I run into a lot of people on the trail while out on patrol and I have been hearing a lot of concern regarding what is happening in San Diego/North County with the trail systems. Their main concern is that as of late the parks are only focused on taking trails out rather than putting them in. That's only a tiny piece of the story, the process of building trails in San Diego/North County is fairly involved costing tens of thousands of dollars just to get a concept off the ground. If all the stars align and you manage to be able to pay for every environmental study that comes your way then you may be able to start to build your trail within a year. Very rarely does that scenario happen, but it does.
Why? We live in a dry semi-arid climate (very little rainfall) that just so happens to be next to a nice coast line, guess what; everybody wants to live here. So we have to take steps to ensure there will be viable habitat in the future that everyone and everything can enjoy. Because of the area we live in our resources are very finite, meaning in a lot of cases that once it's gone, it's gone. Remember we live in a dry semi-arid climate with not a lot of rainfall, not the lush forests of Oregon. Most of the parks you see throughout the county are "Open Space Preserves" set up to do one job. That job is to protect the natural resources of the area. Is it a perfect system? No. But were it not in place, we wouldn't be discussing trails because there wouldn't be any, just a bunch of houses and tract homes as far as the eye can see.
The San Dieguito River Park is always looking to build more trail. Trails are a good way to protect habitat, by making sustainable trails users are able to enjoy and learn about the benefits of an area. We plan to build a lot of trail in the future but we need to make it to that point first without anything impeding the process. As a park we know how to work with government agencies on the best way to put these trails in. We may not see eye to eye, but that's how the game is played and as a park we are players in that game. The privateer illegal trail builder is not. If you wanna see a trail system get shut down in San Diego build an illegal trail on it. It may not happen over night but it will happen.
Some of the issues that illegal trails cause a land manager and why they get shut down are, destruction of habitat, non sustainable trails that cause safety issues, the blatant disregard for the lands on the outside of the parks, increased maintenance costs, all of which push back the legal process of us, the land manager, being able to go out there and build trail. The process takes time but until someone changes the process that's where we stand in "Americas Finest City". Just because it doesn't look like we're building trail doesn't mean we're not going to be. If you want to affect change come on out and put your trail building skills to use and help us maintain the trails we already have.
That never works you say, we give and help but it doesn't do anything you say. If there's a will there's a way, every positive step made is a step in the right direction. That's exactly how I started. I rode the trails around San Diego county for years and then like a lot people I know asked myself "I wonder if there's anything I can do to help maintain some of these trails I enjoy riding so much. I was a volunteer for this park and others from 1993 'til 1999, I did trail maintenance and a bike patrol before most of the riders on the trail today could even ride a bike. I was hired as a contract employee and eventually hired on as a full time employee. I've always had the rider in mind but understood from early on the give and take we as a user group would go through. Mountain biking as a user group has been on a steady climb since then and it is only now that the effects of such a large user group are being felt. The knee jerk reaction that a lot of the parks are dealing with right now only reveals the extent of the problem. Slowly but surely the tides are changing and more consideration is being given to things like "bike only" trials and bike parks. This just means that in the meantime even more pressure will be put on the biking community to be an overly responsible user group. We need representatives that want to effect change not just be a bunch of renegade trail builders.
The way things are starting to setup, I have high hopes for the future of mountain biking in San Diego/North County. Local programs like my mountain bike patrol and the events that more and more parks are doing, are being talked about by a lot of different government agencies, on a lot of different levels. Who really knows though, maybe I'm just some optimistic asshole with rose colored glasses on. Doesn't matter, no one really reads these blogs anyway.
Great article David. People do read your blogs.. Tanja
ReplyDeleteWell said. Looking forward to the changes and improvements being made on the trails for Mtn biking.
ReplyDelete"renegade trail builder" = Actual riders who know how to make cool trails, your "sustainable trails" are LAME!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteBLM SUCKS - your wrong here...the trails we ride today have nothing to do with what's being planned. The Master Trail Plan is pretty awesome. If you build illegally you'll goof up a lot of hard work by the SDMBA, the Rangers, the City, the DFW and others in the last 180 days.... David speaks the truth.
DeleteI'm trying to be honest and up front about what as a land manager I preceive is going on around San Diego. Unfortunatly each area seems to unique unto itself. But the overall message and problem is the same and not just in SoCal. How to keep the balance between the crazy amount of people we think can push into an area and still be able to provide a meaningful outdoor experience and protect the habitat long into the future. I don't manage my trails sitting behind a desk, I'm out in the feild talking to people and actively using them. I invite you to come out and participate in a trail maintence day with me and share your ideas on why my trais are so lame.
