The Oregon Mountain Bike Alliance (ORMBA) and the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) have released a proposal that would protect the undeveloped lands of the Mount Hood National Forest using a combination of diverse designations, rather than just a federal Wilderness designation. Bicycling is prohibited in all federal Wilderness.

The ORMBA/IMBA plan includes a detailed map covering all the lands in the “Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act,” proposed in 2004 by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden. The groups estimate that bill would have permanently closed more than 200 miles of trails to bicycling. While endorsing some lands for new Wilderness designations, the mountain bike groups suggest conserving the forest’s roadless areas with additional designations that will address a wide spectrum of stakeholders’ concerns.

Keep Reading.