Laws and Regulations
- The Wilderness Act
- Code of Federal Regulations - Title 36: Chapter II, Part 293 - Wilderness - Primitive Areas
- Code of Federal Regulations - Title 36, Chapter II, Part 261 - Prohibitions - §261.18(b) is the main thing we want removed.
Law Review Papers on Mountain Biking and the Wilderness Act
Congress's Intent in Banning Mechanical Transport in the Wilderness Act of 1964. by Theodore J. Stroll. For the Sustainable Trails Coalition, we believe that this is the most important document because Congress's intent is ultimately why the Act was created.
Government Resources
- Wilderness.net - Site by the University of Montana with tons of data on Wilderness.
- FOREST SERVICE TRAILS: Long- and Short-Term Improvements Could Reduce Maintenance Backlog and Enhance System Sustainability
Environmental Research and Studies
Natural Resource Impacts of Mountain Biking - A summary of scientific studies that compare mountain biking to other forms of trail travel by IMBA.
Assessing and Understanding Trail Degradation - U.S. Department of the Interior Final Research Report, 2006.
The Trouble with Preservation, or, Getting Back to the Wrong Term for Wilderness Protection - Academic research paper that raises questions about the interplay between considerations of ecological functioning, recreation demands, and simple aesthetics in defining managed wilderness.
Impacts of Experimentally Applied Mountain Biking and Hiking on Vegetation and Soil of a Deciduous Forest - Environmental Management Journal, 2001.
Interactive Online Maps
Map of Wilderness Areas in Lower 48 States
As the map shows, there are far more Wilderness areas in the West.
Map of Wilderness Areas in the Western United States
As the maps show, very large areas of our western states are designated as Wilderness areas. Does it make sense to ban bikes in all that land?