The fight for Mountain View Park wetland and upland area (Red Legged Frog) - A Primer
Mountain View Park was dedicated for protection in 1999. But over the years this park has not been protected, but run over by mountain biking and bike trails. Our municipality is still building them, further fragmenting the whole species at risk (threatened Red Legged Frog) habitat. In 2008, a petition was given to our Mayor and Council, asking for the mountain bike plan to be amended, in order to protect and conserve this critical habitat:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/31/help-save-the-red-legged-frog/
Over 300 people from all over signed it. The mountain biking community tried to sabotage it, and a couple hard copy petitions went "mysteriously" missing...(mountain biking is just another aggressive off-road sport, akin to motorized dirtbiking --- being far from a "green" pursuit in the forest, etc.)
Sadly, the petition was completely ignored by our Mayor and Council, and more bike trails have and still are being built in this wetland and critical upland area, today. I am still working to garner protection for this site, but it seems more and more like a "lost cause" as days go on with more bike traffic, commercialized mountain bike races and venues, etc.
There are three ski resorts in the vicinity, with none accommodating, nor containing the mountain biking's free ride sprawl in the area. Fighting mountain biking is like crawling into a hornet's nest. But it's degrading and destroying so much of our natural areas, etc. through its consummate riding and trail building activities.
Much of their trail building activities include digging for "gold dirt" from around the root base of trees, diverting natural drainage, plugging and covering up of vernal pools, etc. Because mountain bikers ride rain or shine, sleet and snow, they degrade the trails very fast, and the whole trail building repair starts over again (see above and repeat). This is all compromising the trees and wildlife habitat in the forest.
Not only that but they ride at night, with bright LED headlamps up to 900 lumens, in groups of at least six or more. They bring their dogs to run helter-skelter into the forest, while they ride. Bright lights have a detrimental effect on the Red-Legged frogs' migrating and breeding habits in the spring time. The frogs tend to freeze up to an hour after being hit with very bright lights. They then become easy targets for prey, like raccoons, etc.
These are just a few of the problems with mountain biking activities in the forests of coastal BC, and in many other areas in North America.
** What can we do about it? **