DeleteHey David, great article, and thanks for sharing your unique perspective. Good to hear from someone on the inside, who's still firmly on "our" side.
DeleteBut David, in regards to what BLM SUCKS said, can you concede that generally speaking most illegal trails are funner than most legal ones, and that the pattern that BLM SUCKS is pointing to wasn't dreamed up out of thin air?
I'm trying to be honest and up front about what I as a mountain bike rider perceive is going on. Across the US, riders seeking advanced/technical/fun trails are largely underserved by legal trail building. BLM SUCKS was maybe less tactful in his delivery, but BLM SUCKS and I are not the only ones saying this. Treating us like we're taking crazy pills and pretending there's no problem makes us feel like we're going crazy.
THAT makes us want to build illegal trails.
I will concede that generally speaking most of the illegal trails are more fun than the legal ones from a mountain biker point of view. Most of the trails around here were put in decades ago before there was as big interest in mountain biking. The bike industry has grown exponentially over the past few years and the technology has grown with it. Its a different day and age. I used to rock my eight speed fully rigid Stumpjumper back in the day and that was adequate, not so today. Unfortunately the trail systems has not grown to match the pace, so yes we have trails that are a little outdated for today's mtb use. We need to change that, but to do so we need to get everyone on the same page. I fully realize there is a problem and I am trying to work with the community to solve it.
DeleteLand to build trails on are at a premium, we can't always build the trails we want because we are "working with right of ways" and "easements" so we build what we can in hopes of doing something better down the line. There are no easy or simple answers here.
Yes, DH and technical trails need to be brought into the mainstream and accepted by and provided by the legislative bodies that govern for the public. It’s not gonna happen here until underground builders and people who like to ride these types of trails band together and present as a united organized group that can stand up in public, lobby for change and help make it happen. We need to gain consensus among others that don’t ride. We need non-riders to agree that providing these types of trails is a good thing, agree that providing these types of trails is better than how it is handled now. I’m an adrenalin junky. I like to ride the types of trail that would make some people shit their pants. Right now these types of trail in San Diego are illegal, meaning off the map, not recognized in any trail plan, not managed, not approved. And the people building them and riding them hide behind avatars and fake names to hide their identity and hide the locations of the best trails. Just like drug addicts, gotta get that fix.
DeleteNow lots of people are not going to like this comparison to illegal drugs, but hear me out. I’m not saying this is like doing drugs, I’m saying it could be considered a similar situation to how one thing that is considered illegal can be made legal. How was marijuana legalized? Lot’s of people accepted responsibility for getting the laws changed. People worked hard, lobbied, campaigned, and made a good argument that won a majority vote somewhere. Accepting responsibility for making change happen at a political level is the number one thing that renegade trail builders need to start doing. What they are doing now is pure selfishness to feed their own addiction without regard to providing these types of trails for future generations (unless it is on their own private property). Sure some trails become adopted into trail plans, but not the kind of trails that are specific for Downhill Freeride type of riding. If we are going to see mtn bike specific trails at the double-black diamond level on our trail maps, we need more people to come forward and help make it happen.
Getting a Bike Park in San Diego would be one huge step toward making this happen. This would bring the level of technical challenge we desire into public view. We could have a legal place to showcase the skills of advanced and expert riders. The general public would have a better understanding of why we think average trails are inadequate for what we want to do. This long rant was prompted by the commenter that thinks renegade trail builders are awesome and “sustainable trails” built into our infrastructure for everyone to enjoy in our public parks are lame. That is just fucked up.
So true....thanks for putting your intentions out there, it's good to hear.
ReplyDeleteThe trails in La Costa near Cadencia Park would not exist if someone didn't build them illegally. Half of that mountain has now been purchased as a protected habitat so that a builder could build more homes nearby. If the trails weren't already there illegally, they would never, ever, ever, be allowed now that the property has been designated this way.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I remember a day when San Elijo didn't exist and yes those trails were great. It's a sad state of affairs over there right now that's only getting worse. The trails that are still there need help and fortunately like minded people are there to try and make a difference.
