Wanted: Scientifically sound soils studies that analyze the impact
of off-road cycling and other trail-based activities on the land,
plants, animals and water. These studies should be geographically
diverse and should evaluate carefully designed and constructed trail
systems as well as networks that have developed from game and cattle
paths.
You won't read an ad like this in any newspaper or scientific
journal. But if IMBA Trail News had a classified page, we'd run it,
because mountain biking sorely needs these type of studies.
IMBA is asked almost daily to provide information about the physical
impact of mountain biking. Unfortunately, we don't have enough
contemporary, meaningful research to pass along. At this moment, a
study performed in 1990 by soils scientist Joe Seney of Montana State
University stands as the best research on the impact of mountain
biking. Seney concluded that biking causes slightly more erosion than
foot travel and significantly less than horse or motorcycle use. Are
Seney's finding applicable to trails everywhere or just to those of
Montana? It's hard to answer this question because we don't have
reputable, independent studies that have been conducted
elsewhere.
Meanwhile, poorly researched, biased pseudo-environmental studies are
still being used-incorrectly-as justifications for mountain bike
trail bans. In our opinion, these studies need to be challenged and
replaced by credible, independent research. (And if good research
finds that mountain biking is causing environmental damage in a
particular area that is out of proportion to the percentage of total
trail use that is mountain biking, we'll accept this finding and deal
with it.)
The most notorious of these studies was a paper produced last year by
a U.S. Department of Agriculture county extension agent in Essex
County, New Jersey. This report was used by the county's Board of
Chosen Freeholders to justify a comprehensive mountain biking ban at
South Mountain Reservation near New York City. The paper was
seriously flawed-it was blasted by IMBA and by a New Jersey
representative of the Sierra Club-and seemed as if it were written
not to analyze the situation but to justify a preordained management
decision to close all trails and fire roads to bikes.
About 150 miles to the south, Baltimore Watershed officials have
cited potential water quality concerns as one of the key reasons
they're seeking a complete ban on off-road cycling near the city's
reservoirs. Meanwhile, horse riding, dog walk
ing and keg parties continue unabated along the shoreline. The
Baltimore officials say there is no evidence that bicycle use is
degrading the water, only a fear that it might happen.
Where's the science? The headline and lead paragraphs of a recent New
York Times article suggested that recreational use (hiking and
mountain biking) in Middlesex Fells Reservation near Boston was the
primary culprit in a significant decline of the number of plant
species found in the area today compared to 100 years ago. The story
did not mention the impacts of an interstate highway that bisects the
area, a reservoir which inundated more than 300 acres, the
construction of two hospitals, a nursing home, a high school and a
zoo at the edge of the Fells, and quarrying and mining at the turn of
the century.
As we all know, the impact of any kind of trail use is influenced by
weather, amount of use, type of soil, and perhaps most important, the
way the trail is constructed and maintained. A well-designed, well
constructed, and well maintained trail will stand up well to heavy
non-motorized use of all kinds, including mountain biking.
When we say "well designed and well constructed," we're talking about
careful routing, appropriate switchback curves, durable waterbars,
special attention to low, wet spots, and a sensitivity to how the
trail will be used. Also, mountain bikers will stay on marked trails
and off social trails and open fields as long as the official network
is well marked and the unofficial routes are either posted closed or
barricaded with brush.
The New Jersey, Baltimore and Boston situations reinforce our sense
that mountain bikers must build our base of knowledge about trail
design, construction, and maintenance. We must encourage and support
more studies that evaluate the impact of off-road cycling on trails,
adjacent land and wildlife. We must stand tall against poorly
prepared research.
Knowledge and expertise have a way of compensating for youth. Other
trail users have long traditions. (Of course, after 20 years, our
tradition is building, too.) We have tremendous energy, passion, plus
a commitment to volunteerism and the trail community. These traits
will carry us far, but we still need science.
IMBA is committed to supporting environmental research on the impact
of mountain biking. If you know of a study that has been performed in
the last five years, send us a copy or tell us where to find one. If
you're a soils scientist or graduate school student focusing on trail
issues, contact us. We may be willing to help you.