SaveTheRaven
January 30th, 2012
Dear Loch Raven Mountain Bikers-
Baltimore County Councilman David Marks (R) represents the Towson area (including the land surrounding the Loch Raven Reservoir) and has sponsored a resolution (#4-12) to the County Council to allow mountain biking in the buffer zone surrounding Loch Raven. There will be a work session this Tuesday, January 31st at 2:00pm in the Council Chambers.
Councilman Marks has asked that we get as many mountain bikers as possible to show up and testify. This is a great opportunity to let the entire County Council know how we feel. I strongly suggest you pass this on to every mountain biker you know and show up on Tuesday!
Thanks,
Bob Compton and Dave Blum
MORE Loch Raven Trail Liaisons
January 11th, 2012
Today I have been informed that MORE president Dave Ferarro is making great strides in partnering with the City of Baltimore. While this battle has been long, drawn out and repetitive, renewed contact has been made with City entities willing to help us complete our mission. We all know that the reality of the situation is that we have a plan to make Loch Raven a wonderful place to mountain bike and recreate in general while insuring the interests of all public entities and infrastructures. We will forge ahead to help bring value to our community in 2012. We can not let the slow hand of bureaucracy stop the progress we continue to make. We can not let a few people and their ideology shut down Loch Raven Reservoir.
There will be some interesting news to report in the near future when a big change will happen within a certain governmental organization. This change will be very beneficial to our cause. Sorry I cant be specific but I don’t want any party crashers.
STR
January 10th, 2012
Hello Everyone and Welcome to the New Year,
Once again it has been quite awhile since our last update. Lots of work has been happening behind the scenes for the past few months.
Additionally, Bob Compton of MORE has had a rebuttal to H. Frederick Jones Jrs.’ Opinion published in the Towson times. Mr Jones’ Opinion was entitled “Bikers have more impact than hikers, but both cause damage”.
My extremely long winded Response is below and mirrors Bobs published opinion:
This is a response to the published Towson Times opinion letter entitled Bikers have more impact than hikers, but both cause damage.
Considering the negative and one sided tone of the opinion I figured I could shed some light on the “continuing saga” from the point of view of someone involved in the saga, not some expert with an opinion that has never attended one meeting on this issue. The implications of H Frederick Jones’ statements should not be taken lightly considering he speaks of closing the reservoir to ALL recreation.
Closing recreation at Loch Raven Reservoir would entail Closing Pine Ridge Golf Course, The Shooting Range, The Fishing Center, All hiking and biking trails, All recreational fishing access, and deer Hunting. Local Land values would decrease in an already poor housing market. Local Businesses would lose revenues in an already struggling economy. Healthcare costs will rise due to obesity rates increasing and incidents of crime within an abandoned reservoir will surely go up. Oh and without the recreational deer abatement we will have more traffic accidents, a decreasing forest understory and increased sedimentation into the reservoir.
While the preceding may be opinion based on a closing of the reservoir to All recreational use, the following statements are based on facts gathered from Baltimore City Studies and international Studies related to Mountain biking.
- Volumetric capacity loss rate is 0.13%/yr (national average is 0.43%) meaning that this reservoir has filled up at less than 1/3 the national average
- Baltimore City Turbidity tests show that the water passes generally above 99% of the time
- The quality of Loch Raven’s water has remained some of the highest in the country. This is despite recreational use of the reservoir
And since Mr Jones decided to list some statistics, I have decided to list the actual studies so that the public can decide for themselves.
Olive, N.D. and J.L. Marion, 2009. The influence of use-related, environmental, and managerial factors on soil loss from recreational trails. Journal of Environmental Management 90:3 1483 – 1493.
- worked in Big South Fork National River and Recreational Area, Tennessee
- Topographic position was the most significant factor explaining trail soil erosion
- Impacts from mountain biking and hiking were not significantly different
- Trail loss from mountain biking could be as much as 30% less than from hiking.
Marion, J.L. 2006. Assessing and Understanding Trail Degradation: Results from Big South Fork National River and Recreational Area. USDI, National Park Service.
- Reviewed in: Managing Mountain Biking (IMBA, 2007)
- Examined erosion rates on trails of varying slopes and elevations
- trails primarily used for mountain biking exhibited the least amount of erosion
- calculations of soil loss per mile of trail indicated that mountain biking trails have the lowest soil loss
White, D.D. et al. 2006. A comparative study of impacts to mountain bike trails in five common ecological regions of the southwestern U.S. Journal of Park and recreation Administration 24:2 20.
- Reviewed in: Managing Mountain Biking (IMBA, 2007)
- trail incision and tread width were measured along 163 miles of mtb trail
- erosion and tread width differed little from shared use trails that have little or no mountain biking
Chiu, L. and L. Kriwoken. 2003. Managing recreational Mountain biking in Wellington Park, Tasmania, Australia. Annals of Leisure Research. 6:4 339-361
- no significant differences between impacts caused by mountain bikes and walkers
- wet sites and steep hills showed the greatest impacts
Papouchis, C.M., F.J. Singer, and W. Sloan. 2001. Responses of desert bighorn sheep to increased human recreation. Journal of Wildlife Management. 65:3 573-582.
- Reviewed in: Managing Mountain Biking (IMBA, 2007)
- sheep fled 61% of the time from hikers, 17% of the time from vehicles, and 6% of the time from mountain bikes
- this was attributed to more off-trail hiking and hikers direct approaches to the sheep
Thurston, E. and R.J. Reader. 2001. Impacts of Experimentally Applied Hiking and Mountain Biking on Vegetation and Soil of a Deciduous Forest. Environmental Management. 27:3 397-409.
- biking and hiking generally had similar impacts on vegetation and soil
Bjorkman, A. W. 1996. Off-Road Bicycle and Hiking Trail User interactions: A report to the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board. Wisconsin Natural Resources Bureau of research.
- Reviewed in: Managing Mountain Biking (IMBA, 2007)
- trail side vegetation remained constant or increased after initial trail construction
Wilson, J.P. and J.P. Seney. 1994. Erosional Impact of Hikers, Horses, Motorcycles, and off-road bicycles on mountain trails in Montana. Mountain Research and Development. 14:1 77-88.
- Reviewed in: Managing Mountain Biking (IMBA, 2007)
- horses caused significantly greater erosion compared to other uses
- other uses did not vary significantly from control sites
- traffic on pre-wetted soils generated more runoff compared to dry soils under all types of use
Spahr, R. 1990. Factors Affecting the distribution of Bald Eagles and Effects of Human Activity on Bald Eagles wintering along the Boise River. Boise State University. Masters Thesis.
- Reviewed in: Managing Mountain Biking (IMBA, 2007)
- walkers caused the highest frequency of eagle flushing
- walkers were most disturbing to eagles followed by mountain bikers, then fishermen
Regardless of the results of all of these studies, the real reasons for sedimentation should be considered. The primary reason for sedimentation in Loch Raven Reservoir is due to Development around the reservoir and poor stormwater controls. Neglect by DPW is the second most devastating variable contributing to the condition of the reservoir. This is evidenced pictorially on various websites. A GPS based erosion tracking system is in the works as I write.
Lastly it should be noted that Mr Jones stated that the bikers should be responsible for the trails they use. The Mountain Biking public has been negotiating trail usage at Loch Raven for nearly twenty years with the current “battle” lasting more than two years now. The DPW is not telling the public that we have offered to reduce, repair, pay for, invest sweat equity, and patrol these multi-use trails.(having people in the area deters crime) Two thousand man hours or more per year have been donated by local biking groups each year since 1998. Bikers remove the most trash by weight every year during stream clean-up days. A fifty thousand dollar trail assessment was offered to the DPW and they thumbed their noses at it. We have offered to reduce the current EXISTING singletrack trail system by fifty percent. We have offered to build a world class sustainable trail system. We offer and offer and offer.
Please do not let Baltimore City turn MY Baltimore County Neighborhood into a barren wasteland that will invite crime and lower property values. DPW is not a land manager. They can’t even keep the water system up to date or prevent the huge sewage spills from ruining our local tributaries. They are losing 20% of the water before it reaches the customer. They have over one billion dollars worth of repairs to do. That is why the costs are high. Is a reservoir police force and all of the associated vehicles and hardware really the right investment for the City?
Loch Raven is used as a recruiting tool for some of the largest businesses in Baltimore. The value of these existing trails is in the tens of millions of dollars. Make Baltimore a progressive place to live. Believe in a Better Baltimore. We do not want businesses and residents to BeLeavin’ for other cities.
STR
October 29th, 2011
ACT NOW
City Council President Jack Young Says “Put a fence around the reservoir” one week after remarking of the beauty of the reservoir that he had never once visited and even wanted to come back to fish.
It is rumored that the office of the County Executive is opposed to a clarification of the ordinance. Please contact the County Executive and your County Representatives and tell them to introduce a Bill to keep the existing singletrack trails open to mountain bikers.
Reservoir Technical Group representatives from Baltimore County have now publicly stated that they do not support increased mountain bike access in Loch Raven Reservoir. They hid the negative recommendation from the public for nearly a year. Please contact the following representatives to educate them and voice your opinion. Baltimore County needs to know how important this use is for the constituents, and that it will never be acceptable to even joke of closing off the reservoir and killing recreational opportunities as well as the surrounding land values. These are YOUR representatives so please let them know how you vote and that you will not vote for representatives that make rules based on opinion instead of facts and science and economics. Let them know about waste in government and all of the other fallacies in the argument against our use of the same trails that will exist with or without us and existed before the mtn bike plan. You know the arguments so let’s flood our representatives and force them to listen to “We the People”!
