Send in your comments to keep our WhyPass trails horse-free
The DOD’s 15-year vision to create a mountain biking area at Carpenter Bypass (Whypass) is about to become a reality … with your help! The BLM recently completed an Environmental Assessment (EA) of the WhyPass trails and now it’s our turn to ensure mountain bikers get what we’ve worked for all these years by emailing the BLM during the public comment period which ends on September 14th, 2012.
The EA includes three options:
Option 1. No change from the way things stand today (no designated mountain bike area, no new trails).
Option 2. Designation as a mountain bike riding area including a sweet parking area with a brick & mortar bathroom plus pre-approval for 10+ miles of additional singletrack. Option 2 excludes equestrian use of Whypass trails.
Option 3. Provides equestrian use on a total of 2.4 miles of the Whypass trail network.
When equestrians heard the area may become exclusive to bikes, they started showing up at Whypass in numbers in order to establish a presence there. This has resulted in trail damage by horse hooves, excessive horse manure all over the trails plus the potential for unsafe trail interactions between bikes and horses. For these and other reasons, Option 2 is mountain bikers’ best bet. Please email the BLM now in support of Option 2 in its Environmental Assessment of Carpenter Bypass.
