[Skookum]

Last year i rode the Kettle Crest Trail system. It was pretty special since the trail system is within the North Half of my Indian Reservation. The "old" North Half was sold over 100 years ago for a million dollars but we still retain hunting and gathering rights there, and many elders and tribe members still go there for food, and medicine.

Last year i started a ride where i brought members from the Seattle based IMBA advocacy group BBTC and the newly formed FTTRC out of Spokane. i thought it was a great idea to bring mt. bikers together from both sides of the state to ride some great trails.

Well now i just recieved an email that there is talk for the area being designated for Wilderness which would effectively eliminate mt. biking from the area.

i have 3 rides for the 4th of July weekend scheduled and had plans of making it an annual ride. Now i'm not certain how many i can actually help coordinate.

It's pretty upsetting for the annual get together to be snuffed out before it really get's steam, but to me personally it's very upsetting in the fact that this is very literally my tribes ancestral land, and now it might come to pass i won't be able to ride my bike there.

 

[geargrrl]

Hey Skooks et all. If I find anything out I will sure keep all posted. It's amazing how fast rumors fly around about this stuff and how fast facts get distorted. Not so say there might not be some truth in it, who knows yet.

Here's what I've googled up in a sec. I HAVE NOT READ ALL OF THESE YET!!
maybe there's some facts in there somewhere.

edit - I can't find much through google... but maybe a call to Colville NF is in order..?

from http://www.conservationnw.org/newsholdingfolder/citizens-for-wilderness

A bit of local wilderness history

Through several proposed wilderness areas in the Kettle Range and Selkirk Mountains received Congressional scrutiny when the 1984 wilderness bill was developed, aside from the Salmo-Priest Wilderness Area, located in the extreme northeast corner of the state, no other wilderness was designated in what has been Washington's only wilderness bill to date.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/colville/cow/previous-fp/colville/chapt3.htm
http://spokanemountaineers.org/public_html/committees/conservation/conservation.htm

 

[Bullitrider]

I thought Tribal land was just that. Can't you just tell them to go **** themselves?

 

[Skookum]

I thought Tribal land was just that. Can't you just tell them to go **** themselves?

It was sold..... i wish i had a million dollars and a time machine.

 

[BurlyShirley]

So you cant ride in wilderness areas? Can you hike?

 

[Skookum]

So you cant ride in wilderness areas? Can you hike?

Yah but who the hell wants to do that......

 

[Ciaran]

I thought Tribal land was just that. Can't you just tell them to go **** themselves?

I don't think it's tribal land anymore if they (the tribe) sold it.

 

[BurlyShirley]

Yah but who the hell wants to do that......

Well who the hell made that law, the goddam sierra club no doubt! I hate those SOBs.

 

[Ciaran]

Well who the hell made that law, the goddam sierra club no doubt! I hate those SOBs.

Your avatar should go kick their asses! (and it could, too)

 

[Reactor]

Originally Posted by BurlyShirley
So you cant ride in wilderness areas? Can you hike?

Yah but who the hell wants to do that......

Heh Heh..... that's the truth brother....

 

[geargrrl]

Date: March 3, 2006
Subject: Colville National Forest is initiating Collaborative Forest Planning process
Contact: Donna Nemeth, Colville National Forest, Public Affairs Office, 509-684-7177

Colville National Forest has been collecting information for their Forest Plan Revision, due in mid 2007. The process has been progressing favorably, and the Planning Team is now ready to launch into the next phase. Rick Brazell, Colville National Forest’s Supervisor, is excited to announce the initiation of a Collaborative Forest Planning process for Colville National Forest.

Colville National Forest is committed to creating a collaborative, or partnership, atmosphere for land management. The public is invited to participate in this process, which will support large scale land planning efforts for the new Forest Plan. County Commissioners from Ferry, Stevens, and Pend Oreille counties, along with the Northeast Washington Forestry Coalition, have been working with the Forest to schedule these meetings.

The first of a series of meetings will be held to discuss the Forest Planning process in greater detail, and to review what will be expected of those choosing to participate. The Orientation Meeting is primarily an educational opportunity, but it will also serve as a way to evaluate the number of people that will continue involvement. The Colville National Forest would like to determine how many people will participate in a Forest Plan Summit from March 31 to April 2. If you would like to participate fully by having a seat at the discussion table, it will be essential to attend one of these orientation meetings.

The Orientation Meeting schedule follows:
• Spokane County – Saturday, March 11th from 4:00-6:00 PM, at Deer Park Library, 208 S. Forest Avenue.
• Stevens County – Tuesday, March 14th from 6:00-8:00 PM, at Colville College Campus.
• Ferry County – Wednesday, March 15th from 5:00-7:00 PM, at the Republic Ranger District.
• Pend Oreille County– Thursday, March 16th from 6:00-8:00 PM at Metaline Falls Cutter Theatre.