Feel free to email them your pictures of the real issues that the reservoir faces.
County Executive Kevin Kamenetz
County Executive,
Kevin Kamenetz
kevin@baltimorecountymd.gov
Vincent J. Gardina, Director of Environmental Management and Sustainability
E-mail: eps@baltimorecountymd.gov
Baltimore County Council -
Councilman Tom Quirk - council1@baltimorecountymd.gov
Councilwoman Vicki Almond - council2@baltimorecountymd.gov
Councilman Todd Huff - council3@baltimorecountymd.gov
Councilman Kenneth N. Oliver - council4@baltimorecountymd.gov
Councilman David Marks - council5@baltimorecountymd.gov
Councilwoman Cathy Bevins - council6@baltimorecountymd.gov
Councilman John Olszewski - council7@baltimorecountymd.gov
Baltimore City Council
Council President
Bernard C. "Jack" Young
CouncilPresident@baltimorecity.gov
District 1
James B. Kraft
James.Kraft@baltimorecity.gov
District 2
Nicholas D'Adamo, Jr.
Nicholas.D'Adamo@baltimorecity.gov
District 3
Robert Curran
Robert.Curran@baltimorecity.gov
District 4
Bill Henry
Bill.Henry@baltimorecity.gov
District 5
Rochelle "Rikki" Spector
Rochelle.Spector@baltimorecity.gov
District 6
Sharon Green Middleton
Sharon.Middleton@baltimorecity.gov
District 7
Belinda Conaway
Belinda.Conaway@baltimorecity.gov
District 8
Helen Holton
Helen.Holton@baltimorecity.gov
District 9
William "Pete" Welch
William.Welch@baltimorecity.gov
District 10
Council Vice-President
Edward Reisinger
Edward.Reisinger@baltimorecity.gov
District 11
William H. Cole IV
William.Cole@baltimorecity.gov
District 12
Carl Stokes
carl.stokes@baltimorecity.gov
District 13
Warren Branch
Warren.Branch@baltimorecity.gov
District 14
Mary Pat Clarke
MaryPat.Clarke@baltimorecity.gov
October 29th, 2011
A response to the Baltimore Sun article "In limiting Loch Raven biking trails, city has broad regional support":
First, to open up an article by stating that the mountain biking groups focused their criticism on city officials calling them stubborn or unreasonable is simply an untrue statement. Mountain Bikers STARTED the conversation through legislative proceedings in order to work with DPW in coming to a compromised resolution to the issue of recreation in the reservoir. DPW was trying to divide and conquer the public without informing them. The focus has been on creating sustainable multi use singletrack trails derived from the EXISTING singletrack trails in order to bring legal economic, health, and social benefits to Baltimore City and Baltimore County. The focus was on science based theory created by professionals within the surrounding communities and the city. The focus was also on creating partnerships with business owners, land managers, volunteer groups as well as DPW.
A trail plan was created over many months and after it was turned in, neither the RTG nor DPW had recommendations. They just said "no", something we've heard for twenty years. The recommendations of the RTG did not include any scientific analysis. The RTG also never asked any questions of MORE or other creators of the new plan and never offered a compromise. The "Charshee" document as stated in the article was also nearly a year old and many of the concerns were addressed by the biking community. Clark Howells and Celeste Amato must not have conveyed this information to the RTG.
This article states that the RTG had not met in more than one year and this is precisely the reason that the group that has no legally binding authorities. The community surrounding Loch Raven can not wait for the slow hand of a pseudo volunteer government. We the biking community have been cleaning and maintaining the reservoir the entire time this group has been away from the table. We actually get stuff done and don't wait around. The volunteer hours put forth from MORE volunteers is unmatched.
Clark Howells was finally able to make statements to the RTG and Media without having to defend his inaccuracies. That is something that is very easy to do in a room of your peers. Next time perhaps he should invite the mountain bikers to voice their own views. In the past, Howells has written the "opinions" of the mountain biking public, something he is not a part of. I wonder if he also told the RTG that he has handed out literature that will remove hikers and walkers from said trails. His motives are deceitful, ever changing, and cyclical. Given that the RTG in unafraid to voice their opinions and challenge their counterparts, I would invite the RTG to debate the PUBLIC or its representatives about this issue. They are clearly unafraid when working behind closed doors with their buddies. You simply can't trust group made of friends and their wives. They are afraid of popular progressive public opinions and policy based on science.
When you have members like Don Outen stating that nobody contested the issue, we have to wonder weather he is talking about his wife who is also in the group. We also know that since the public was not represented or invited, there was no-one to stand up for their recreational access.
Celeste Amato, the spokesperson for DPW will say whatever she can in order to get DPW's point across. She said that the "jurisdictional partners are not in favor of increasing recreational access." Really, because if they read the plan, the access would be much more limited than what is currently used. Did anyone read the plan? I propose we test them on it.
The letter provided to Director Foxx by Gould Charshee does state "mountain bikers are noncompliant with a 1998 agreement on trails, saying bikers routinely cut new trails in sensitive areas without approval, only to turn around and argue with the city that those trails should be considered official and permanent.", however the truth is (and DPW has AGREED ON PAPER) it was and is impossible for a person to know what a designated trail is when in the reservoir, and that MOST trails were not created by bikers and the newer trails were not asked for within the submitted plan. His statement is not truthful and counterproductive. DPW, after twelve years, still has not properly marked the designated trails with any sort of proficiency or standard Best Management Practice. They have rarely even had a presence in the reservoir with past police forces being fired for misconduct. Because of DPW's refusal to work with the public on this issue, the public has zero trust in anything they say or do.
MORE and the associated community groups have never asked for the trails to contribute to erosion or add sediment into the reservoir. Peer Reviewed scientific studies that have never been refuted by DPW were presented that show the relative impact of mountain bikes compared to hiking or horseback riding. This factual evidence when combined with DPW and Baltimore City's own water reports of nearly sediment free raw water underscores the biased view that DPW orally presents to the RTG. Gould continues to state that creation of new singletracks should not be granted due to negative externalities associated with new trails. Had Gould actually read the plan or if Clark Howells factually summarized the plan, they would be able to comprehend that no new trails were to be created and actual singletrack mileage would be reduced by 50%
In response to Vince Gardina's view that "What people need to understand, including the bikers, is that the purpose of the watershed and the buffer around the reservoir is to provide drinking water to millions of people.", Vince should take a walk through the singletrack trails and fireroads surrounding the reservoirs so he can see that the primary reason for damage to the reservoir is blatant neglect by DPW and the City and improper enforcement of stormwater discharges. We bikers understand the functions of the reservoir better than every County and City Council Member. We have tried to educate the political powers that be about the importance of this resource in terms of its primary public benefit. We have also shown how the agencies besides DPW responsible for managing the resources are supposed to work with the citizens to create positive stewardship practices. Mountain bikers have literally removed TONS of trash from the reservoirs during the past two years. Mountain bikers are also the primary volunteer group responsible for maintenance on the woods roads. These are the very roads that convey silt laden water directly to the reservoir.
DPW and the RTG need to rely on facts and science when making decisions on this issue.
October 26th, 2011
Hello everyone and sorry for the long delay. The member of STR responsible for web Design Got MARRIED! (Congrats to Rich and Jen) and the writer of STR has been tirelessly working on a new business.
During our time away we have still been working on Saving the Loch Raven Singletrack Trails from being shut down to Mountain Biking by Baltimore City DPW. Here is a quick synopsis of what has been happening.
And as always, these thoughts and interpretations are my own and are not approved by DPW.
Early this spring and summer, DPW basically disbanded the existing MTB Task Force as set up by the Former Mayor and the City Council. No meetings or negotiations have taken place before the original members of the task force or the subcommittee for nearly a year. Dpw had sliced and diced the original committee and came up with a working group of their own. They picked a new member of the mountain biking public that they thought would give in to them and they picked one member of the original subcommittee that they had a long relationship with. DPW was trying to circumvent science and logic and force these two people to agree with them. This took place over a series of four meetings and negotiations were about trails that the public is willing to accept. After the four meetings, the MORE trail plan was never accepted or really even considered. DPW DID expand their view from the original 1998 plan to include more existing fireroads (that are necessary but were originally offered at the first subcommittee meeting and turned down as not sufficient) and about a mile of TOTAL singletrack. DPW is requiring of the MTB community a series of private and corporate waivers in order to use the privately and corporately owned land that these trails cross. All of the landowners have happily agreed to let us use their land but the waivers have not been signed yet. This is due to the fact that the waiver only has to be aquired by the mtb community and not ANY other land user.(there is a law in MD that protects property owners for this type of thing so there is usually no waiver to be signed) This is also due to the fact that the new DPW plan was not going to be signed off by the community as it is unacceptable and illogical. STR was not present and had basically been dis-invited to any of these meetings despite being a member of every previous committee and having been at the original council hearing to bring this issue to the public AND having more than a decade of environmental experience and a degree in environmental management and policy. STR tells the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Fast Forward…
This summer at the reservoir there was and still is a section of singltrack that has been boobytrapped continuously. Trees have been cut down and rocks have been dug up. There was a homeless person living at the reservoir. There were two kids in camo taking pictures on the grated bridge. DPW has bulldozed the fireroads Twice destroying streams, bridges, hillsides, roads, trees, and other sensitive habitat. OH and warnings were continuing to be issued for mtb’s even though that action was prohibited by the former mayor and City Council.
