Mountain Biker Proudly Supports BCSP

There are a few special places that I’ve encountered in my life that grabbed hold of me and refused to let me go. One of those special places is the Blackfoot-Clearwater region, a place we have the opportunity to protect through the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project (BCSP). I would like to explain why I, as a mountain biker, support the BCSP.

Seven years ago, I had the privilege of working as a wilderness ranger for the Seeley Lake Ranger District. Charged with trail maintenance, visitor contacts and backcountry campsite monitoring, I frequented the Scapegoat Wilderness, Monture Creek and the Swan Crest – areas that would benefit from modest wilderness additions through the BCSP.

Exploring these lands as a wilderness ranger that season and the years since, I’ve had countless experiences that demonstrate just how special this region is. Three years ago, deep in the Scapegoat Wilderness, I stood shoulder to shoulder with my dad and watched a grizzly sow tear apart a hillside in search of biscuitroot. I once witnessed a Canada lynx sip water from the North Fork of the Blackfoot during an October snowstorm. Mountain biking beneath the Swan Crest on a separate occasion, I was run off of the trail by a surprised bull moose.

Wilderness designation, as proposed by the BCSP, would ensure that future generations will have the opportunity to experience this wild country - as it is.

The strong bond that this land creates with visitors is one of the many reasons why the BCSP has garnered such broad support. The long list of diverse supporters is the result of a decade-long grassroots effort from the local community. Local industry and recreation groups came together to define the best collective future for our local public lands. This proposal has received the nod from Montanans, with 74 percent in support of the BCSP.

Unfortunately, there have been a few hardline voices coming from the extreme mountain biking community in opposition to the BCSP. With claims that some recreation interests have been excluded from the process and that the BCSP will benefit only “a select few,” some mountain biking advocates are actively working against a grassroots, Montana-made solution for these lands. It’s important to point out that these recent objections are not representative of all bicyclists.

I’ve mountain biked for more than half of my life and raced mountain bikes for five years. I’m still an avid mountain biker that loves exploring our public lands over two wheels. Throughout these years, I’ve come to respect and appreciate “off-limit” public land areas - like designated and recommended wilderness areas. Just because I can’t ride my bike in these areas doesn’t mean that I don’t care about protecting them.

That’s why I’m discouraged to observe the opposition to a widely supported, locally crafted proposal. As much as I love mountain biking, we already have so many outstanding riding opportunities on public lands in Western Montana that aren’t in designated or recommended wilderness. And while I value the folks working on behalf of mountain bikers in Montana, I think that there are better ways to serve the mountain biking community than by opposing a proposal supported by all other outdoor recreational interests and the vast majority of Montanans.

We’ve got an incredible opportunity to do right by these lands and our communities. The chances for new wilderness are too rare, the partnerships are too strong and the momentum is too great to jeopardize this opportunity.

Now we’re waiting on Montana’s congressional delegation to close the loop on a decade-long process and make history with moving this proposal through Congress.