DeleteWhat most don't know is that a lot of work is underway. MTB'ers were under served, there's no question...several area's in the San Diego have great trails that are considered "illegal"...and these are the best trails. Here's what everyone should be aware of - more Park Rangers have been brought on board in San Diego and have asked for help to develop a trail plan (including miles of single track!) for mountain bikers. There are several groups involved with the project. More communication will be made public once things are finalized. This is GREAT news. As you can see David is part of the solution, he's not ignoring the issue as others have before him. The SDMBA Advocacy Council has been revamped and is working on a number of projects to drive MTB interests (mapwork, working with numerous agencies, etc). What we need to do as a MTB community is to be part of the solution, volunteer for trailwork with the Rangers other agencies who want our input & support (I.e. Canyonlands, etc.). Are things perfect now, NO. Do we have some great developments coming for mountain bikers? Absolutely. - SDMBA Advocacy Council - - - - Please do not build new trails this will delay/destroy the hard work being done right now for MTB'ers - - - - -
ReplyDeleteThank you and that's the point I'm trying to make. There are things in the works that had never even been discussed before. Now is the time to come together and act in a positive way.
DeleteThe MTB community in San Diego has been ignored by the Government for 25+ years. The Government created the problem, not trail builders. When the Government starts throwing the MTB community a bone, then the educated trail builder will back off. The Government catering to developers, sanitizing trials, closing down existing trials, and writing tickets is not the solution. A solution would be accelerating the trail building process. Hopefully that will happen with the new energy on the advocacy end placing continued pressure on the Government.
ReplyDeleteIt's exciting to see the new energy that has developed this past year in the MTB community and SDMBA. Much respect to everyone who has chosen to get involved and volunteer precious time to MTB advocacy, even if it is just a little bit. As necessary as it is, the advocacy side of MTB is what sucks.
Thanks David H you wrote a darned good blog.
ReplyDeleteI hope that our human population will stabilize so there is room for animals, plants, and us, on our only home, earth, as time goes on. It is due to the past fifty years of immense investment of both time and money that land has been protected, as David wrote so well. Tens of thousands of people have spent their lives devoted to this end, generating political support that has led to decisions to use taxes from millions of people, to protect land under special conservation status. This will allow rare and common (though becoming uncommon!) animals and the plants that they need, to survive; and the rare plants that need the unique location, elevation, sunlight, space soil and water, to survive. That is, to survive. To remain on this earth.
Trails for people moving at human pace, to observe and enjoy nature, without harming it, are quite different from trails for mountain bikers. What I see and hear at a quiet walking pace is totally different from what my husband experiences on his bike. Mountain bikers race through as fast as possible whether it is uphill or down, and hardly see or hear what is around them, until they pause for a drink or a snack. I did a very little mountain biking, and so I understand how that intense focus is very physically exciting, a lot like body surfing was for me. But everyone reading this blog has to admit that it's not done in the interest of the natural environment, other than as the environment sets up challenges to the cyclist - shrubs to avoid, curves to descend in control, rocky sections to navigate. Mountain biking is done in the interest of the cyclist's own physical enjoyment.
People like me give away millions of hours of volunteer time making and caring for those dull, but non-threatening trails. We all know that rare animals have been run over by cyclists. We all know deep single track ruts from heavy cycling use on certain kinds of terrain and soil types on what used to be good trails have caused walkers to fall and be hurt, as I can testify. We slow pokey hikers also volunteer to eradicate exotic invasive plants and animals, plant, repair streams and otherwise care for the well-being of the natural resources in the lands that were set aside for that purpose. Incidentally we also satisfy our desire to be in close contact with wild animals and plants, learning about them, and developing a deeper bond with life on the planet.
I know that mountain bikers want challenges posed by avoiding down logs, or jumping off rocks, the thrills of having survived close-calls, and a good night's sleep after all that fun. These experiences don't protect the natural resources. I am wondering when mountain bike organizations will put dollars together to buy some properties on hillsides that are not critical habitat, and make bike-only parks. This would fulfill their desires by making an investment in the same way that millions of conservation-minded folks have done over the past generation, for the public welfare of preserving living natural resources.
In the meantime, I share single tracks with cyclists, but I am really disgusted by people who act like public land is their private play pen.How would those guyse feel about a stranger riding his bike through their living room or work place at high speed and expecting to be forgiven because he just needs to have a thrill. Getting kicks is fun, but it shouldn't be guaranteed to anyone and especially not when it damages our precious vanishing resources.