During mid summer the MTB community finally got a hearing before City Council to declare their case against DPW’s draconian treatment of the entire community surrounding Loch Raven. It was stated at the beginning of this hearing that nothing would change right away and that the hearing would be informational. DPW gave a five minute speech about what they have done to allow biking and that it is all they can offer because the reservoir is not a park and the primary function is to provide clean raw water to the public utility. Their testimony was followed by two and a half hours of public testimony. Testimony was given by city and county constituents, city and county business owners and the head of a Pennsylvania water utility that does allow the SAME type of singletrack access we are asking for. Evidence was presented that ranged from the DPW’s own water and sediment reports showing nothing attributable from bikes, to scientific studies and statistics refuting any oral claim DPW may have presented. Nearly two hundred pictures were presented explaining the reservoir trail system and the real damage DPW does on an aggregating basis. The council subcommittee was seemingly impressed with the fact that a tremendous amount of support showed up and testified in support of the mtb’s on the trails. At the end of the hearing, the Council said that the moratorium on enforcement would continue and that the council will speak to the Mayor about the issue at hand.
Fast Forward…
A member of the biking public heard a rumor that the rangers were going to ticket the bikers. WTF? The Council said no. The head ranger of the environmental police was directly approached in late August to ask about this change in policy. After a nearly fifteen minute conversation about all of the other bad things happening in the reservoir, the ranger assured the biker that policy had not changed and that any warning was at the discretion of the officer involved.
One week later…
Rangers stop several mountain bikers by boat! The bikers obviously stopped to talk to the rangers after which they were ticketed and fined. So instead of warnings, and instead of abiding by the City Council’s and former Mayors requests, and instead of the rangers working on education, multiple tickets were issued. This information was relayed to STR the night of the incident and a meeting with Senator Brochin’s aide was held the next morning. Senator Brochin has really helped communicate our issue to “the powers that be” so if he ever asks for your help, don’t be shy.
During the month of September the mtb workgroup (community, not gov) contacted the head of DPW to figure out what was going on since it seemed like the rangers were out of control and perhaps even he did not know this was happening. We reached out for an answer. A couple weeks later the head of DPW replied that a citizen complaint led to the ticketing of the mtb rider. So instead of the ranger educating the complainant about the issue that has neglected by the city for decades and instead of the ranger educating the mtb rider about the current state of the trail system, the multiple rangers involved decided to write tickets to collect revenue and show their force. Obviously this is unacceptable to the majority that pays these rangers salaries!
Slight Fast forward to Friday October 14th 2011
Senator Brochin and Councilman Stokes helped to coordinate a meeting between City and County Leaders at the Seminary Trail at Loch Raven Reservoir. Our fast acting group was also able to reign in five different media outlets as well as City and County business owners, professional mtb riders and community activists. The political leaders consisted of Senator Brochin and reps from his office, City Council President Jack Young, City Councilman Stokes, County Council President David Marks, County Councilman Todd Huff. DPW was also present. After a few minutes of negotiation with DPW (who did not want to let us on the wet trails) the group embarked on a hike first leading clockwise through the first section of seminary and then down the fireroad on the way back. And then came the rain which was the perfect opportunity to show how a singletrack trail acts in a rainstorm vs a 100year old poorly maintained dirt road built on fall lines. Without going into a blow by blow of every conversation and argument, here is the theme of what our group conveyed to the politicians. Information that could not be denied or refuted especially as the rain fell.
Thank you so much to all that attended!
Facts presented;
- The most heavily used trail of the reservoir is in great condition even in the 100ft buffer.
- Very few areas of the trail are cupped or eroded.
- Problem and sensitive areas can be rerouted with minimal effort.
- Cut arounds or redundant trails were due to the public’s inability to legally maintain existing singletrack and could be easily abated.
- The trail is flat and this is where most beginners and young families ride.
- Tree cover and the winding nature of the singltrack do not allow much erosion from water.
- The fireroad is continually destroyed by DPWdriving on them while wet with heavy vehicles.
- The bridges on the fireroad have been improperly built by DPW and this has cause severe erosion.
- DPW causes more erosion by not following BMP’s than mtb’s have done in more than two decades.
- DPW is wasting money on efforts that have no quantifiable results.
- The fireroads are not where the people want to be.
- Fireroads stay wet and muddy all year long due to their outdated design.
- Federal Mandates call for a reduction of TMDL’s, not prohibition of trails in bufferlands or bikes on those trails.
- The mandates are not unique and other neighboring states allow the exact type and locations of these trails while still meeting the mandates.
- Baltimore Citizens should be progressive and not regressive if they want to draw new citizens.
With virtually no maintenance and absolutely no input from DPW the singletrack trails remain as some of the best in the mid Atlantic because the public and surrounding community have taken the time and the effort to protect the value of the land when DPW has continuously failed to do so.
As we walked back home, it was a very cool thing to see City and County leaders willing to work together in order to help this cause along. Everyone but DPW was remarking about the beauty of the reservoir and how beautiful it was near the water.
During the entire excursion each of the members of our group rotated between the politicians in order to explain where we were, the effects of riding, the law, the mandates, and the willingness of the community to save this use of the trails. In some form of grand irony the sun came out as we exited the woods and ended the contention.
By the end of the walk a plan had been hatched to move to the next level.
To be continued…
STR
And a special thanks to Bob, Dave, Dave, Penny, Joe, Steve, Bruce, Rick, and the unmentionables.
…immediately after this meeting it was reported by a rider that new signs were being installed (still not meeting any sort of normally accepted bmp) and that the rangers were heard remarking that they could finally “get those mtn bikers”. It’s nice to see that after every meeting there is an immediate enforcement response by DPW. It has been stated that “it is just their job” and in my opinion that statement is a horrible excuse to segregate the citizens and push non realistic and illogical views and practices in an effort to control the public through fear and taxation.
March 13th, 2011
The time has come to show your love and support for Loch Raven Reservoir.
Next Wednesday July 27 2011 there will be a City Council meeting that will hopefully decide the fate of Mountain Biking and trail usage in general at the reservoir. The resolution that was brought forth nearly two years ago will go before the council at roughly eleven am.
This meeting is open to the public and your testimony is welcomed. You must arrive early to sign up to give testimony. Written testimony is also generally accepted if you do not feel like speaking into the mic. This would have to be turned in before the council meeting. Please arrive early if you plan on participating.
Your participation in this meeting is absolutely needed. We need a packed house. > 200 people.
Negotiations have failed with Dpw. In fact Dpw has always said that there would never be a negotiation and it would be their way no matter what. Dpw has wasted another two years and tens of thousands of dollars in stalling the implementation of a publicly acceptable trail use plan.
They disbanded the task force, subcommittee and every groupmember that did not agree with their totalitarian views. They even brought in new bikers that they thought would give away the trails.
Please see their plan below this commentary. Only a small piece of singletrack has been included. It is primarily on private land. There is no connectivity of the trails and many of them stop and start on dangerous roads with no shoulder. Yellow trails are proposed trails that bikers would like included on the plan. They are trails that lead to historically important sites. They are also the trails that have been used for decades with virtually no erosion.
Dpw wants to rely on a total compliance proof of concept in the execution of their plan. Considering that Dpw has neglected LR for so long, and watershed management has remained basically unchanged in their execution, the proof is that Dpw has failed miserably in their job. The future will be no different as the ranger force has already been taken out from under the control of the watershed manager and spread so thinly that they can not have any sort of quantifiable results pertaining to tmdl's and their enforcement of mountain biking regs. No study has ever been done by Dpw that could even claim to know the effect of biking on this reservoir from these trails and therefore there is no baseline measure.
For nearly one hundred years a community has evolved around LR. This community has cared for and cleaned LR every day of every year. Our community will not allow mismanagement by the city of Baltimore to turn LR into a desolate area filled with crime like has happened to many other un managed city lands.
We know that Dpw has not relied on science, law, facts, honesty or good public policy in their handling of this issue. I signed my first petition about fifteen years ago regarding this issue. Dpw has changed directors, engineers and other crucial staff during this time. The citizens have remained the same, strong in their demand to use LR as a world class mountain biking destination.
We are the people. It is time to remind our lawmakers that policy is supposed to be created and maintain by people of a higher standard and DPW is failing in this public policy.
The benefits are clear. The DPW motive is not.
Str
March 13th, 2011
Hi everyone,
The baltimore sun has an article in today's sun paper. Please go read this very good article.
STR
March 13th, 2011
Dear Loch Raven Trail Users--
Project Clean Stream 2011 is set for April 2nd, from 9am - 12pm.
Please mark your calendars as this will be MORE's first trail work day for 2011. We are looking again to make a huge impact at this event to underscore the significant effect we have at Loch Raven.
We are investigating new sites that have significant trash problems. So, if you know of any around Loch Raven, please email me with a description of the site ASAP.
Lastly, we are looking for a handful of volunteers to pull BOB trailers from the trail to the trailhead. If you have a BOB or is you are interested in pulling one of our BOBs, shoot me a line.
Again, thank you for your continued support and patience!
