And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Fri, 11 Jun 1999 14:15:15 EDT Subject: NO TRUCE ON TRAILS FOR HIKERS, CYCLISTS www.sfgate.com Return to regular view Friday, June 11, 1999 ©1999 San Francisco Chronicle URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/0 6/11/NB101521.DTL NO TRUCE ON TRAILS FOR HIKERS, CYCLISTS Editor -- Carolyn Jones' story (``Improving the Trail Mix,'' Marin-Sonoma-Napa Friday, May 21) contains a number of factual errors and misrepresents the overall situation here in Marin. Here are the prevailing facts: Mountain bikers have carved a minimum of 10 known illegal trails in federal, state and county public lands in the past two years. Open Space District staff have stated that the cost of closing one of those trails is $200,000 or more -- and thus is prohibitive. The public may think the district will naturally close and repair illegal trails. The district cannot repair mountain bike damage of this or any other sort without more taxpayer money. The normal practice of mountain biking turns these fragile soils and steep slopes into 3-foot deep trenches impassable for any use, human or beast. Mountain bikers chainsaw down trees, ride over private property and demand rights to do so even more. All other beneficial uses of the public resources are diminished or damaged by mountain biking, yet mountain bikers do not seem to care, and even advertise illegal trails to the globe on World Wide Web sites. Numerous sheriff's department and police reports have been taken in the past 15 months as mountain bikers have committed crimes that include assault with a deadly weapon, assault and battery, assault, arson threat and trespass. The Marin County Board of Supervisors have taken a default position in favor of mountain bikers, turning a blind eye to the destruction of the resources they are pledged to protect as the board of the Open Space District. Supervisor Steve Kinsey ordered the district rangers to chainsaw down a gate across private property to try to force public access on private land. The landowners are suing the county. The situation in Marin is like the war for the Black Hills, when the miners invaded Lakota territory against the law, and the U.S. government refused to enforce the law for them. It is not a rosy truce. It is not a love feast. It is a war, and the Board of Supervisors and the mountain bikers have ganged up on everyone else. Send your reporters out here to see for yourselves. MARTHA E. TURE Fairfax ©1999 San Francisco Chronicle Page 3 Reprinted under the fair use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&