Meeting agendas will be identical at each location, and participants can attend any of the four meetings; they do not need to be residents of that area.

For more information about the Collaborative Forest Planning Process, or if you are unable to attend the scheduled dates, please contact Debbie Wilkins at 509-446-7322.

###

 

[geargrrl]

there is a make up meeting sometime tomorrow ( thursday) not sure where. Chelsea knows.

 

[stevew]

Yah but who the hell wants to do that......

Call me crazy, but I would.

 

[geargrrl]

Subject: Fw: Colville FOREST PLAN collaboration Orientation Schedule


Hello. If you are receiving this, You and friends of yours have ridden your
Mt.Bikes in the Kettle Range. Past forest "travel way" meetings have been
slanted towards the motorized OHV issues, but now are focusing on Land
Re-Allocation, meaning changes to the current use rules. One that is
lurking, is changing the Kettle Range to "Wilderness" management allocation
which would mean the end to riding Mt.Bikes on our fabulous single track.
So...please share these attached meeting dates with your fellow riders and
alliance organizations...and let the Colville National Forest know how much
you like riding your Mt. Bikes in the Kettle Range and other areas on the
forest. E-mail and phone contacts for the record regarding your concerns
should be directed to Deb Wilkins. The squeaky wheel does get the grease.

K. Wakefield
Republic Ranger District
Colville National Forest
kwakefield@fs.fed.us
(509) 775-7400

 

[N8 v2.0]

So you are telling us that native americans can't ride their non-polluting bikes on their ancestorial homelands???

wft???

 

[jimmydean]

Dude, that sucks! I would ride, then tell them I was going hiking, but I was looking for a place to park my bike first.

 

[geargrrl]

not them or anyone else on a bike if it becomes a Wilderness Area

the latest ( just got off the phone)
what all this means - they are forming the core group for the main board that will oversee the whole process. Public information sessions, comment periods and so on will be forthcoming. I will continue to post info as it becomes available.

 

[Skookum]

Call me crazy, but I would.

There is already a ton of forest land and edit* i meant national* parks in Washington State where there is a ban on mt. biking.

Right now as it stands there is around 100 miles of singletrack in sub-alpine mountains in jeopordy of being closed to mt. bikers for no reason at all.

Call me crazy but i still don't understand why mt. bikers would resign themselves to accepting trail closures for no valid reason. i hike from time to time as well and enjoy it, do you understand what Wilderness Designation is?

So you are telling us that native americans can't ride their non-polluting bikes on their ancestorial homelands???

wft???

The argument is that all bicycles are vehicles and belong on the road.... Seriously......

Dude, that sucks! I would ride, then tell them I was going hiking, but I was looking for a place to park my bike first.

i think the fine is over $100....

Whoevers clueless about this topic and want to learn read this article...

http://www.sharetrails.org/index.cfm?page=42&story=755

 

[stevew]

Call me crazy but i still don't understand why mt. bikers would resign themselves to accepting trail closures for no valid reason. i hike from time to time as well and enjoy it, do you understand what Wilderness Designation is?

I hope you didn't think my comment was meant to be "Oh well, fvck it, if it is closed, so be it."

I hope it doesn't get closed.

 

[maxyedor]

It is always sad to see a closed trail, even if I probably would have never ridden that one anyway, I would fight for your right to ride it. The fact is that for the most part the only maintainance to trails that gets done is by groups like Skookums. Local ride groups that care about access work on trails, period. Hikers, while they may not be as outwardly destructive as the much feared mt. bike tire tend to hike in mud, leave their trash strewn about, walk off the trail more, and never help to make a trail like new again after it gets a little torn up. Keep fighting Shookum, and if I can sighn a petition, or punch a polititian let me know.

 

[Skookum]

I hope you didn't think my comment was meant to be "Oh well, fvck it, if it is closed, so be it."

I hope it doesn't get closed.

Yah i wasn't sure where you were comin from.

And fighting this is going to be tough, since i'm a 5 hour drive away. But i'll do what i can.

 

[BurlyShirley]

freaking hippy nutjobs.

If it isnt greedy golf course developers, its tree hugging granola munchers. Where's the middle man in all of this? Oh yeah, sitting in front of a computer not doing anything...

EDIT: Hey skooks, do they allow wheel chairs in there? Arent those mechanical devices?

 

[Skookum]

freaking hippy nutjobs.

If it isnt greedy golf course developers, its tree hugging granola munchers. Where's the middle man in all of this? Oh yeah, sitting in front of a computer not doing anything...

EDIT: Hey skooks, do they allow wheel chairs in there? Arent those mechanical devices?

Haha.... hippy's are all just Native American wannabe's, but they fail miserably.