Cheers,
Bob Compton and Dave Blum, MORE Trail Liaisons for Loch Raven
March 9th, 2011
Hi everyone,
Good evening..or morning,
Today the mountain bike task force met to discuss the recreational issues surrounding Loch Raven Reservoir. It should come as no surprise that nothing was accomplished at this meeting. Members of the community have been waiting since the end of November to hear recommendations from the DPW on MORE’s DRAFT trail use plan. The plan that was submitted was basically not mentioned tonight. It was dismissed as unreasonable.
Tonight DPW gave this handout explaining a summary of the issues that have brought us to this point. This document is available here. Please note that the cyclist issues, were not written by the cyclists but by an interpretation by DPW.
It is director Fox’s opinion that everything that has happened up until now is not important and that he would like to have us maintain trails outside the 100’ buffer but will not allow mountain bike use within the buffer or on any slope greater than 20%. Trails outside this spec are basically non-existent or they would have been incorporated. If we could remove ALL trails in bad areas and create all new trails we would but that is not allowed either.(minutes from 1st meeting) It was stated that the 100’ buffer is a Law and can not be changed. It was AGAIN brought up by the trail users that the law SPECIFICALLY INCLUDES TRAILS AS ALLOWABLE WITHIN THE BUFFER AREAS PROVIDED THAT AN ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS IS DONE AND THAT NO FEASIBLE ALTERNATIVE EXISTS. We were told that the feasible alternative is no trails. Pardon me but no trails IS NOT a feasible alternative to trails that have existed for as long as the reservoir. Fire-roads are not considered trails by modern definition and they are not a feasible as an alternative to single track non-motorized trails. We have never been asked for an alternatives analysis.
It was mentioned that besides this law, the state has to reduce its TMDL’s (look it up) by a certain percent and the each reservoir has certain goals that have to be met in the future. While this is true, it is also true that sedimentation and runoff have never been measured in relation to mountain biking or any recreation.(check the bathymetric study) There is no given quantity of sediment that could be abated in relation to banning MTB’s. We were told that kicking us off the trails would be a demonstration that DPW is trying to do all that they can to reduce TMDL’s. WE ARE NOW PART OF A DEMONSTRATION THAT WILL HAVE ZERO QUANTIFIABLE RESULTS. DPW did not want to argue science because they said that the proof is evident in the proliferation of trails. This too is a statement not backed up by any science. Show me the proliferation of trails in the past twenty years. There is NO evidence of who created the trails, when they were created, or what sediment the trail could contribute to the TMDL. Any new trails that MORE has ever been made aware of since 1998 have been closed IMMEDIATELY. MORE has contributed more than 4000hrs of rehab labor to Loch Raven since 1998.
The largest point of contention is that DPW may or may not have the intention to close the singletrack trails to all users. I say it like this because we have asked the question more than two dozen times and we can not get any sort of strait answer. Director Fox stated that he would have to talk to his boss (mayor) to see what her take on this is. An Aide to Director Fox stated that it would be ideal to not let ANYONE in the buffer area. I overheard this statement as it was not said aloud. When asked directly Director Fox would not answer this question.
Director Fox stated that it was not his intention to stop recreation in Loch Raven, just continue with restrictions that have always been in place. He proposed that we look at connectivity of the existing trails outside the buffers and steep slopes. When he was asked for his position as to what DPW could give the bikers, he did not answer. However, within the packet of information linked above we can see that DPW’s proposed expansion would include about one new mile of fireroads. This information was not shared at the meeting even though it was handed out. Had we received one mile extra each year since the plan (that called for expansion with good results) we would be up to 23 total miles of allowable fire-roads.
I think that DPW realizes that we are not going to take no for an answer so did not want to share this document openly.
Mary Pat Clarke reminded DPW that it is best to come to a conclusion BEFORE we have the hearing in City Council. She stated this will happen regardless of DPW’s position.
Below is a comedic outlook of our meeting:
Hi my name is Bobo, remember me I met you at that meeting
Mountain biking can not exist in certain areas the law does not allow it
The law allows it
Oh, we mean the law but in reference to watersheds and reservoirs
Yes that law allows it
But not in watersheds
No the law allows it, the exact law you referenced, the word trail is referenced so that when people come around the table and discuss trails, the law is specific.
This will only effect bikers?
Yes
What about other users?
We cant talk about them.
So the trails will exist?
Yes.
So you are treating the bikers as a redheaded stepchild?
I will have to ask my boss.
Hi my name is Bobo, remember me I met you at that meeting.
I am showing the cyclical nature of this game. We could not get one strait answer tonight. It was stated that DPW would like to continue the conversation even after they make a decision. To me, that infers a decision is made, will not be shared and is not going to be positive for the city of Baltimore or it's constituents. The argument of water quality disappeared when we say “WITH the proliferation of trails, the buffer acts as it should and has continued to reduce sediment”(check the bathymetric). The argument of the buffer and slopes come out, but the law allows us, and they will let the trails stay in place? TMDL’s are a huge cost to the constituents, but we are immeasurable and only a demonstration?
I am continually critiqued because of the bluntness of this website. We continue to come to the table even though it took five months for a review of our plan (we have emails proving delivery) and nothing NOTHING was handed back to us. Come on, where are the red-lines? We were told at the end of the meeting our plan was unworkable and that all of the trails were still in the buffer. A quick response is that we minimized impact while working within the law. We continue to try and work together and as much as DPW tries, they have not produced anything that we can work with. Our plan was a DRAFT, which means it can be amended. The City has now wasted tens of thousands of dollars on meetings for this issue without sharing any recommendations of what they can work with…beyond a slope and buffer map. If our map is unacceptable, meet us in the middle. As I have always said, if we have any management it will be better than the neglect of the past. We can’t wind back time and we can’t go into the future. Can’t we all just get along? My name is Bobo, we’ve met before, I am the one that cant write well;)
Many other issues were discussed and ultimately nothing was decided.
STR
February 28th, 2011
Hi everyone,
STR would like to alert you that another MTB Task Force meeting will be held March 8th. This is a reconvening of the original Taskforce. As a member of the subcommittee I am not quite sure what is going to happen on the 8th. DPW has kept all communications to themselves and has still not alerted the subcommittee to any actions made to implement a new recreational plan for the reservoirs. The subcommittee has NOT agreed to any plan going forward.
Due to the fact that spring is coming and DPW has started to bulldoze the fireroads, continued to erect un-agreed upon nearly incomprehensible signs (that have already rusted through in six months adding to the tons of trash in the reservoir), and neglected to act on the pleas of a multitude of public officials we at STR believe that nothing positive will come out of this meeting. I would love for DPW to prove me wrong. I am hoping for a positive outcome but after an original 11 years and then an additional 16 months I can not hold my breath any longer.
In a time of worldly peaceful protests and governments that responded to these protests, let us remember that these public officials at DPW and the Mayors office work for us and change will be implemented.
Stay tuned on the 8th or 9th. An action plan is in place and YOU will be called upon to help.
As always thanks and keep riding, running and recreating in the reservoir.
February 28th, 2011
Please take a minute to read this letter from DPW to the honorable Senator Brochin.
January 11th, 2011
I know everyone has been anxiously awaiting new information pertaining to single-track trail usage at Loch Raven Reservoir. As everyone knows, it was stated by DPW at the last public meeting that they would have a review of our plan by the end of November. This however did not happen. Due to the overwhelming support from the public in their reach out to Senator Brochin, the Senator called a meeting to talk about the issue at hand.
Today January 11th 2011 I was afforded the chance to sit down with the Senator. The meeting consisted of Gary Nusinov (STR) and Bob Compton (MORE) in the role of “constituents and recreational advocates”, Senator Brochin, representatives from DPW including Director Foxx, Clark Howells, Marcia Collins, Ralph Cullison, Celeste Amato, Frank Boston III (representing UNDER AMOUR), and two gentlemen that I can not remember their names, one from DPW and the other with Mr. Boston.
First let me say what a pleasure it was to meet Senator Brochin. He is very passionate about Loch Raven. He has been on the forefront of issues effecting the watershed for more than twenty years. Mr Brochin clearly stated that the number one threat to Loch Raven is Deer. That statement is backed up by twenty years of DPW science. He lobbied for deer management through three Mayors.
Without going into the whole word for word analysis of the meeting, I will layout the general theme.
DPW presented their view of the history and current state of Loch Raven Reservoir. It was stated that we would not be told what the evaluation of our plan is UNTIL the mayor is informed. A couple of facts were out of place but with so much time between meetings, that is almost expected. However if you would like to see what DPW and John Markley from Baltimore County DEPRM have to say, you can visit Baltometro.org (Baltimore Metropolitan Council) and search for articles Titled “Reservoir bike trails RTG brief” by Clark Howells and “Comments on Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts, Inc. Recreational Trail Use Plan Proposal” by John D. Markley. The comments will astonish you.
Senator Brochin Shortened the DPW presentation in order to let Bob and Gary speak
Bob Compton, Timonium resident and MORE's Co-Chair of the MTB task Force reorganized the history of our plight while placing on the table a stack of support that has come from citizens and businesses in and around Maryland. This included petitions, letters of recommendation, letters of support and some incriminating pictures of some damage done to the reservoir by a local utility company. . Everyone in the room could not believe that the utility company was clearing their easement in the reservoir buffer lands and DPW was not aware. He also stated that DPW plans on hiring a local tree company to widen the woods roads so that two vehicles may pass. Bob mentioned that the Trail plan was handed in to the DPW for review. The reviewing group (Reservoir Technical Group) contained members were that already opposed to bikes in the original meetings so why would they choose any differently now.
