Voices in the Wilderness: Redux
| Posted on February 6, 2014 at 1:05 PM |
The NSMBA continues to plan more cutting of new trails through relatively pristine and well-vegetated areas of Fromme Mtn., this year, while the NSMB.com celebrates mountain bikers who "poach" their ride, illegally off-trail (video). Extreme Freeride Mountain Biking embraces the "herd mentality" of rather immature and selfish people.
Some of these mountain bikers are pretty cruel, running their dogs, young and old, ragged in the woods. Injured and limping dogs have been seen, barely able to keep up with their masters on their metal steeds --or worse. In light of this fact alone, how can such persons possibly be able to empathize with the natural environment they rip and shred roughshod on?
With all the sanctioned and unsanctioned building and riding happening via mountain (dirt) biking activities, uncontrolled and uncontained, the "War of the Woods/Words" has never really ended, both locally, and elsewhere... Should these pedal-powered machines belong, in light of all the rogue activities continuing around them inside our forests? How does mountain biking help to protect what is left of a functioning forest.Do you think mtbers like Reece Wallace give a "flying hoot"? (video)...
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Bike Mag Exclusive: "Warming Up" featuring Reece Wallace
("Poaching", off-trail, on the North Shore. Out of sight, out of mind... the dirty little NSMBA/NSMB.com secret. They know this is happening with ongoing frequency --- but will not acknowledge it unless "caught".)
What good is a damaged, unhealthy weakened forest environment, when all is said and done by the NSMBA, NSMB.com and their corporate shills?
Sometimes it takes a young person to see and tell the truth about mountain biking. There needs to be areas made off-limits to mountain bikes, whether small "w", or capital "W" wilderness.
...and others, who dare to speak out, only to be "swarmed" by irate mountain bikers, who will battle tooth and nail to keep riding where they demand...
"To loosen wildland restrictions now starts us down a slippery slope."
But, on our own North Shore, urban parks and wilderness are just cheap fodder for the mountain bikers, as our politicians and public land managers pander to them. Endless riding and NEW Trail bulding continues upward and onward, sanctioned and unsanctioned. After all, it is "only" second growth forest (80 to100 year old trees). Second growth "urban" wilderness is just not "valuable" enough to deserve any more protection than a Disneyfied adventure park. Really?!
What the mountain bikers are doing to our forests right now is proving to weaken the next generation of trees growing on Fromme Mtn., etc. by their very consumptive riding and trail "building" habits. We won't see the healthy tall trees of yesteryear (even second growth health), as damaged and weakened trees will become fodder for more frequent blowdowns. They are weakened by compacted and eroded soil, devoid of vegetation and critical topsoil. They are weakened by the damaged tree roots hacked at to build more new trails, with more "gold" dirt pits dug/"mined" off-trail.
Who cares, anymore? Surely,the conservation and environmental groups on our North Shore? No, we have to learn to "work with" (work for) the mountain bikers/NSMBA. We must never "rock the boat" or offend the mountain biking community and their too many supporters, funders and hacks in any way...
Very little, if anything the NSMBA professes to do can be called trail "maintenance or repair". Why? Because mountain biking damages the trails (and off-trail) beyond any chance at reasonable maintenance or repair work. When you factor in how many trails snake down the slopes of our North Shore mountains, today, as our land authorities appease the mountain (dirt) bikers, and with more being built... common sense tells us: This is wrong!
Our forests are NOT wreckreational abusement parks!
Mountain bikers snuck into the back door of our forests because they knew full well what they were doing was illegal and environmentally damaging to the forests and wetlands.
There are no more excuses. The evidence of damage is in plain sight.
People either acknowledge it, or ignore it. So far, general complacency, apathy and mtber scofflaw behaviour are winning...It is only going to get worse over time...
Conflicts grow over biking in the mountains
But increasingly, the two-wheeled folks are becoming embroiled in conflicts with other trail users...
From a long, unflattering history of creating illegal, unsustainable trails to a new trend — winter "fat" bikes that compete with skiers and snowshoers on snow-covered trails — (mtn.) biking now represents an intrusive activity that affects others in the woods...
And more bad news...
Fat bikes let you ride on snow, and much more.
This "new" mountain bike will go anywhere, even on sand...and looking more like a motorcycle than a bike, now. It will wreak more damage to the natural environment.
Will Fat Bikes become the next "devolution of mountain biking" to set wheelhold on the North Shore?
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Extreme Snow Downhill Mountain Biking
"It is evident you can't legislate stupidity" (or mountain biking....) Go figure? The "herd mentality" around such destructive off-road vehicular sports marches onward, damaging both the environment and bodies. And we can't do a damn thing about it!
So be it... Sadly. Ignorance and apathy has clearly become the societal norm around such wreckreational sports in our midst.
"Welcome" to the North Shore's Mountain Biking "World Class Mecca"
(Our forests and wetlands for the world to abuse -- for a cheap freeride thrillride!)
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