At 02:28 PM 4/12/04 -0500, Jonathan Fogel
<[email hidden]> wrote: July 2, 1993
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:Auto-Free Bay Area Coalition / 510-849-0770
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:P.O. Box 10141
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:Berkeley, California 94709
Quoted message said:Dear Dr. Vandeman,
Quoted message said:I recently read your letter to the Auto-Free Bay Area
Coalition, (Re:
Appropriate and Inappropriate Uses of the Bicycle; Promoting
Bicycling) written July 2, 1993. Despite the fact that this
letter was written over 10 years ago, I found it difficult
to restrain myself from throwing rotten vegetables at my
monitor. From your retro-grouch stance, I'm willing to bet
that you are still to this day, of the same opinion in
regards to trail usage.
Quoted message said:I consider myself an environmentalist and a road cyclist /
mountain biker /
hiker.
That's a contradiction. Mountain bikers are NOT
environmentalists.
Quoted message said:I'm also a progressive, open minded individual who is
able to roll
with the issues at hand and not afraid to change my opinions
if it benefits the whole.
Quoted message said:Now that we got that out of the way, I wanted to address a
few points of
your letter. Judging from your extreme leftist slant, I'd be
willing to bet you're not a fan of President Bush and his
dogmatic rhetoric. I just wanted to point out to you how
similar your style is.
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:"However, a bicycle is still a tool of technology, and
like all such tools
can be used for good or "evil"."
Quoted message said:Isn't it a little sociocentric, and overzealous to assume
that mountain
biking his inherently "evil"
I don't assume it. I prove it.
Quoted message said:I know of things happening in the world right
now that are truly evil, and let me tell you, mountain
biking isn't one of them. I found it quite childish and
smacking of the religious right, not to mention cheap and
quite frankly, unintelligent.
Tell that to the wildlife you have killed by crusing them.
Quoted message said:We Mountain bikers are trail users. What we take from
the trail is
enjoyment, just like anyone else.
As well as accelerating erosion and driving away other trail
users and wildlife.
Quoted message said:Unlike most user groups we give back. Here
In Missouri and all over the country, our mountain bike
culture is defined by an ethic of responsibility. Most of us
here engage in trail maintenance on a regular basis.
Trail maintenance, like trail construdtion, is a destructive
activity. You also forgot to mention that you HAVE to do
trail maintenance, because you destroy the trails.
Quoted message said:We do it because we realize we use the trail more than
most.
And do most of the DAMAGE. Be honest!
Despite this we don't do a lot of finger pointing. We don't
complain that we are the only private user group here
improving and maintaining our trail system for everyone.
Quoted message said:The idea that a mountain bike could be responsible for the
extinction of
wildlife is quite honestly preposterous.
I never said that. But it has contributed.
Quoted message said:Quite honestly, I've never heard a
more narrow-minded argument. In fact it wasn't much of ,
just a weak, unsubstantiated slant. As for getting out into
the backcountry, here in Missouri, we're not going anywhere
a hiker can't get to. Besides, trails require usage...they
don't maintain themselves.
Trails only require maintenance if mountai bikers ruin them.
Quoted message said:I'm sure if you had it your way we would be looking at
nature from behind a
glass wall, protected as it where in a sterile environment.
It's perfectly fine with me if you want to exercise your
right to abstain from a hike in the backcountry, but don't
put our right to appreciate nature in jeopardy.
So it is impossible for you to appreciate nature without
being on a bike?! Can't you WALK?
Quoted message said:With lack of appreciation comes lack of caring and
commitment. It's the one
of the founding principles of our National Park system.
If mountain bikers appreciated nature, they wouldn't ride
around it on knobby tires, ripping up the trails and killing
the wildlife.
Quoted message said:Sincerely,
Quoted message said:Jonathan Fogel
Quoted message said:P.S. When was the last time you physically did anything to
improve your
local trail system? Deeds not words.
I pick up the trash whenever it needs it.
===
I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-limits
to humans ("pure habitat"😉. Want to help? (I spent the
previous 8 years fighting auto dependence and road
construction.)