Senator Brochin repeated that recreational activity at Loch Raven is something that his constituents are die-hard about. He repeated that the deer are the number one cause of destruction. He requested that before the Mayor is informed from DPW that we all sit in a room and try and work this out and do not leave the room until it is done. He clearly stated that this can be worked out. He offered time at his office in Annapolis for us to meet again in order to solve this mess. Director Foxx said he would still consult with the Mayor first, but agreed that he work tell her that any decision they have come to is not final.
Mr. Boston informed the group of UNDER AMOUR's continued support of proper recreational access at Loch Raven. He stated that he liked the direction that the Senator was moving the conversation.
The DPW theme is that access is not an issue and that the plan that we submitted is only going to be turned down because of the laws that they have to follow, the Buffer Protection Management Ordinance.
Gary Nusinov was then given a chance to speak. Gary presented a pile of DPW's scientific studies and stated that within all of the studies, mountain bikes are not mentioned and that if the problem was that bad, then the bikes would be mentioned separately from recreation. He corrected the assertion that impact is directly correlated to bikes since many trails were in existence well before mountain bikes were invented. He re-stated that the plan that MORE submitted was a trail use plan for all recreation and that DPW had no intention of creating a recreational plan that properly met the needs of all users. Gary then referred to the Buffer Protection and Management Ordinance and read out loud. In a word, trails are allowed in the area and much of the damage we see from DPW in the bufferland is strictly prohibited. An example brought up was the recent dumping of fresh un-compacted asphalt at the head of the trail next to a stream. There was a lot of back and forth talk about some things that came to light such as our impact being equal to only 6 acres, other grandfathered uses, storm-water issues, and the fact that absolutely nobody in the room could disagree with the statement that Loch Raven will be better than it is now if our trail plan is accepted.
The Senator reinforced the fact that he wants to sit down in the next few weeks to hatch this out. It was brought up that the rangers could be doing much more useful things with their time then harassing the citizens and criminalizing them. The Senator read a letter from a doctor who talked about losing weight because of Mountain Biking at Loch Raven and the direct impact that the newly enforced rules would have on him. He continually expressed his opinion that we are all neighbors and that we enjoy Loch Raven and that the DPW is using too much government and it is unnecessary and unreasonable.
The meeting ended with a promise to all get back in the room and work this out, ASAP.
Please everyone show your support for Senator Brochin. His address is 705 York Road, Towson. His email is jim.brochin@senate.state.md.us Please send him a letter of gratitude! Also, there is a town hall meeting tomorrow night Jan 12th (we just heard) about loch raven with Senator Brochin. For questions call 410-823-7087
Small Lecture : The worst thing you can do is create new trails, or use newly created trails! This is the number one argument against all recreation in the bufferland! STOP IT.
Thanks and please show your support for the Senator. I've got feeling...
STR
October 29th, 2010
Meeting Update:
I will have to say that the meeting last night did not really go as planned, but went ok anyway. As MORE mentioned, one of the important reasons we were there last night was to see what we can do to change the law. This was not really discussed because DPW admittedly crashed the party and we think it was in order to see what we are planning. The success of last night comes on the fact that the public has now actually spoken with the media and relations department of DPW. The public now knows that the arguments make no sense, and the divide and conquer strategy they are using is alive and well. A thanks to DPW for letting the public see that their technical answers were nothing more than a smokescreen to appease the people in the room. Remember that when they asked for your help, they have been offered this help for one year now. When Mr Compton mentioned that he asked that signs be taken down and a member of DPW agreed but never took the signs down, that person was in the room last night. When Mr Compton asked to close trails, he was told no but it was brought up by DPW last night. When a member of the audience brought up the Bathymetric studies, he was jokingly asked to join their side but the reality is that these studies were presented to the DPW personnel with the experience to answer technical questions more than a year ago. They know that their studies do not prove their point. When asked about the fact that they were hanging their head on a 100 foot buffer, they failed to mention that the very last lines of the regulation allows for existing trails if there is no feasible alternative.
If you are now one of the committee that they asked for last night please do not do their job of creating a method of enforcement. This means if you mark the WOODS ROADS, they will cage us in those areas and will have a reason to believe we understand new blazes versus the blazes that were installed outside of the normal requirements for blazes and are still confusing enough to argue. Blazing should only be done AFTER a plan is agreed upon. Remember they will not expand past 11 miles, only detract from...at this point.
One of the most important answers given by DPW last night was in relation to ticketing. DPW representatives said that the the rangers were instructed to ONLY give warnings. In the same breath it was mentioned that a Ranger may give a ticket, "we just don't know". They also could not give information about any other recreation group because they were not prepared for that and only came to talk to the "bikers". The audience was filled with all sorts of people who recreate in many different ways because WE know that they need to be a part of the conversation or they will unknowingly be subject to enforcement. I am glad a member of the audience called them out on this!
A member of DPW that was in the room last night was almost directly responsible for the DPW's acceptance for the agreement of no enforcement and even has a copy of the ACCEPTED agreement, so when it was stated that the enforcement would start after marking the kiosks and trails, that is a complete fabrication of reality. The emails exist that can prove this!
The very last telling issue of the night came after the formal meeting when a member of DPW stated that they can basically make their own laws and somebody must have a grudge in DPW. Why wasn't the whole audience told this? Is there a wealthy landowner behind the scenes? Is it really just that DPW employee that is not even a resident of MD(? Who is behind this push? We were given too many conflicting answers last night to make any sense of it. I think I heard its not for security, but it is for water quality and ...security and the water quality is above average. Confused?
Please continue to PRESSURE your elected representatives because they are the ones that have stood behind us this entire time. Do not let the director of DPW allow this injustice to happen. He can literally change this regulation with the swipe of a pen. The trails EXIST and are BUILT, they need to stop hanging their hats on the fact that TECHNICALLY they are not on the plan. If the plan had been followed by them (MORE contributes hundreds of hours every year and turns in data to DPW with which they have NEVER asked for more and have always said thank you) the "plan" states trails CAN be expanded. They have been expanded, exist, and just need a little work to get into better shape. The public at large can not be held responsible for the few vandals out there just like we cant hold DPW responsible for the inefficiencies of the entire governmental system.
I thank everyone who showed up, including DPW, for their interest in keeping OUR lands open for the historical use of Loch Raven Reservoir. After all even Baltimore County's homepage states that there are more than 20 miles of "trails" at Loch Raven for hiking, fishing, and mountain biking. According to DPW there are eleven miles of "woods roads". Does this mean that there are twenty miles of trails and 11 miles of woods roads? Is this a form of entrapment? Does the county invite people to the area so they can hand out tickets?
We need to continue to lend our resources to changing the law. If they are going to enforce the law as is, it needs to be changed. If there are any lawyers willing to do some pro-bono work please contact the Loch Raven trail liaisons. We have multiple legal opinions and can always use more creative law-based arguments. Unfortunately we can not tell our strategy here as DPW "subscribes". An agreement with DPW and a working partnership is inevitable, but so are lawyers!
Lastly it was mentioned last night that members of DPW took offense to the Neimoller quote further down on this page. This quote has been used repeatedly since the 1940's in order to inform the people that when an institution functions in an unchecked or unbalanced manner they will use a divide and conquer technique until nobody is left to speak up. Although the quote originally referred to WWII, there are many different uses in modern times and STR is not calling the DPW anything but an institution with a divide and conquer attitude.
Thanks and lets keep it up.
October 27th, 2010
Please click on the link for information and an online petition.
Thanks,
STR
October 25th, 2010
Please download, print, and distribute copies of the latest STR Public Meeting flyer.
Thanks,
STR
October 21th, 2010
Please read a draft copy of the Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts (MORE) Recreational Trail Use Plan.
We also have a new flyer available to spread the word, please print as many copies as you like and pass them on to friends.
October 13th, 2010
SaveTheRaven (STR) has been sitting quietly for the last few months while MORE, DPW, and all of the other associated parties have slowly negotiated recreational access and watershed maintenance at Baltimore county's watersheds, primarily Loch Raven Reservoir. The lull in communication came about because STR felt like STR was censored for statements made on this website. This website was created as an entity to convey information to the public about new enforcement of outdated plans for mountain biking at Baltimore's reservoirs. When STR was asked to remove information from this site, STR decided to convey information through word of mouth so as to not have a fear of having to remove our presence from the negotiating table. The following information is not intended to slander or libel any entity. This is the story as we see it.
STR is not a member or affiliate of any mountain biking organization or governmental organization and does not express views for anyone but STR as a member of the public.
