User Stories

Message From Montana Cyclist John Juras

So you've enjoyed the epic ride up the Dearborn River near Augusta to the Scapegoat Wilderness Boundary or cruised up the trail from Cave Mtn Campground near Choteau to the nearby ridge line.  Sorry fella, you've been blind-sided and won't be doing that again legally.  Bicycles are now banned in those and 90+ miles of nearby trails. A copy of some info related to the ban is attached. 

Housing in Missoula Needed

Hi, My wife Lucy and I are UM graduate school alums who live in northern NY and have spent many past summers teaching for the summer UM Upward Bound Program.  Most summers we managed to sublet from either someone in family housing or related to the college but off campus.  This summer we will not be working on campus but if we can find affordable housing we would still like to spend 2 to 4 weeks in Missoula simply to live life at a slower pace and to share with our 8 year old son another part of the world that is special to us.  I would also like to spend some of the time connecting with people there to help develop a local web project called www.LocalSustainability.Com .

I apologize for cluttering your "inbox" but most summers the people who were most helpful, in helping make the connection between us and someone who wanted to save some money and have their place cared for while away, were various staff and faculty on campus.  We are exceptionally responsible people with many good past references.   We don’t have any pets, are non-smokers and usually spend most of our time in the outdoors or at a local downtown event.  Thanks so much for your time.

Sincerely,

Paul

LocalSustainability.Com Contact Form

Alert From the Montana Mountain Bike Alliance Continued

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Here are some possible talking points to include in your letter :

• Mountain bike activities are consistent with wilderness values for quiet, low impact recreation on trails. Mountain bicyclists are land conservationists who support roadless wildlife habitat. Mountain biking is an appropriate activity in Recommended Wilderness Areas (RWA) and other wilderness areas. Mountain bikers support existing Wilderness areas and the designation of new Wilderness.
• Mountain bike leaders met with key MWA staff and successfully negotiated the High Divide Agreement. This Agreement, however, only covers trails in the northern portion of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. There is more to do – the majority of our public land in the B-D NF still needs protection!
• Mountain bikers are good land stewards and protectors of natural habitats. Mountain bicyclists contribute hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours on public trail maintenance and public education campaigns annually.
• Encourage the B-D NF to continue the bicycle-friendly access on the Continental Divide Trail. Bicyclist’s 30-year history of low impact on this trail illustrates a good example of sustainable use.
• Mountain bike activities help promote sustainable tourist economies in rural communities that surround public lands. Often the best trails are near remote towns, where bicyclists buy food, supplies, repairs and lodging. Tourism is a major industry in Montana. Goods & services for mountain biking activities provide an excellent source of rural business revenue without any resource extraction.
• Mountain bikes are an appropriate technology to use while recreating in wild lands. Scientific studies have proven that bicycles have similar impact on trails as hikers, cover distances equal to equestrians, with less impact than horses or motorized vehicles.
• Mountain biking promotes good health. Good health translates into productive communities.
• Muscle-powered bicycles advance a non-fossil fueled, sustainable environment and a healthy MT economy.

