The land managers of U.S. federal, state and local public lands and the citizens that pay their salaries have been engaged in the issue of access for as long as there have been ‘public lands’. The land managers have been tasked with the job of protecting these resources, while the citizens have wanted to use the land for their own agenda. From mining to hunting and from climbing to dirt biking, each of these activities, along with countless others, have some sort of impact on the land. But who is right and who is wrong? That sometimes depends on environmental impact studies; education of both land managers and citizens about the ‘use‘; and frankly, public opinion. “Pedal-Driven: a bikeumentary,” is a new documentary by Howell at the Moon Productions that is making its way around the country looking into one such land access battle and how both sides may seem to be at odds, but are really fighting for the same goal – “the rights of Americans to play in the woods.”.
The bicycle companies, Specialized and Shimano, along with the U.S. Forest Service have partnered with Howell at the Moon Productions to explore a conflict over illegal trails that has been ongoing in the public lands around Leavenworth, Washington. This type bike versus land manager issue has been going on for as long as the modern mountain bike has been around; and I have personally witnessed mountain bike access issues in Rochester, NY, Marin County, CA and Boulder, CO. The interesting part of this conflict is how extreme this particular battle in “Pedal-Driven” has become. The conflict is best described by Howell at the Moon Productions on their website:
In the pristine forests above Leavenworth, Washington, there exists a world of hidden trailheads and clandestine trails. Here a sect of outdoor enthusiasts, extreme mountain bikers called freeriders, have gone underground. They are the skate punks of the forest, unwelcome and under pressure to leave. The locations of their trails are carefully guarded secrets and the riders who ride them keep constant vigil, on the lookout for US Forest Service rangers.
But they won’t leave. Each time one of their trails or jumps is destroyed they sneak back in and rebuild, believing that they have a right to ride through these landscapes. And now, in an effort to combat the problem, local district rangers have been given heightened authority to put any freeriders caught on undesignated trails directly into jail.
“Pedal-Driven” looks at both sides of the conflict, from both the perspectives of the mountain bikers and land managers along with other cases around the country. Along with analyzing each side, the film offers ways to resolve this conflict just like many others around the country have been resolved.
“This production documents the great things we can accomplish when we work together to solve problems,” stated in the film’s press release by Forest Supervisor Becki Heath of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, whose forest is prominently featured in the documentary. “It also illustrates the challenges user-built trails can bring, including resource damage and public safety issues.”
If you are interested in seeing this hour-long documentary, there is a tour schedule on their website. If there are no locations near you screening “Pedal-Driven”, the DVD for home viewing only can be purchased directly from Howell at the Moon Productions for $29.95. The producers are donating all net profits to sustainable trail building and land stewardship efforts. That is something that we can howl about in support!