Nearly one long year ago a task force was created with the intention of solving recreational access issues at the reservoirs. While the task force was created for the issue of mountain biking it soon became apparent that the powers that be in Baltimore City Government had a greater agenda. The agenda is to restrict every type of historical recreational access in all of the city owned reservoirs. (Please reference the minutes section for more information.) When the task force members that were a part of the the recreational community learned of this, we immediately tried to educate the public that this issue applied to them even if they were not a mountain biker and even if DPW was telling the public otherwise. DPW's initial argument was erosion, with not one scientific study of mountain biking's effects on Loch Raven reservoir ever presented or submitted, only speculated about. MORE submitted reams of information and current science related to recreation and erosion. Much of this information is on IMBA's website. Protection of the water supply is the real reason for these new acts of enforcement. DPW lists this on their website as a number one goal. Development, poor community planning, and the skirting of stormwater regulations are all reasons that the water quality is what it is today. This info is made available by DPW as well. Although the water has consistently tested above average for years as recreation has increased, this is the reason being given for limiting access to ALL recreation. What is their reasoning behind closed doors? Spending hundreds of thousands of our tax dollars every year in order to bust some small time reservoir dogs does not seem like a reasonable plan. Where did this need for protection come from? Big money is being spent to cover and cap, or store water at many of Baltimore's water treatment facilities. You can research this on Google. Loch Raven and the other reservoirs are to big to cap so they are going to restrict access to protect them....from harm, not the people that are the best stewards and have cared for Loch Raven. STR believes that protection of our watershed is vital, but that a working relationship with the public is even more vital to keep the watershed safe. Recreation has basically never successfully been managed in the wooded areas at Loch Raven by any governmental entity.
Fast forward to today. What has happened with recreation at Loch Raven.
MORE and the general public have donated hundreds of hours to maintenance of DPW's access roads this summer. These roads are the most eroded roads in the reservoir. These are the fire-roads where DPW would like to keep recreational access. The fire-roads are not the destination of the tens of thousands of recreationists. People from all over the East Coast come to Loch Raven and Baltimore for the trail hiking, running, fishing, mountain biking that takes place on what DPW, now after many decades of use, calls illegal trails that can render a trespassing citation or worse. More on this later.
In addition to trail maintenance days (one of which is coming up this Saturday morning October 16th), MORE has helped to organize various trash cleanup days. The trash is primarily from stormwater drainage as well as fisherman, but MORE helps in the effort to clean the reservoir.
In August a local area business was generous enough to give MORE a grant of six thousand dollars for maintenance of multi-use trails at Loch Raven.
DPW, MORE and other interested parties visited a rehabilitated fire-road, and an un-maintained fire-road and a piece of singletrack trail that needs to be rehabilitated. Mountain biking members of the task force asked for this walk through in February or March. The walk through was granted in September.
MORE and mountain biking members of the task force submitted a proposed trail rehabilitation plan in the middle of September. DPW originally requested a proposal in early summer. Mountain Biking members stated that handing in the plan was contingent on DPW visiting the multi-use trails in question along with members of the community. This contingency was made because most of the rule makers had never stepped foot in Loch Raven or even had any concept of what the recreationists are fighting for. We the people would not allow blanket bureaucracy based on misinformation. Somebody with the power to create rules should actually be very well educated on the subject first. The members of the mountain biking committee have been recreating in the area's reservoirs for as long as fifty years with the average committee member having twenty-five years of memories at this reservoir. They have much more of a stake in the community then a temporary city worker assigned to this post so the education was a must. It was imperative to have this walk through and due to directorial changes within the structure of DPW it took a long time to get. According to the Baltimore Sun and other local news media, during this time the previous director of DPW was remodeling his office.
More than once a week since the submission of the initial draft of the proposed trail plan and second draft of the redlined MTB plan, DPW has been requested to provide comments. Comments were promised and none have been received as of Monday October 11th 2010.
This past week DPW rangers have started to issue written warnings to mountain bikers at the Seminary section of Loch Raven. These written warnings come on the back of many verbal warnings to ALL user groups at the reservoir. STR has not spoken directly with the alleged violators, but one person was allegedly harassed because they did not have proper ID and others were written up because of wet trail riding or just plain old singletrack usage. The rules of the watershed are posted on a newly installed information kiosk on ONE trail of the entire reservoir and do not contain any any revised information that MORE and others have been working on for nearly a year.
Hunting season has started and there are blatant poaching violations happening during the night hours and the rangers are fixated on non-violent recreation. Hunters are creating illegal trails to deer stands. They are driving four wheelers and pickup trucks into the reservoir. I have nothing against hunting but having gone to college in a state where even grandma hunts, there is a total mismanagement of resources in Baltimore City's Ranger program. While singletrack has been staked out this past weekend, many greater violations were happening within the shed.
When one violation was written the gentlemen receiving the violation asked about why he was in violation and the ranger allegedly stated that MORE dropped the ball and never handed in a trail proposal after the trail visit. STR knows that this was completely unfounded and that the proposal was turned in, and in a timely manner. I do not know if the ranger was under-educated, uneducated, or clearly did not know the truth and I really do not care. I just know that a person received a warning for a violation that they did not know they were committing. Instead of the ranger educating the person as agreed upon previously by the interested parties in an orally and written form in front of the former Mayor of the city and current members of the City Council, the ranger decided to start enforcing rules that had not been enforced in 120 years. The fact that the ranger either intentionally or unintentionally mis-lead this biker and allegedly invoked MORE's name is another complete act of mistrust perpetrated by the powers that be. The ranger was sitting in a vehicle at the broken concrete stream near the seminary entrance waiting for bikers so we are hard pressed to believe the acts were unintentional. Even IF this information about MORE was true which it is not, where is the conveyance of this information to the public on behalf of DPW before the enforcement? If somebody believes that this is not enforcement please look up the definition. The action is the direct contrary to the agreed upon no enforcement.
Please stay tuned in the following weeks because we are sure to have a big task ahead of us. Please visit the Facebook page or other links in order to educate yourselves on the reality of what is happening. Community meetings are being arranged so talk to your fellow citizens about the need for help.
It is so important to be aware of what is happening and help in the fight.
A grammar buff could probably school me for my poor writing skills and a history buff will school me for butchering this quote. It is attributed to Niemoller.
First they came for the Communists, but I did not speak up because I was not a Communist.
Next they came for the Trade Unionists, but I did not speak up because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Next they came for the Jews, but I did not speak up because I was not a Jew.
And then they came for Me and there was nobody left to speak up.
Feel free to insert hiker, biker, or fisherman into the first three lines because everyone will be effected.
Please remember that this issue needs the support of the entire community because we are the people that invested our lives in the Loch Raven area watershed. Do not let the rangers or DPW enforce rules that are legally unenforceable. We have right to recreate as we have since the creation of the reservoir.
Thank you and remember, this was all a lucid dream and the persons depicted are just figments of my imagination....and my opinion is protected by the first-amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America.
June 4th, 2010
Loch Raven Update
The 'status' at Loch Raven is a very confusing matter and I am even on the task force that is working towards equal access for all trail users. Long story short, DPW wants to enforce the Mountain Bike Plan from 1998 which limits mountain biking to just under 12 miles of Woods Roads (these are fire roads to you and I) at Loch Raven and other City owned reservoirs.
History:
In 1996, DPW intended to close Loch Raven to mountain biking due to their concerns over increased sedimentation which would in turn have a negative effect on water quality at the reservoir. The mountain biking public united and fought against this closure, with the end result being the 1998 Mountain Bike Plan. The plan, which was prepared by the Mountain Bike Task Force in 1998, intended to maintain mountain bike access at Loch Raven with the idea that it would eventually be expanded as specific guidelines were met. These guidelines looked at whether or not cyclists restricted their activities, provided the necessary educational and volunteer hours, and whether the Woods Roads degraded in condition. However, after 12 years, the plan was never reviewed to measure the guidelines, and clubs like MAMBO (folded into MORE in 2008) and MORE have continually met or exceeded the goals of the plan. Seeing it as our duty, as a member of the task force, we said we would do the work, and we have done just that year after year. We are the only members of the task force to follow through on our commitments.
Now, this plan was written in a time when sustainable trail design and maintenance techniques were in a nascent state and differences in impact between different trail users was not readily known.
So, fast forward to 2010, over a decade later...
Enforcement:
DPW has hired several watershed rangers to patrol Loch Raven, Liberty, and Prettyboy reservoirs due to an increased availability of funding. They have also revamped the regulatory side which enables them to issue civil citations as opposed to criminal citations so to more effectively enforce watershed regulations.
Road/Trail Conditions:
For twelve years, the Woods Roads have continued to degrade as many of them are constructed on the fall-line (run straight up and down the hillside) which enables water to run, unabated, down the hill. We have all witnessed the cycle of erosion rut formation followed by heavy machinery which re-establishes the Woods Road to a usable condition only to see that many of these roads are heavily 'cupped' when compared to the adjacent landscape, only to focus the water even more. The results of this design and management style is particularly evident in the run-off that is visible across roads around the reservoir after heavy rainfall. We have also noticed that, by and large, the singletrack that has been present throughout this 12 years (and many for much, much longer) have largely sustained themselves even in a complete absence of official maintenance, despite unmanaged use by all user groups. (NOTE: Don't get me wrong, there are trouble spots and signs of erosion throughout the singletrack, but none of it compares to the contribution of the Woods Roads.)
Collateral Damage:
We have all seen the dry stream beds which manage the runoff from the various housing developments around the reservoir, most becoming 6’-10’ wide erosion ruts, that rarely receive maintenance or remediation of any kind. We see the City-owned golf course spray pesticides throughout the fairways and greens that drain directly into the reservoir and clear-cut brush at the water's edge to promote a view of lake. We witness countless cars driving around and over the lake, even on bridges that are comprised of steel grid work (grating) allowing antifreeze and oil and all sorts of cast off debris to enter the reservoir with relative ease.
