Opinion: How Mountain Biking Can Bring Communities Together in Wyoming
“How Trails Transform Communities” is a video that caught my attention. I really liked how the video emphasized on the idea that community was the number one factor that helped develop the culture around mountain biking. The video demonstrates just how much having a community changed that way that the trail system was developed and protected by laws. While the mountain bikers had good intentions on just enjoying the trails, the park rangers didn’t allow them to have free reign. Their concern was that unregulated trails could cause harm to the environment and even injure people.
On the other hand, I understand the biker’s frustration with dealing with government bureaucracy. Slow government processes could lead to the mountain trails being threatened with removal. This leads back to the idea that it is important to work together and have good communication as best as possible. It was great to see that as the community began to grow, it just became a self-feeding loop; more people are welcomed in, and more trails and opportunities are built for them.
I think basing off a community here in Rock Springs with this mindset would be great. There is so much land here that could be used to construct new trails and help promote mountain biking more. There aren’t many trails here and the ones that are are usually “unsanctioned”. This means that if someone did want to start mountain biking, they would have to find something locally or go outside the city for other trails. I also understand that government bureaucracy here is really slow (the people in the video also had the same issue) and sometimes things just take a while which could cause frustration.
After looking a little into the Bureau of Land Management controversy, some companies are worried that the conservation pushed by the BLM could remove their permits to use the land for mining, oil, grazing, etc . I believe both sides have some good points, the companies who were permitted to work for however long they were permitted to, and the BLM’s goal, to preserve as much natural land as they can. Although, this could create a challenge for mountain biking as conservation could prevent new trails from being built in the future.