Areas in the B-D NF that Mountain Bicyclists Want Protected

• Continental Divide Trail from Reynolds Pass to the Pintlar Wilderness. A BLM Wilderness Study Area (WSA) in the Centennial Range already fragments it. The B-D NF plan proposes two Recommended Wilderness Areas (RWA): one near Garfield Mountain (Lima Peaks) and one at Italian Peak. We recommend dropping the Italian Peak RWA proposal and adding a corridor on the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) in the Garfield Mountain section. Keeping the CDT open to bikes will be essential to the tourist economy of Beaverhead and other surrounding counties, and to help maintain the CDT. We recommend a minor boundary adjustment to the Hellroaring Addition to the Pintlar Wilderness, to achieve better access to the CDT.
• Italian Peak Recommended Wilderness Area (RWA). The Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest needs encouragement to consider all options for continued bicycling access in the Italian Peak RWA. The Peak will be surrounded on 3 sides by Wilderness in Idaho. This jewel along the Continental Divide with its 20-year exemplary history of providing a superior and sustainable bicycling trail system, would be an ideal location for an alternative wilderness designation.
• Trail #2 in the East Pioneer Mountains. This cross-range route through the East Pioneer RWA is classic, passing by 2 alpine lakes and topping a knife-edge pass. We recommend a corridor for trail #2. Trail #2 is important for bicyclists from Dillon and Butte.
• Trail #368 above Ennis Lake. Important to Bozeman bicyclists, this trail forms a two-mile segment of a 23-mile route from Spanish Creek to Ennis Lake. We recommend a bike corridor for this segment.
• Trail #228 on Sandstone Ridge. A proposed small segment added to the future Slide Rock Wilderness needs either a boundary adjustment or a bike corridor to accommodate this loop around the John Long Mountains.
  Trail #313 in the Stoney Mountain RWA. The crest of the Sapphire Divide has always been an important transportation corridor. The crest could continue to be a mechanized corridor through to the Sandstone Ridge trail #228 via Trail #1269 in the Lolo N.F. Granite County deserves to retain this combined route as an economic asset.

Consider these wilderness preservation tools when forming your opinion & writing your letter

• Corridors and boundary adjustments are an excellent solution to accommodate historic bicycle use with new Wilderness designations.
• Alternative Land Designations could protect more land than Wilderness alone. Alternative land designations such as National Scenic Area, National Protection area, or National Conservation Area, offer significant and permanent protection for public lands.
• Tell Supervisor Ramsey that you support Alternative 6 of the Forest Plan.

The Deadline for public comment is March 31, 2008

Email comments to Bruce Ramsey, B-D Forest Supervisor:

• comments-northern-beaverhead-deerlodge@fs.fed.us
• Forest Plan Comments
  Forest Service
  420 Barrett Street
  Dillon MT 59725

For more information on the Forest Service Plan visit the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest’s website at www.fs.fed.us/r1/b-d/

Once you have your letter finished, take a moment to send letters with the same information to Governor Schweitzer, Senators Baucus and Tester and Congressman Rehberg. Express your passion for cycling on Montana's public lands and how cycling has a positive economic, social and health benefit for the communities surrounded by great riding.

Key Elected Officials

Governor Brian Schweitzer
Governor's Office
PO Box 200801
Capital Station
Helena, MT 59620-0801
Phone: 406-444-3111
Fax: 406-444-5529
Email: governor@mt.gov

Senator Max Baucus
511 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-2602
Phone: 800-332-6106 (from Montana) or 202-224-2651
Fax: 202-224-0515
Email: max@baucus.senate.gov or http://baucus.senate.gov/contact

Senator Jon Tester
204 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-2604
Phone: 202-224-2644
Fax: 202-224-8594
Email: http://tester.senate.gov/Contact/

Congressman Dennis Rehberg
516 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-2601
Phone: 202-225-3211
Fax: 202-225-5687
Email: http://www.house.gov/rehberg/contact.shtml

USDA Forest Service

Abigail (Gail) R. Kimbell
Chief, USDA Forest Service
Yates Building, 4NW
201 - 14th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20050-1144
Phone: 202-205-1661
Fax: 202-205-1765
Email: akimbell@fs.fed.us

Tom Tidwell, Regional Forester
USDA Forest Service
Northern Region (R-1)
Federal Building
PO Box 7669
Missoula, MT 59807-7669
Phone: 406-329-3316
Fax: 406-329-3411
Email: ttidwell@fs.fed.us

Bruce Ramsey, Supervisor
Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest
420 Barrett Street
Dillon, MT 59725-3572
Phone: 406-683-3973
Fax: 406-683-3843
Email: bramsey@fs.fed.us

Dave T. Bull, Supervisor
Bitterroot National Forest
1801 North First Street
Hamilton, MT 59840
Phone: 406-363-7121
Fax: 406-363-7159
Email: dbull@fs.fed.us