Science:
Bathymetric studies of Loch Raven have shown that the major contributions to sedimentation have been farming and development. Much of this is visible from the Warren Road steel bridge. The resolution of the data from these studies cannot even ‘see’ recreational activity, let alone mountain biking.
The City’s own water quality studies of Loch Raven indicate that water quality has remained static or improved over this same time frame.
Current scientific literature shows that there isn't a significant difference in impact between a mountain biker and a hiker. I could go on and on about this topic, ad nauseum.
The Confusion:
Recently, you have probably noticed the new trail blazes on the Woods Roads and small signs stating that most singletrack trails are not to be used by mountain bikes or equestrians.
Currently, rangers are making an effort to ‘educate’ mountain bikers as to which trails they are allowed to use at Loch Raven and which ones are not allowed due to current regulations. The rangers are stopping mountain bikers along the singletrack and directing them towards the Woods Roads. No citations are currently being issued, thanks in part to the newly formed Mountain Bike Task Force. We ask that, if approached by a ranger, you are courteous and abide by their instructions.
All this comes twelve years after the original mountain bike plan. In that time, due to a lack of enforcement and signage and despite our educational efforts, trail users have continued to use the singletrack. Many of us have been using these trails, sometimes daily for the past fifteen years, and some for upwards of thirty-plus years!
DPW constantly cites that the reservoir serves a primary goal as part of the municipal water supply that provides water for all of Baltimore City and its surrounding counties, and that it is not a park. However, they do allow a surplus of recreational activity on this property they are tasked with managing. And yet, they have no readily apparent management plan nor do they have a consistent plan that addresses equal use between user groups with an equivalent ecological footprint. Clearly, it is used like a park as evidenced by the shooting ranges, fishing (both boat and shore), golf courses, hiking, running, biking, geo-caching, bird-watching, horseback riding, etc. The near constant battle of semantics is an injustice to the situation. How much sense does it make to vehemently exclaim that it isn’t a park, when the citizens of Baltimore City and Baltimore County (and the public in general) are allowed to recreate on its premises? No matter how you look at it, this property, while willfully allowing recreational activity, should be managed like a recreational area. A park, if you will. To spend the last few decades proclaiming that it isn’t a park has done little to mitigate the erosion issues that could have been addressed decades ago with a more open and cogent mindset.
Many wonder why mountain bikes are being targeted when they have no more impact than a hiker/walker/runner.
We are told that the singletrack causes erosion that threatens the health of the reservoir and that these trails illegally exist within the 100’ stream buffer which is forbidden, yet there are so many bigger issues according to their own research that appear to receive significantly less attention. And, when it comes to use of the singletrack, they aren’t targeting any other user group, yet. So, if they kick us off the singletrack that they say is contributing to erosion (despite their bathymetric findings), the impact from the presence of the trail would still exist. What sense does this make? If less impact is the goal, surely there is a more universal and well reasoned way to achieve it, all the while having a content recreational user population. That way this Watershed Ranger staff can focus on more important issues pertinent to the reservoir.
We are told that we can ride on the Woods Roads which are in the worst condition throughout the reservoir when compared to the singletrack. These roads are poorly designed and maintained. They traverse some of the largest grades with absolutely no grade reversal to break-up water flow. Countless times, I am asked why it is OK to ride these roads when they have greater erosion issues and a greater impact to the forest health. This type of hypocrisy only serves to dissuade reasonable compliance.
Mountain bikers provide the greatest number of volunteer trail maintenance hours to Loch Raven, yet they are also one of the most restricted user groups. We are more than willing to provide even greater volunteer hours aimed at creating/helping to maintain a sustainable trail system for all trail users which would promote a healthy forest buffer, if we could be treated with equality. It is perplexing to see that those user groups that do far less get greater access. It is difficult to understand that while we volunteer all this time towards this invaluable resource, we rarely see DPW on our workdays nor do we ever receive much feedback.
The Final Analysis:
In the end, we are trying to promote a partnership with DPW that supports:
1. Stewardship of this invaluable resource.
2. A transparent plan that outlines recreational activity at the City owned reservoirs through a recreational master plan.
3. A sustainable trail network that has equal access to all users.
However, the disparities listed above should be reconciled in order to promote willful civil compliance to a master recreational plan which restricts in the name of environmental sustainability, based on contemporary scientific facts.
Activities that can help our situation at Loch Raven:
Trail maintenance is our greatest asset. If you can join in, the volunteer numbers only bolster our efforts, I strongly encourage it. When people on the task force hear that we have put in nearly 700 hours of volunteer work this year at Loch Raven, most are simply amazed. And, in the end, it makes DPW's job to defend their perspective that much more difficult.
Activities that can damage our situation at Loch Raven:
Building new trails.
Building stunts.
Riding when the trails are wet.
Performing unauthorized trail maintenance.
Being disrespectful or discourteous to the Watershed Rangers.
These activities only serve to derail our efforts.
Where is the task force at?
While it is highly unlikely that we could gain legal access to all available trails at Loch Raven, we are currently assembling a thorough and cogent plan to submit to DPW that will attempt to both reduce the impact of mountain biking while maintaining as close to the same experience as we’ve all come to expect. This process is timely by nature as we are assembling a comprehensive inventory of the trails, associated problems, and solutions.
May 3, 2010
The minutes from March 31, 2010 adopted by the MTB task force subcommittee have now been posted.
Apr 27, 2010
Please read in its entirety as the exciting stuff is at the bottom!
I just wanted to send out an update for this Saturday's trail work day at Loch Raven.
Where:
Meet at the church on Seminary Avenue. Directions here. Please park on street, but if you choose to park in the church parking lot, please use the parking spaces furthest away from church on west side of lot.
When:
May 1st, 2010 from 8:00am to 12:00pm. Please be ready to roll at 8:00am.
What we are doing:
We are going to be working on the designated Woods Roads. Our work will include removal of fallen trees that are currently occluding the Woods Roads, as well as reclaiming any bypass trails that arose after these trees had fallen. We will also be installing some rolling grade dips on specific uphill portions to help mitigate the run-off that contributes significantly to erosion of these trails. If we have the time and people-power, we will also be fixing some of the drainage issues that plague this area as well.
What you should bring:
Bring water and a snack, work gloves, and comfortable shoes. MORE will supply tools, but feel free to bring your favorite clippers, rake, bow saw, or McLeod rake. No chainsaws. We have two qualified sawyers in attendance to help expedite the tree removal. Please bring a wheelbarrow if you have one. We will try to find a way to fast track these into the work site. Some of the locations are out a fair distance from the parking lot, so bring a bike (and BOB if you have one) so that we can ride to the work sites. I often wear my work boots and use flat pedals on my bike as digging, etc. isn't very comfortable in cycling shoes. ;) If you want to pull a BOB, say the word!
AWARDS FOR YOUR EFFORT:
#1 - Some of you may know that MORE has a special awards program called 20/20/25, that recognizes those volunteers that put in over 20 hours of trail work as well as supporting MORE and IMBA through their membership dues of $20 and $25, respectively. All of your work hours are tallied and count toward MORE's annual 20/20/25 awards, which include some great bike gear and discounts from MORE sponsors. So, bottom line, your hours count in many ways!!!
#2 - Both Bob and I received awards from the aforementioned program last year and we will be raffling them off to our top 15 trail work day volunteers for the 2010 season, as well as other swag that we collect in the meantime. So, for the top 15 trail volunteers (measured by time volunteered) for 2010, the top two raffle picks will receive a $50 and $25 gift certificate to two Maryland-area bike shops at the end of this season.
Thanks again for all your support!
Please RSVP, if you haven't already, so that we know what to plan for. Updates will be posted here and here so that you can stay up to date on any changes that may arise.
Please forward to anyone else that you think might be interested in helping out around Loch raven.
Thanks,
Dave Blum and Bob Compton
PS: We will be teaming up with the GVC for another trail work day (and nature hike) on May 29th, 2010 and our next MORE trail work day will be on June 19th, 2010.
Both of these trail work days will get you credit towards the raffle. Please contact me if you are planning to attend.
Apr 27, 2010
Hello Everyone--Apr 13, 2010
The minutes have been approved and are now once again available.
Apr 3, 2010
So, you might be asking what this has to do with you? Well, for the past few years, a small group of mountain bikers has volunteered at sites around Loch Raven to help out in this effort to show our support and intent to be stewards to this extremely valuable natural resource in our backyard. This year, we want to organize a larger group of mountain bikers from the local area as well as MORE to assist in the cleanup of our site at Seminary Avenue and Dulaney Valley Road.
So, we are organizing an official MORE trail day for April 10, 2010, from 9am to 12pm in order to offer our assistance to this statewide event. Let's be ready to roll at 9am.
Our approach in past years has been to hike into the streams and shoreline starting at the trailhead on Seminary Avenue, just east of its intersection with Dulaney Valley Road and collect and move trash to the Woods Road that parallels the shoreline. From there, a few cyclists with BOB trailers move the trash from these locations to the main trailhead where it can be hauled away. We currently have access to 4 BOB trailers and would need 4 riders interested in a prodigious, interval-laden workout to move these copious quantities of debris to the pickup site. As for the rest of us, we will all hike in and focus our efforts on trash collection, so wear comfortable shoes and be ready for an adventure.
