DAMN Riders - No rules, Just ride!

This was sent out in an R&T Club note today

"As we discussed at the meeting last night, I called one of my freinds in Pa. who is a PATRA member. For the foreseeable future, Shade is only open to Motorcycles (plated or not) from June through August. There are signs up now that say same. So that's where it stands. Local clubs will keep working it and hopefully maybe get it opened up for more time in the future. For now, plan accordingly."

Anybody have more info?

I cant figure out what that means.....as opposed to what? A quad? How the hell you anyone fit a quad on those tight single trac trails? Are they talking about "no horses or bicycles or unicycles?"

To the best of my knowledge Shade and 7-mountains will be closed from Sept thru end of May.
If it is hunting season, then no riding..basicly the same time frame that the quads are allowed to use the state atv trails.
Perhaps Denny or SMCC (Matt) will chime in with more current info but from what I have gathered that is the scoop. Some of the "driveable trails" at 7-mountains already have this info posted.
Nothing against those that like to hunt but I feel the state is using the "hunters complaints" as a bullshit reason to shut off what small riding area we do have to only non hunting dates. Guess we were just spoiled, all the state riding areas in western Pa have been following the ATV dates allowed. If they would just allow riding on sunday I could perhaps handle this better but I guess it will not be long till Pa will allow hunting on sundays anyhow.

Oh, so what you're saying is other than June thru August, there's no riding motorcycles! That I understand. <EDITED too, i'm having typping problems too!>

BillyGoat wrote:Oh, so what you're saying is than June thru August is the only riding of motorcycles! That I understand.

FIXED

This is news to me because I haven't seen anything official on the motorcycle season. If it is the same as the statewide ATV season we will loose April, May, October, November, & December from our present season.

Please write letters and go visit your State Represenatives.

I do remember talking with one of the firemen at the Durty Dabbers. He commented that the June 2-3 event was the first weekend you could legally ride in the woods.

At the risk of starting a XXXXstorm, I will give my humble opinion.

Shade Mountain and the Seven Mountains Dual Sport Loop will likely be shut down from the fall hunting season through spring gobbler season due to conflicts with other user groups (hunters). Sunday riding is an option but may not be allowed due to potential conflicts with hunters who are scouting and staying at state camps. There are 1+million hunters in PA and our small user group will have a tough time fighting this battle. This represents another setback to our riding opportunity along with the 9 single track sections that have been lost since I started riding this area 15 years ago. The issue with conflict with other user groups is made even worse due to the increase in the number of motorcycle users and the influx of people in other user groups using the Bald Eagle State Forest due to the gas drilling in other forests.

Bald Eagle State Forest is the only state forest that allows motorcycle use on trails outside of organized events. I consider this a rare and precious opportunity that we all need to work hard to preserve for as long as we can. If this means giving up riding during hunting season, that I am willing to make this compromise. There are other places to ride on private land that I can experience during the closed period.

The sad state of the trails is another reason that we may be in trouble. These trails were laid out very poorly and are suffering even more from the increase in motorcycle usage. Anyone that tries to deny our impact needs to come out riding with me some Sunday and I can show you the damage. The Foresters do not have the budget to maintain motorized single track so it is up to us riders to pick up shovels and do the work. This may be another reason to keep the trails closed during the spring season when the ground is soft and the runoff levels are high.

Our mission at Seven Mountains Conservation Corp is to keep as many trails open and create as many new trails as we can. We don't limit our members to the motorcycling community but open it up to mountain bikers, trail runners, equine groups and hikers. We are working with the Bald Eagle Foresters to support maintance both on motorized and non-motorized trails. We will expand this in to other forests as we can. We also are working with private land owners to create trails that are installed in a sustainable manner. I have taken 2 seperate trail building courses to make sure we are up to date on the latest methods and will continue to do what I can to stay current. We currently have 7 miles of single track trail on private land that is open to members for year round use. We are identifying new parcels of land and negotiating with landowners to create new opportunities. It may take us 25 years, but we WILL have a dual sport loop which consists of 10 sustainable single track trail sections on private land connected by the dirt roads and drivable trails in the state forest. Hopefully this will be suplimented by trails on State Forest land but I'm not willing to put all of my future riding opportunity eggs in this basket.

Please get involved in helping us by becoming a member or supporting our events. I personally along with the other members of SMCC have put a ton of energy in to this effort and we remain steadfast in fighting the good fight.

It is easy to sit around and complain about the loss of riding opportunities but I would rather make a personal investment in protecting the precious outdoor activities that I have enjoyed all of my life.

Matt

bottom line - in order to share the same protections as the other user groups, we too have to pay fees and have those moneys dedicated for our sport. That is one reason hunters and ATVs have rights in PA - follow the money.

btw, MD is going the same way.

Well said Matt, thanks for your comments.
I agree 100% about not putting my future riding in the hands of the state.