It is a tragic time for the Boulder-White Clouds.
Yesterday, the Wilderness bill which will close Castle
Divide, Ants Basin and other mountain bike trails passed the Senate. Having
already passed the House, once President Obama signs the bill into law, riders
will lose access to prime trails forever.
It is tragic because we had a better option. I support
existing and future Wilderness designations, with the ban on bikes. The experience
of a place really does change once bikes are allowed, and I for one appreciate
places like the Sawtooths where we cannot ride. The integrity of our bedrock
environmental laws, like the Wilderness Act, needs to be vigorously defended.
But this Wilderness bill is not the best option for this place. The National
Monument was superior for so many reasons – for the amount of land protected,
for the fish habitat in the East Fork Salmon, for the flexibility and
continuity of land management, and for continued mountain bike access. The Boulder-White Clouds was the perfect place to showcase new ways to protect both the landscape and our access. Instead, this
Wilderness bill is not about what’s best for the place and all those that
love it; it’s about politics and creating bike-free areas where they have never
existed.
It is tragic because it is a step backwards in the evolution
of public land management. Much of the support that got the
Wilderness bill passed is more accurately called opposition to the Monument.
The final Wilderness boundaries were contorted beyond all recognition in order
to keep all existing motorized access open. We had a historic agreement worked
out with Wilderness advocates to support the Monument and bike access together.
Then in the end, mountain bikers were marginalized. Now we are left
with the realization that our support for the Monument actually paved the way
for the Wilderness. And we are left wondering whether our support was used with
Wilderness as the ultimate goal. Future land management decisions and worthy Wilderness
designations across the nation will require bigger coalitions and strong, new
constituencies for conservation. This process was not a step in that direction.
Most of all, it is tragic because we will never be able to
ride these trails again. My heart breaks for current and future mountain bikers that
will never get the chance to ride Castle Divide, or to have their breath
taken away when they pedal to the ridge overlooking Ants Basin. These rides have a
near-mythical status for Idaho mountain bikers, inspiring us to explore and
care for big, wild landscapes. We mourn their loss.
Despite the fact that we had a better option and despite the
missed opportunities, now we have to respect the designation, learn from the process,
and work harder towards permanent protection coupled with maintained access for
everywhere else that we care about.