COMMENT PORTAL FOR MOUNTAIN BIKE ACCESS ADVOCACY FOR
FOREST PLANNING, CUSTER-GALLATIN NATIONAL FOREST
COMMENTS DUE BY JUNE 5, 2019
BIKES BELONG IN
THE LIONHEAD & THE GALLATIN RANGE
Lionhead/Henry's Mountains and the Gallatin Range
The Lionhead area straddles the Continental Divide along the Montana/Idaho border outside of West Yellowstone. These majestic mountains touch the sky with the prominent peaks reaching over 10,000 feet. Trails that lay across this landscape are like no others in our region, they are difficult, they are remote and above all they make an impression that lasts a lifetime.
Most of the Montana side of Lionhead is in Recommended Wilderness. Mountain bikes have been allowed to continue to use the area while in this status. Now, the management of Recommended Wilderness is shifting. Several forest plans in recent years have managed Recommended Wilderness to exclude nonconforming (in designated Wilderness) uses. We need adaptive management to be used, where a use of the land is limited if it is found to have a negative impact. It is a really logical approach. If mountain bikes are not degrading the land, there is not a reason to remove them. If they are found to have an impact, their use should be limited or excluded in a way that fixes the problem.
We have the most confidence in protecting our access with Lionhead as a Backcountry Area. It is an Agency level designation and has simpler management, while protecting the undeveloped nature of the area.
The Gallatin Range has been a source of contention for many years. Legislation, land swaps, advancing science, travel planning, growing population and lawsuits have led to our current state. The Gallatin Range contains the Hyalite Porcupine Buffalo Horn WSA (HPBHWSA, how's that for an acronym!). It is the source of most of Bozeman's drinking water, part of the intact Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and a priceless recreation resource.
Bridger Range
The Bridger Range is Northeast of Bozeman, MT and is the outdoor recreational hub of the community. Bridger Bowl Ski Area sits midrange on the East side, just 15 minutes from Bozeman. Clink the link above for info about managing the Bridger Foothills National Recreation Trail and maintaing our access.
Gallatin Forest Partnership
Diverse stakeholders, including mountain bikers, have come together, put their differences aside, and focused on creating land management solutions and a forest planning recommendation for the Gallatin Range and surrounding areas. This collaborative spirit has created the Gallatin Forest Partnership, and reached an agreement about how valued public lands within the Gallatin and Madison Ranges could be managed that takes into consideration wildlife, historic recreational use, and the water supply of the Gallatin Valley.
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As more and more people are moving to southwest Montana, more and more people are using these places, creating conflict either between people and/or with wildlife. This agreement provides all of us – people and animals – trails and streams and places in the Gallatin and Madison Ranges to adventure and explore