IMBA World Summit 2010 Resources – Dealing With Unauthorized Trails
Below is a summary of the IMBA presentation:
The Problem:
- Mountain bikers are building and riding unauthorized trails
- This is an increasing trend
- Thousands of miles of non-system trails
- Varying degrees of impact
Why is this a problem?:
- It can damage natural resources
- It can damage cultural and historical resources
- It violates trust between mountain bikers and land managers
- It threatens current and future trail access
- It portrays mountain bikers as being lawless, arrogant, disrespectful, selfish, irresponsible, and ignorant
- It alienates other members of the trail community
- It can create a safety hazard to other cyclists
- It’s against the law
Causes of problem:
- Growing demand for more trails, and more diverse trail experiences
- Increased skill levels and new technologies driving desire for technical trails
- Mountain bikers are in a non‐conformist subculture
- Lack of connection to trail community
- There is a disrespect for government oversight
- Perception of entitlement to public lands
- Lack of legal awareness
- Perception unauthorized trails will become system trails
- Ignorance of environmental impact
- Perception won’t be caught
- Passive acceptance in bike community
- Industry sometimes subtly condones
- The public process for new trails is slow, cumbersome and costly
- Land managers are understaffed and stressed out
Strategies to deal with problem:
- Change mountain biking subculture
- Educate mountain bikers
- Environmental ethic
- Stewardship of the land
- Sustainable trail design
- Legalities of trail building
- Environmental impact
- Bike patrols
- Improve advocacy skills
- Get organized to advocate for the trails you want
- Form an effective advocacy group
- Participate in the larger trail community
- Become involved in issues beyond your own
- Become knowledgeable about trail planning, environmental issues, agency structure and needs, other user groups, etc.
- Work with industry players
- Get them to support your efforts
- Help them project a good image of our sport
- Get organized to advocate for the trails you want
- Educate mountain bikers
- Change agency subculture
- Land managers need to:
- Increase efficiency and effectiveness of the process of bringing new trails on line
- Create diverse and technical trail experiences
- Partner with mountain biking community to build trails
- Converting existing unauthorized trails into system trails where appropriate
- Establish fair and logical mountain biking policies
- Enforce their own rules
- Land managers need to: