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__ . __ _ __ ______
<br /> _ _ TriIs/ Bike1 - -- - - - = --- - - - --- - - - - - -- - -
<br /> horses lea •8;. _ .
<br /> ,...
<br /> ,,, - ,..... todamage, . .T L..
<br /> report says - • ,c•
<br /> Continued from page lB y 1 ..t it 't� 1. ;}!:• rtf,t.In contrast, horseback riding ac- „yy .:, s s° w'4'4 ?:';
<br /> counted for slightly more than 6,000 .t..,‘-' . t` : ��•visits last year, but the park district A /,`s"! �r•' 'Y { `, rt ' �!:'� .��'1
<br /> • has more than 55 miles of summer '' r -•N ` 1}
<br /> horse trails. r Y ' f: ,. :I< v.
<br /> 2 1 11
<br /> `�•STOPS ., * ,,
<br /> Several years ago, mountain bikers Yw7- �r� y t.� O' ' �a ( � I
<br /> wanted to extend about 4 miles of _, *ti -N 0. r • . ;} --{ ., Alt t•trails for their use at Elm Creek Park . '. "X�'` -- ' �f K 't r d
<br /> Reserve in Dayton and Maple ' j s �r,."� `• ! r--x• �4y;'.i, T..11: sir.-' j Vti ,, l•
<br /> Grove.Horse trail users thwarted the :a: • •••• . .._ • "'�; :i rf. ,O L- {�w'A ,
<br /> effort. �#•As the state plans a new recreation
<br /> • *-4-:...- �, + �fp 9 t i'
<br /> area in the Crosby-Ironton area in = - _.- t: . 1.1.:4-,.;,,--;:itt- t,::' : I ;, : ; r; icentral Minnesota, one local bicycle . - = , 1. - 41 7 f t ,;
<br /> advocate was asked if anyone had -~ : n=f r ',`'- y y% �� ?.' -
<br /> i plans to join in the discussion, be- y `'�x ,f < ti' a- r`' '.a . ,;' mss?• ,
<br /> cause the horse people were"kickin a t't ft-."'"` . "g �*r ,, r-,.. � 1S t �.Q•1 up their heels." g . y".�`—'+`« z ,' A , . . .P„ . .'t _ - ,k`
<br /> The horse people are better orga- f„P.T^� '-- I, ► .;Jr t'1 �7 Ps ," ' V. 'v.:.:<4 •�0' :.4
<br /> nized.They can get their saddle clubs :` �=_: ,a .JC �, ; �
<br /> going right away," Bowen said. "For ��` �;�;�;�.�, . :It / � ..;Its � -•_�,at
<br /> `f town."of them, it's the only game in .e.�--, 1 ?fie'-` ." . -, - i . ; 1 �#f•
<br /> The greatest threats to trails are :•. •-' y ,kµi ', >r Y : •
<br /> • rte.... .at • ti .�'a
<br /> horseback riding and mountain bik- f;, r t
<br /> ing,according to the Hennepin Parks• ;a V •-+ \- + "`-"' i•report. Mountain biking is author- .. '" .lt .r ,_
<br /> ized only during certain times of the Staff Photo by Tom Sweeney i
<br /> 6 year at Elm Creek and Savage's Mur-
<br /> ■
<br /> .1 phy-Hanrehan Reserve, and at the "The answer is education," said bicyclist Gary Sjoquist. (Although he's
<br /> Hyland Hills ski area in Blooming- pictured on a bike,he did not ride on this no-bikes trail.)
<br /> ton. Horseback trails are provided at
<br /> Crow-Hassan in Rogers,Lake Rebec- -
<br /> I ca in Rockford, Baker in Maple +'2 miles., Minnesota T
<br /> Plain,Elm Creek, Murphy-Hanrehan River . i urf wars •
<br /> i and Carver Park in Victoria. Bloomington Eagan Trail usage does not always
<br /> •
<br /> The state Department of Natural Re- I-35W • , match availability. Faced with
<br /> sources(DNR)reports growing prob- increasing demand and organ-
<br /> lems with horseback riding on non- Hennepin ized lobbying from users, Hen-
<br /> designated trails on the Luce Line in Co. wishes Parks must consider the
<br /> Burnsville wishes of specific groups
<br /> •
<br /> the northwest metro area. Plans are Scott pecific and
<br /> afoot to improve horse trails to keep Co. •Terrace ■ • solutions with the greatest
<br /> riders off other trails.
<br /> Oaks Park benefit to all trail users.A task
<br /> ( force report on trail usage
<br /> I While traditional conflicts betxeea 'Savage! 11---,E I Appie 1 I recommends more mountain
<br /> • snowmobilers and cross-country ski- •. Dakota 'valley use trails and widening multi-
<br /> have been solved through the Co. use trails.
<br /> development of separate trails, eco- •
<br /> nomics prohibit all groups from hav- l I Lakeville • Trail Miles Use
<br /> ing their own trails. But classic Min- designation of (in 1,000s
<br /> i nesota passive-aggressiveness Star Tribune Map trails of visits
<br /> p ggressiveness may visits)
<br /> i play a large role in why we can't just A group of bikers and hikers has Bicycling trails' 163 230.5
<br /> get along. recommended eliminating joint trails
<br /> t at Terrace Oaks and allocating mon- Unpaved hiking
<br /> "If you experience a conflict, try to ey to increase enforcement in the • trails +28.4 174.8
<br /> talk to the person to see the other park. Despite the recommendation,
<br /> t person's } Cross-country
<br /> perspective," advised Gor- the City is likely to vote for 1 73.7 70.0
<br /> don Kimball, trail operations coordi- the ban on mountain biking. ski trails ls
<br /> nator for the DNR's trail and water- Snowmobile
<br /> ways unit. "Unfortunately, in this Gary Sjoquist, a racer and bicycling trails 1 47.7 48.7 •
<br /> state, people seem to have a difficult activist who helped design Terrace Horse trails
<br /> time doing that." �: Oaks, has attended meetings and 55.1 I 6.4
<br /> "' written letters pleading for the bike (Summer)
<br /> Kimball said 80 percent of trail eii- trails to remain open. He's offered to • '-'Includes 13 miles of-
<br /> forcement is educating users. hire experts to show that foot traffic mountain bike trails
<br /> is as likely as bicycle tires to cause
<br /> "For nonmotorized use,when you've erosion. He's enlisted bike shops to Star Tribune Graphic
<br /> got different people traveling at dif- payfor trail signs. -
<br /> ferent speeds, it works better if you
<br /> just get people to slow down," he When it appeared that the city-run
<br /> said. `Seems pretty simple, but peo- park was being overrun by mountain
<br /> ple just don't see it that way." bikers, Sjoquist agreed not to publi-
<br /> cize the location of the park in the
<br /> The mountain bike industry,for one, newsletter he puts out. Nonresident
<br /> isn't helping its cause. Murray sells bikers,meanwhile,have been tracked
<br /> bikes known as the Stalkers. You can down by park users like johns at
<br /> buy a tire called Psycho. Riding fast massage parlors, their license nurit-
<br /> down a trail is known as a rage. bers recorded with the intention of
<br /> sending angry letters to keep them
<br /> Try explaining the value of gonzo out.
<br /> bike antics to the lady in Burnsville
<br /> who has her own private paved en- "This is not a situation where we
<br /> •trance leading from her back yard to want to attract bikers here,"Sjoquist '
<br /> Terrace Oaks — right into the bike said. "They already are here. The
<br /> path. answer is education and enforce-
<br /> Pam Butler, a Burnsville resident meet.Sure,there arc some bonehead
<br /> types.who has used Terrace Oaks Park for bikers e
<br /> rs a d hikers separate and ticket
<br /> 25 years,says concerns about erosion offenders."
<br /> enter into her view that mountain • =r'••
<br /> biking should be banned there. But Sjoquist, who points out that $17
<br /> conflicts of a personal,not ecological, million a year is spent on bikes in
<br /> nature cement her beliefs. Minnesota, said cyclists appear to
<br /> • lack any political clout. And he said
<br /> One day, she said, she was walking he doesn't want history to repeat it-
<br /> her two dogs, hiking up a steep hill. self at Terrace Oaks.
<br /> Two mountain bikers came careen-
<br /> ing down the hill. One knocked her Several years ago, mountain bikers
<br /> down, and the other ran over her had a successful year of riding and I
<br /> legs, she said. There were no major racing at Ritter Farm Park in Lake- '
<br /> injuries, but everyone ended up on ville. After the final race of the sea-
<br /> the ground. son, organizers had a $1,000 profit
<br /> and donated the money to the park
<br /> "I said, 'Do you know this is not a for new signs.
<br /> trail for
<br /> g ck on their bikes and rode The next spring, the signs appe - -
<br /> a eshe said -.. -- '�!'o"mountain rcd;�
<br /> 6
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