IMBA Testifies Before Congress in Support of Bicycle-Friendly Virginia Land Preservation
May 7, 2007
The Honorable Raul Grijalva
Chairman, National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands Subcommittee
Natural Resources Committee
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Mr. Chairman:
On behalf of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), I write to support H.R. 1011, the Virginia Ridge and Valley Act of 2007.
Foremost, I'd like to thank the Virginia congressional delegation and staff for their tireless efforts to craft land protection language for the Jefferson National Forest. We applaud the collaboration that has resulted in this legislation, preserving natural resources and many mountain bicycling opportunities.
Specifically, we are pleased the bill includes:
- National Scenic Areas (NSA) to allow diverse, muscle-powered recreation to continue,
- Recognition of recreation as a dynamic social and economic component of the Jefferson National Forest in Southwestern Virginia.
Mountain biking is a very popular sport, with 39 million participants nationally and more than 800,000 participants in Virginia (according to a recent study by the Outdoor Industry Association). Outdoor recreation is a way of life for Virginia residents, and many tourists travel to the state to experience Virginia trails via mountain bikes.
Wilderness and National Scenic Area Designations
Bicyclists love to ride remote backcountry areas on narrow trails - just like hikers and equestrians - and feel conflicted when Wilderness is proposed that affects significant biking trails. On the one hand, we want to protect the areas we ride. Yet we don't want to lose access to the trails we have ridden for almost two decades.
To preserve the lands we care about, bicyclists support protection of many pristine areas and undeveloped public lands. The challenge is the agencies have defined Wilderness to ban bicycle access. Bicyclists therefore must seek modifications of Wilderness proposals that will allow our quiet, low-impact, muscle-powered form of recreation to continue.
Nationally, our organization hopes to shift the land protection discourse from Wilderness only conversations to one that is more inclusive of other designations. We need a toolkit of strong protections to apply the right designation to suit each area's distinct history and its future.
H.R. 1011 bodes well for mountain bicycling and maintains many boundary adjustments that will accommodate access to significant trails. Some of the most popular and scenic places for cycling will remain open in the bill, such as Bear Creek and Pandapas Pond.
Most promising for cyclists, the bill creates the Seng Mountain National Scenic Area that will allow mountain biking to continue on trails such as Jerry's Creek and Rowlands Creek Trails. Instead of taking away trails our community has enjoyed for decades, National Scenic Areas are a way to protect these lands for our children to enjoy and also to engage more of the Virginia bike community in land protection. National Scenic Areas have been used in many places around the country and on National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and USDA Forest Service lands. IMBA strongly endorses the NSA proposal.
Congressmen Boucher has correctly identified trails as a tool for economic development in Southwestern Virginia. We wholeheartedly support the Trail Plan, Development and Implementation Report portion of this bill. It is a necessary component for proper management of recreation on public lands. As National Forest trail users, it has been a privilege to work together with other groups along with the Forest Service staff in Roanoke to create a bill that balances the protection of wild areas with the demands of current and future recreation on these lands.
Virginia is setting the standard in protecting public lands while also accommodating healthy, human-powered outdoor activities with minimal environmental impact like mountain biking. Thank you for your dedicated efforts to craft legislation protecting the Jefferson National Forest in that spirit; and for the opportunity to submit comments on this important legislation.
Sincerely,
Jenn Dice
Government Affairs Director
International Mountain Bicycling Association
cc: Cong. Rob Bishop
Cong. Rick Boucher
