plan and submit comments.

More than 10 million Americans enjoy mountain biking. BLM decisions made

today about mountain biking will impact our activity for years to come. Our

sport is big enough to warrant its own management plan.

The BLM, mountain bikers and the International Mountain Bicycling

Association have a long, positive history of cooperation that began in the

late 1980s and includes several formal agreements and joint projects. This

controversial plan to group mountain bikes with motorized vehicles could

harm this relationship.

The BLM plan fundamentally differs from a recently signed Memorandum of

Understanding between the U.S. Forest Service and IMBA, the Forest Service

pledged that it shall "Encourage the management of mountain bike use as

distinct from motorized activities when developing agency policy, forest

management plans, and travel management rules."

Send your letter by mail, email, or fax to:

BLM OHV Strategy Comments

U.S. Department of the Interior - BLM

1849 C Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20240.





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