Michael et al, I'm going to play the devil's advocate here for a moment...I'm not necessarily against the steeplechase event in Warner Park, but I think that the Wild Warner Park group's concerns about path/soil erosion/degradation are valid (even though I have a fundamental disagreement with them about the use of the word "wild").
I think it's ok to support bicycling in all of its forms and to NOT be ok with a particular bicycle event occurring in a particular place. We want bikes to be respected on the roadways and mixed use paths, but this doesn't mean that they necessarily belong on urban or rural footpaths. A steeplechase in Warner Park sounds FUN to me. But so does flying across Lake Mendota in a huge motorboat, or drag-racing in a sports car down E. Washington Avenue. Just because I want to do something and may enjoy the activity a lot does not mean I should necessarily do it. Wild spaces in urban areas are a mixed bag. I don't think that they are really wild- they are totally impacted, managed and micro-managed by humans. It is precisely because of this that we need to make very conscious decisions about how to treat and use these spaces. If the steeplechase can be held in Warner Park without chewing up the paths and damaging what little "wildlife" is present there, then the race is not a bad idea. If not, then a different venue ought to be picked. A lot of steeplechase races (for runners or horses) are held in completely manufactured arenas these days. Perhaps there is a less "wild" space in Madison... say the proposed "Central Park" area, that would be better suited to this type of event? It would be an easier space to set up for spectators as well. Just some thoughts. -India On 07/14/10, Michael Rewey <[email protected]> wrote: > The parks commission will vote on a proposal today (July 14) to allow a > bicycle "steeple > chase" in Warner Park on Nov. 7. > > > > > > > > > > You can find the proposal, the race route and Wild Warner's thoughts on this > Web site blog: > > > > > > > > > > http://wildwarnerpark.org/blog/?p=599 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I'm in a conflict on this one. I enjoy the wild area that is being > considered, but I support all > forms of biking. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Mike Rewey > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org -- India Viola Stretton Lab 115 Zoology Research 1117 W. Johnson St. Madison, WI 53706 608.262.3336 "How can we learn from our mistakes if we don't first acknowledge them?" -Anonymous _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
