HR 1349 "Wheels over Wilderness"

[ColoradoBackpackHunter]

HR 1349 just passed the natural resource committee on its ways to the House. If you aren't familiar with it this bill would amend the Wilderness Act to read Section 4(c) of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following: “Nothing in this section shall prohibit the use of motorized wheelchairs, non-motorized wheelchairs, non-motorized bicycles, strollers, wheelbarrows, survey wheels, measuring wheels, or game carts within any wilderness area."

Stay on it and make sure your voice is heard.

 

[HookUp]

I agree with this. If a horseman can take a horse, I should be able to pedal bike in. The wheel chair amendments are all good common sense measures.

 

[texag10]

I agree with this. If a horseman can take a horse, I should be able to pedal bike in. The wheel chair amendments are all good common sense measures.

Just spitballing here, but how many people have horses and ride them in Wilderness areas for recreation vs people that have bikes and ride them for recreation? I cannot imagine how much traffic in Wilderness areas would increase is bicycles were allowed.

I've contacted my rep and senator on conservation issues plenty, they don't give a shit. My rep won't even hold a town hall. After voting for R in 2016, they pass a tax bill "for the middle class" that makes me selling my home to move for work have a $10k tax bill where it was going to be 0, then double the estate tax exemption. Middle class my ass. I almost wish I wasn't moving so I could vote against this prick.

 

[elkstabber]

Maybe I'm just reluctant to see change but this seems like a step in the wrong direction. There is considerably more FS land that allows all of the wheels and opening up Wilderness just doesn't seem necessary in any way. The whole concept of Wilderness is that it is land that is "undisturbed" by man. Adding wheels would only increase the disturbance.

In August-September of 2016 I bowhunted high country mule deer in CO near the continental divide (non wilderness). There were bike trails that were maintained by a local bike club and the trail was mostly 4' wide. When I say "maintained" what I mean is that they trimmed trees and bushes away from the trail to keep the width around 4'. On two different days I was hiking the trail and was nearly run over by mountain bikers that were bombing down the grade on the trail that wound through clumps of bushes. It was windy and hard to hear them coming. After I jumped out of one guy's way that SOB screamed that I shouldn't be wearing camouflage on a bike trail.

No way do I want to have to deal with that in a wilderness area. Keep the wheels out of wilderness!

 

[justinspicher]

I’m interested to see where this goes and how they modify the wilderness act of 1964.

 

[IdahoElk]

Wonder if electric assist bikes will be allowed?

 

[elkduds]

Wheelchairs for proven medical necessity? I get that, but how far does a wheel chair get on single track? The rest is a smokescreen for the bicycle industry, who has been trying to open wilderness to biking for decades. As noted above, the speed and noise of bikes is not consistent w wilderness uses. Opposed, notifying legislators.

Whoa! Let’s Slow Down Here - Keep Bikes Out of Wilderness - Backcountry Hunters and Anglers

 

[TheTone]

Nothing about this I can like

 

[5MilesBack]

After voting for R in 2016, they pass a tax bill "for the middle class" that makes me selling my home to move for work have a $10k tax bill where it was going to be 0, then double the estate tax exemption. Middle class my ass. I almost wish I wasn't moving so I could vote against this prick.

Just wondering.......what in the tax bill causes you to have $10k extra in taxes for selling a house? Especially given that we haven't even seen what the new tax bill has in it yet.

 

[texag10]

I'm sure I am part of a tiny portion hit by this, but currently, gains on the sale of a home can be exempt from capital gains taxes after living there for 2 years. Both the senate and house version of the new bill change this to 5 years. I hit 2 years in January of 2018. If I sell before the end of the year, I get hit with capital gains under the current tax code. If I sell after January 2018 I get hit with cap gains under the proposed 2018 tax code. I have been planning this move for the better part of a year, and in a few weeks just had the cost go way up.

I work in financial planning, and noticed they also snuck in an underhanded raise to cap gains taxes for those that have multiple lots of the same investment.

 

[chasewild]

I agree with this. If a horseman can take a horse, I should be able to pedal bike in. The wheel chair amendments are all good common sense measures.

There is so much wrong with this statement I don't even know where to begin. Go to a MTB trailhead ANY GIVEN DAY and look at how many people are riding. Now, do the same for a wilderness trailhead and see how many horse trailers are parked? Report back with your findings.

Next, let's discuss how MTB trails proliferate once a single trail is established. Every single mountain town in Colorado is dealing with the same user-created expansion.

Also, have you read any literature about the expansion of the West? No mention of F*cking bikes -- horses. Now go to the wilderness act and let me know what the original intent is.

Finally, your logic is absurd. Your position is: (1) BECAUSE you don't use a horse; (2) you SHOULD be allowed to use a bike. Essentially, you wish to add a new use when the solution would actually be removal of horses from wilderness travel.

 

[gelton]

Just playing devils advocate here but if based on the disabilities act a business has to cater to and spend exorbitant sums of money in order to add access and parking spots, why wouldn't wilderness areas have to do the same? The same creature created both.

 

[Elkhunter777]

No wheels in the Wilderness!

 

[texag10]

Wonder if electric assist bikes will be allowed?

The proposed additional text states non motorized bikes. Bikes with e-assist have a motor.

 

[RickH]

I am 100% against mountain bikes in wilderness. Currently only about 3% of our public lands in the lower 48 are designated wilderness areas. Down here in southwest Colorado there are hundreds of miles of trails and closed logging roads that are open to mountain bikes already. On any given Saturday you might not be able to find a place to park at a few of these trail heads. Most folks that have hiked on some of these trails have had conflicts. Personally, I've had to jump off the trail when a group of bikers came blowing over a blind spot and then had them yell at me to get the ..... out of the way. Opening these areas up will create more divisiveness between user groups.
I've contacted my representatives and asked them to vote no on this.
If this passes, truly wild places, the few we have left, free of mechanized use, will be gone forever.
Here's a pretty good op-ed on the issue.

Op-Ed: 5 Lies Being Used to Get Mountain Bikes in Wilderness | Outside Online

 

[tlowell02]

Just spitballing here, but how many people have horses and ride them in Wilderness areas for recreation vs people that have bikes and ride them for recreation? I cannot imagine how much traffic in Wilderness areas would increase is bicycles were allowed.

I've contacted my rep and senator on conservation issues plenty, they don't give a shit. My rep won't even hold a town hall. After voting for R in 2016, they pass a tax bill "for the middle class" that makes me selling my home to move for work have a $10k tax bill where it was going to be 0, then double the estate tax exemption. Middle class my ass. I almost wish I wasn't moving so I could vote against this prick.

Just curious - who is your rep? I have voted R my whole life but they are seriously testing my patience.

 

[elkstabber]

Can somebody smarter than me post up a link of how to contact our representatives? Our bitching here means nothing if we don't contact our reps and get heard.

 

[boom]

mtn biking is my jam. i do it more than hunting. there would be some awesome fishing trips if i could get to some of those lakes with my bike.

but i wouldnt want bikes in wilderness areas. unless we trade: they let me hunt the parks.

 

[gelton]

Can somebody smarter than me post up a link of how to contact our representatives? Our bitching here means nothing if we don't contact our reps and get heard.

Directory of Representatives | House.gov

 

[elkstabber]

Thanks gelton. After looking over the link that you sent I found that the representatives only want to hear from their constituents. In other words there are 9 representatives from my state but the only one that I can email is the one from my district.

Here is a better link: Find Your Representative | House.gov