Hey all,
I've gotten several indications that local Nederland riders have a mistaken perception of what the Boulder Mountain Bike Patrol is out at West Mag for. These misperceptions include thinking that we are there for enforcement, that we're trying to turn West Mag into a tourist attraction, that we're out there spying on local riders, and generally a bunch of, in my opinion, paranoid stuff. Nevertheless, we've got to allay these suspicions if we want the patrol to be successful. We need local riders to understand that we're out there to solve problems. First off, we're just helping people out like we always did. Flat tire, out of food, lost, etc - we're there to help. But were also there because private property issues have started heating up. By organizing as a patrol we're putting a positive mountain biking presence on the ground. Without that, the few riders that antagonize local land owners could turn land managers against bikes. We're there to form a solid relationship with the Forest Service by providing a real assest to a resource-starved land management agency.
Local riders need to understand that what we're doing actually benefits them most of all. Instead of taking the paranoid and unconstructive position of lambasting the patrol, we've got to break through that misperception and get the local riders on our side. I spoken with Randy Ruhle, the owner of Happy Trails, and Mike Barrow has spoken with Grant and Mary of latitude 40 fame. This was an attempt to get some info in the hands of people who matter up there. It's obvious to me now that isn't enough. Several folks have made suggestions about how to nip this issue in the bud. While I agree that needs to be done, I do not have the time to make it happen - I'm finishing my doctoral dissertation over the next month, so my life is hell. One or more of you can make a huge difference here by taking the initiative to get more info into local's hands. This might include getting Randy to post info about the patrol at his shop, contacting the Mountain Ear (the local paper) to get something in print, posting more detailed info on the West Mag kiosks (Although many locals seem to hate the kiosks), or anything else that might occur to you. If you are interested in doing this, take the initiative and do it, or email me and we can talk in more detail.
Check out the hate: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=189441
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4 comments:
Like locals anywhere the Nederlanders are resistant to change and intrusion from those seen as outsiders. Nederland maybe a bit more than most because many folks live in the mountains specifically to avoid crowds, nieghbors, visitors and intrusion by Uncle Sam. I'd focus on how we assist in keeping the Boulder hordes on the legal trails and how a nicely maintained, well-signed trail system will concentrate impact in one small area, and lower the # of Boulderites wandering around in the woods of Ned, searching for the mythical connector they read about on offcamber.com and trespassing thru private lands. As always treat folks with respect and do good works and acceptance can be earned.
I got a call back from a reporter with the Mountain Ear. I'll keep you all up to date, but maybe we can get a story in the paper to deal with this issue.
Update,
I just spoke with Barb Waller at the Mountain Ear (local Ned paper) and she seems interested in doing a story on the patrol. I'll be meeting with her on Sunday for an interview and maybe a photo-op. Someone post if and when a story hits the press and you see it. Won't be until next week at the earliest.
Well said, m, and good news, vogelman!
Another thing these Quad City (Ned, Caribou, Eldora, Rollinsville) folks should keep in mind is that West Mag is pretty well-known and has been in the guidebooks since at least 1995 (Barnhart).
In Fruita I notice that it's most every trail rider reminding others of the local trail ethics, i.e. it's pretty ingrained in the culture. Without massive signage, the patrol might be the best way to jumpstart that same culture here. Not through enforcement, but by showing both the feds and other users that somebody does officially care about the trail and their experience on it.
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