Wheelchair article...
http://www.imba.com/resources/wilderness/wild_wheelchair.html

If you're bored tons of stuff on Wilderness on the IMBA site
http://www.imba.com/resources/wilderness/index.html

i'm a member of BBTC which is the local bikey IMBA affiliate, but i'm also a member of Blue Ribbon Coalition personally because i feel that in order for a true appreciation and respect of "wilderness" you should be provided access to recreate. Wilderness as it stand today is just a tool for certain users to selfishly horde land for themselves under the guise of doing right for the environment.

 

[BAH]

scalp em skookes, take their flowing manes!

 

[geargrrl]

one peice of good news is that the word is, the recreation rangers are all mtb riders and enthusiasts, and that there will be a few on the board. We might have someone from our group who lives up thataway on the board too.

Everyday I am grateful that mountain bikers at least have a good chance of success up here, more so it seems than in places in California that are pretty locked up, between the developers and the tree huggers.

gg

 

[BurlyShirley]

Haha.... hippy's are all just Native American wannabe's, but they fail miserably.

Wheelchair article...
http://www.imba.com/resources/wilderness/wild_wheelchair.html

If you're bored tons of stuff on Wilderness on the IMBA site
http://www.imba.com/resources/wilderness/index.html

i'm a member of BBTC which is the local bikey IMBA affiliate, but i'm also a member of Blue Ribbon Coalition personally because i feel that in order for a true appreciation and respect of "wilderness" you should be provided access to recreate. Wilderness as it stand today is just a tool for certain users to selfishly horde land for themselves under the guise of doing right for the environment.

Thanks for the links. I might actually join IMBA or something local...

 

[noname]

absolutely horrible to see another trail on the proverbial chopping block, makes me glad we don't have it quite as bad here on the east coast. I really hope things work out in a positive way for your trail over there.
Good luck, keep up the fight,
Maybe all the mt bikers could get together and create a granola shortage or something to starve the hippies and tree huggers, or surround the parklands with soap dispensers, that'd keep em out.

 

[SkaredShtles]

I love the Wilderness areas around here. I like being able to go places where bikes are not allowed.

Although they allow equestrians, which IMO is even worse. :mumble:

 

[Skookum]

Wilderness as it stand today is just a tool for certain users to selfishly horde land for themselves under the guise of doing right for the environment.

I love the Wilderness areas around here. I like being able to go places where bikes are not allowed.

Although they allow equestrians, which IMO is even worse. :mumble:

There are many hiker only trails outside of Wilderness areas. Even if bikes were allowed on Wilderness the percentage of trails where access would be allowed would be minimal. In my mind the continuation of trails open to mt. bikes that simply end at Wilderness borders, could actually continue where appropriate... But statements such as yours are the entire reason why it's a total pipe dream that Wilderness will be amended to allow access to bikes. You are a mt. biker who frequents a mt. biker forum and still you're on board with a blanket policy that denies trail access. And you are not alone....
The reasoning behind someone who doesn't ride would be even more selfish, and is the very reason why i do not support "further" wilderness designation.

scalp em skookes, take their flowing manes!

i'll sell em for a buck 3 eighty a peice, and buy mt. bikes for all my peeps.

 

[SkaredShtles]

There are many hiker only trails outside of Wilderness areas.

Not around here. There are a few in our county parks, but every high country (read: US Forest Service) trail that I can think of that is outside a designated Wilderness is open to bikes.

 

[Skookum]

Not around here. There are a few in our county parks, but every high country (read: US Forest Service) trail that I can think of that is outside a designated Wilderness is open to bikes.

Well that sounds awesome to me, no wonder Colorado is a mt. bike destination.

If you clumped together all the Wilderness areas in this state you'd have an area equivalant to the state of Vermont. There are 30 wilderness areas in Washington State, covering 4,324,182 acres. If you include Wilderness the amount of trails excluded to mt. bikes in this state would easily be 3 out of 4, and i would say it would be close to 75% of the mileage as well.


Wilderness is really a multi-use area to recreate, you can hike, camp, hunt, fish, canoe, kayak, swim, picnic, backpack, bird watch, take wildflower walks, ride horses, cross-country ski, snowshoe, go rock-climbing, conduct ecological research, and lead educational trips. Banning mt. bikes to this list makes no sense, expecially considering that people are not going to...
Hike in mocassins
Hunt with bow and arrow
Carve their own canoe
Tell me a kayak isn't a modern vehicle....
XC ski with wood planks and rope
well you catch my drift...

 

[geargrrl]

For Idaho especially.... not counting "official" wilderness, you have to be aware of where you go. We typically travel the forest with a gazetter, the forest map and the most recent forest travel listings, plus the district trail travel guide.

The various restriction combonations are-
horses, hikers, bikers
horses and hikers, no bikes
horses, hikers, bikers and dirt bikes but no ATVs.
hikers only
anything goes ( we stay off these)

I forget what the fine is for violating a travel restriction but I know there is one.

geargrrl