WASHINGTON, DC - June 17 - The Bush administration is considering a plan that potentially opens up millions of acres of national park backcountry to mountain bikes, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). This battle is about bicycles on backcountry trails, now used by hikers and horseback riders.
While PEER does not oppose bicycles on all trails, it does oppose 1) repeal of the regulations that require a deliberative process for designating such use; 2) constructing new trails that resemble BMX courses, specifically for mountain bikers (as is proposed at Big Bend National Park in Texas); and 3) any weakening of Wilderness Act protections. Approximately half of the national park system is designated wilderness, with additional tens of million of acres recommended or proposed as wilderness. In October 2005, PEER obtained assurance from then-NPS Director Fran Mainella that the Park Service agreement with IMBA would not infringe on any wilderness protections.