Steve Williams, Supervisor
Custer National Forest
PO Box 50760
Billings, MT 50760
Phone: 406-657-6205
Fax: 406-657-6222
Email: swilliams@fs.fed.us

Catherine Barbouletos, Supervisor
Flathead National Forest
1935 Third Avenue East
Kalispell, MT 59901
Phone: 406-758-5251
Fax: 406-758-5351
Email: cbarbouletos@fs.fed.us

Tom Pulcherz, Interim Supervisor
Gallatin National Forest
PO Box 130
Bozeman, MT 59771
Phone: 406-587-6949
Fax: 406-587-6758
Email: tpulcherz@fs.fed.us

Kevin Riordan, Supervisor
Helena National Forest
2880 Skyway Drive
Helena, MT 59601
Phone: 406-495-3746
Fax: 406-449-5436
Email: kriordan@fs.fed.us

Paul Bradford, Supervisor
Kootenai National Forest
1101 Highway Two West
Libby, MT 59923
Phone: 406-283-7763
Fax: 406-283-7709
Email: pbradford@fs.fed.us

Leslie "Spike" Thompson, Supervisor
Lewis and Clark National Forest
PO Box 869
Great Falls, MT 59403
Phone: 406-791-7756
Fax: 406-731-5302
Email: lwthompson@fs.fed.us

Deborah L. Austin, Supervisor
Lolo National Forest
Building 24, Fort Missoula
Missoula, MT 59801
Phone: 406-329-3797
Fax: 406-329-3795
Email: dlaustin@fs.fed.us

Bureau of Land Management

Gene Terland, State Director
5001 Southgate Drive
Billings, MT 59101
Phone: 406-896-5012
Fax: 406-896-5299
Email: gene_terland@blm.gov

Missoula Field Office
3255 Fort Missoula Road
Missoula, MT 59804-7293
Phone: 406-329-3914
Fax: 406-329-3721

Dillon Field Office
1005 Selway Drive
Dillon, MT 59725-9431
Phone: 406-683-8000
Fax: 406-683-8066

Butte Field Office
106 North Parkmont
Butte, MT 59702
Phone: 406-533-7600
Fax: 406-533-7660

Lewistown Field Office
920 NE Main Street
PO Box 1160
Lewistown, MT 59457
Phone: 406-538-1900
Fax: 406-538-1904

Malta Field Office
501 South 2nd Street East
Malta, MT 59538
Phone: 406-654-5100
Fax: 406-654-5150

Miles City Field Office
111 Garryowen Road
Miles City, MT 59301-0940
Phone: 406-233-2800
Fax: 406-233-2921

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Alert From the Montana Mountain Bike Alliance

MMBA's Mission:

• To preserve, protect, and promote mountain bike access and diverse
  riding opportunities on Montana's public lands through education,
  communication, and unified action.
• "Whatever the social question, a bicycle should be part of the answer"
  Write A Letter

URGENT PUBLIC COMMENT NEEDED by MARCH 31ST

On February 15th, 2008 the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest Plan was released for a 45-day public comment period, and this is the last chance for the public to influence the final forest plan.

Mountain bikers need to let their voices be heard by Bruce Ramsey, Forest Supervisor for the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, or we stand to lose hundreds of miles of alpine singletrack that has been part of Montana's mountain bike heritage for decades. It is vital that you put together an original letter that expresses your support of continued cycling on special trails in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest.

Continued ... Read The Rest

Delaminating

Hello from Missoula Montana! It is kind of cold with snow on the way.  A lot of readers have contacted me and wondered what the last blog was about. Just a possible change in jobs.  I did not get word from my source so I still don't know.  It is so close to when my friend Paul is to visit (in a week and a half) that I am not going to worry about it any more.  I'll deal with it later.  It was only a rumor I would be contacted and I wasn't.

So my skate skis are starting to delaminate.  I used wood glue and clamped it yesterday and it held up through the work out last night so my road to OSCR is still underway.

Get better soon Paul, shouting out to you!

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