Passing a Bill for Mountain Bikers
UPDATE: The House of Representatives passed the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act (H.R. 823) on October 31, 2019. Now your Senators need to know the CORE Act (S. 241) is a great set of bills for mountain biking! Contact your Senator!
This week the House of Representatives is expected to vote on the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act (H.R. 823), and your Congressional representatives need to know the CORE Act is a great set of bills for mountain biking!
The CORE Act diligently protects mountain biking and other human-powered recreation through a combination of diverse land designations, boundary adjustments and special language. All existing access to mountain bike trails is preserved and some trails are specifically protected in the Act through bike-friendly Recreation Management Areas, Special Management Areas and Wildlife Management Areas. The bills and boundaries in the Act have been reviewed and revised by IMBA, IMBA Local groups and other partners to enhance and protect future opportunities for mountain bike trails.
The Continental Divide Recreation, Wilderness and Camp Hale Legacy (CDRWCH) bill within the Act designates the 17,000-acre Tenmile Recreation Management Area outside of Breckenridge, Colorado. It protects a portion of the Continental Divide Trail along with other high-alpine riding like the Peaks Trail, Miners Creek, and the Wheeler and Spruce Creek trails. The CDRWCH bill also includes trail corridors, bike-friendly Wildlife Management Areas and Wilderness boundary adjustments that protect current and future trail opportunities. The San Juan Mountain Wilderness bill would designate bike-friendly protections northeast of Silverton, Colorado, including a 21,000-acre Sheep Mountain Special Management Area, and other trail corridors and new special designations focused on mountain bike trail development.
This ambitious public lands package conserves more than 400,000 acres of public land in Colorado. IMBA and our IMBA Local partners have been working on several bills in the CORE Act for more than a decade, collaborating with many local and regional stakeholders and other Outdoor Alliance member groups. These bills have broad support from IMBA Local partners and local mountain bike groups including Vail Valley Mountain Trails Alliance, Summit Fat Tire Society, San Miguel Mountain Bike Alliance, Silverton Singletrack Society and Trails2000; along with other outdoor recreation groups, conservation organizations and area businesses. You can read more about the CORE Act from Outdoor Alliance.
Thanks for being an awesome advocate!