If interested, please drop us a line so we can get a rough estimate as to what kind of turnout we can expect. Also, if you have access to additional BOB trailers, please contact us so we know what is available in the event that we get a large turnout.
Please bring water and a snack as well as gloves if you have them. We will provide gloves for those that need them.
And, if you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask! Please spread the word and forgive us if you receive multiple emails regarding this event!
Thanks again!
Dave Blum and Bob Compton, MORE Trail Liaisons for Loch Raven Reservoir
Mar 20, 2010
Please take a look at our new minutes section. This new tab will take you to information that happens in the Mountain Bike Task Force Meetings and will also give you information about the subcommittee meetings. This week you will see that ALL users of Loch Raven Reservoir's footpaths (singletrack) will be moved off of the trails. We do not know when this will happen, but we do know that without your continuing help and support that the historical recreational opportunities at Loch Raven will be in jeopardy. Another meeting has been scheduled to further discuss the redlines to the mountain bike plan and trail access. While we primarily focus on mtb access, we are fighting for sustainable multi-use trails. Please stay tuned because now that the weather is nice we will hopefully have more frequent updates. We all love the reservoir so lets tell the city why it is so important to keep our footpaths open to recreation.
Mar 6, 2010
First I would like to say thank you for patiently waiting while we figure out what is going on with mountain biking at Baltimore's three reservoirs. It took quite a long time for the first official Mountain Bike Task Force meeting to take place.
The article below contains the take away notes from the first meeting. Unfortunately there was not much negotiating as some of the people in the room were new to the issues and had to be brought up to speed. From the get go we all agreed that there will be plenty of disagreements going forward and that we will just have to work through it.
The members of the task force have various different backgrounds so that we may get a varied perspective of actual and perceived problems in the reservoirs. Their backgrounds include Community Development, Department of Public Works, Baltimore County Government, Professors, Community Activists, MORE, IMBA, Maryland Bicycle Action Committee, Bike Shop Owner, Environmental Scientist, and a few more. Due to this varied group, we were only able to lay out time-lines and action items for moving ahead, while basically re-listing our take away bullets from November.
Without writing a novel, here is some brief insight. Opinions in the room are at all ends of the spectrum. MORE, IMBA, and some community activists would like the single-track to remain open in exchange for building sustainable re-routes, closing problem trails if absolutely needed, educational programs, courtesy patrols, and volunteer coordination. DPW would like us to start with the 1998 trails and earn our way onto the "public" trails. I say it like that because we mountain bikers are seemingly excluded from the definition of public. The farthest leaning member of the group stated it would be better if nobody was in the reservoir at all. Everybody else is in between and feeling that there is obviously some sort of compromise.
Now because of my position within the committee, I cannot really let you know how I really feel about the positions of certain members, but I will say that MORE, IMBA, and I (I am not a part of either group and do not speak for them) are not giving up on the single-track. I told DPW that the public will absolutely not accept this. Singletrack is to riders like waves are to surfers, without them, the sport does not exist. I also do not want to jeopardize my position on the committee since I am the sole citizen standing up for riders with no connections or affiliations.
The next meeting will take place next Wednesday and will be a small working group that will share current scientific data, maps, and markup to the original mountain bike plan. I will be in this meeting which also includes four members of MORE, four members from DPW, and a Professor from Towson University who has studied trails in and around Baltimore.
I still encourage you, the public, to continue writing your City and County representatives and state Senators. They can be our best allies in winning this war and have shown great support so far.
Lastly, no matter what happens over the next ninety days or so it was clearly stated by the City Council member that this negotiation will absolutely go to vote in the council. There has to be negotiation and that is what we will do. Please consider talking to all of your friends about this issue so that we can gather as much support as possible for sustainable trails for MTB's, and the public...
Thanks for listening and feel free to contact us or MORE-MTB.org to help.
STR
Feb 27, 2010
2010 Plan for Sustainable Trails at Loch Raven, Liberty and Pretty Boy Reservoirs
- We will have our first working group meeting in two weeks time.
- We will have a meeting for review by the full task force in thirty days.
- MORE Trail Liaison Bob Compton was named Co-Chair of the Committee.
- DPW and MORE and IMBA and citizens of Baltimore City and county will pool the scientific data and maps for a detailed review.
- Safety, Education and Enforcement will be negotiated.
- The 1998 plan will be the framework for the future plan.
- There will be no enforcement other than watershed regulations until the plan is negotiated and updated.
- A time-line of activities will be laid out with a proposed total of 90 days.
- Agree to whether an MOU ( memorandum of understanding ) is needed for a good faith effort.
- The rangers will blaze the "woods roads" as required by the 1998 mountain bike plan.
Feb 7, 2010
Hey folks, after many repeated requests from many different fronts, the Baltimore City Reservoirs Mountain Bike Task force is finally going to meet on February 25th. MORE, SavetheRaven.com & IMBA have been meeting to hone our arguments and we are excited to get the issues settled. We look forward to a smooth negotiation with the Baltimore City Council, The Mayor's Office, and the Department of Public Works. We will keep you posted as to what transpires.
Now is the perfect time to start writing your letters of support and emailing them to our contact info located at the bottom of the page and to the appropriate representatives listed throughout the website. We have a new Mayor now so lets show our support for a beautiful Baltimore City Asset.
Thank You
STR, MORE-MTB.org
Jan 21, 2010
And I paraphrase from the BAY WEEKLY, a local newspaper from Annapolis. This was written by the Editor, Sandra Olivetti Martin
Do you worry that the big political contributors have special influence over politicians? not only do these lobbies donate to political campaigns: they also keep touch with politicians- in person, by phone and by email - to present educated arguments in support of their causes.
Now is your chance to make the same contacts, by yourself and through the organizations that support your causes.
First, you have got to get educated.
Lawmaking is a specialized business. Crafting the means to get to ends that do us good is like rocket science to most of us. Thats why hooking up with groups that share your interest is like going to college to make policy work for you.
Second, you have got to reach out.
Lawmakers want to hear from you. By telephone, by email, by letter, in person - your words they say, direct their vote.
In the words of Del. Maggie McIntosh, chairwoman of the House Environmental Matters Committee, "You bet I listen when I get 50 calls or emails on an issue - particularly from the people in my district."
All politics is not only local; it's personal. Tell me who you are, advises Mike Miller, the president of the Maryland Senate and the senator of much of Calvert County. "Say where I met you. Leave a detailed message" or a written statement of what you believe and why, including how it effects your life, he further advises.
This link is your best link to Maryland lawmakers: www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/07leg/html/ga.html
The above referenced quote is another testimony as to why it is so important for YOU, John and Jane Q. Public to continuously keep in contact with your elected officials in order to show the importance of OUR cause.
Our committee is on the way to a bright future for Baltimore County's Reservoirs. We appreciate your help and hope to be able to share some good news soon.
Thank you for your cooperation,
STR
Jan 10, 2010
January 6, 2010
Dear Citizen:
Thank you for writing me regarding mountain biking in the Loch Raven Watershed. I have been concerned that recently there has been a change of the enforcement policy regarding mountain biking in this area.
In response to this policy change, Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke introduced City Council Resolution 09-0173R Informational Hearing - Mountain Biking on City Reservoir Watershed Property. This resolution was introduced to bring together relevant City agencies and members of the mountain biking community in order to discuss biking on Baltimore City-owned reservoir watershed property. I believe that a hearing on this issue is an appropriate forum to have a dialogue on how the City can allow access to recreational opportunities in this area while at the same time preserving the quality of the watershed.
This Resolution has been assigned to the Community Development Subcommittee and as of yet, no date for a hearing has been scheduled. Please visit the Baltimore City Council's website at www.baltimorecitycouncil.com for scheduling updates. When a hearing date is scheduled, I strongly encourage you to attend and testify.
Should you have any additional questions, please contact my Legislative Assistant Kimberly McConkey at (410) 396-4804 or at kimberly.mcconkey@baltimorecity.gov.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake
President, Baltimore City Council
Dec 30, 2009
An email was sent out to people who have written to the city council, a copy is posted below.
From: "Huber, Amanda"
Cc: "Mayor Sheila Dixon",
"Scott, David E. (DPW Director)",
"Powell, Kishia",
"Stewart, Scottie",
"Amato, Celeste",
"Kocher, Kurt",
"Huber, Amanda";
Dear Mountain Biking Enthusiast:
I recently had the pleasure of meeting with a number of you to discuss
the issue of mountain biking at our reservoirs. At that meeting it was
determined that a new task force would be convened to review and revise
the current Mountain Biking Plan. The task force will have broad-based
representation so that all interested groups have the opportunity for
input. Please note that our Watershed Rangers have not ticketed
mountain bikers for going off-trail, they have enforced, and will
continue to enforce, all other regulations including after-sunset
trespassing.
I thank all of you who have taken the time to write. I am confident
that by working together we can protect our reservoir lands as well as
enjoy the recreational opportunities they afford. Please share this
message with your fellow mountain bikers.
Sincerely,
Sheila Dixon
Mayor
Baltimore City
Dec 29, 2009
It has come to our attention that members of the mountain biking community have received a form letter response to mountain biking from Kishia L. Powell,P.E. of the DPW that contradicts some of the agreements set forth in the informational meeting with the Mayor and the City Council. We are working to have DPW clarify the agreements on their behalf. The bullet points listed on our site and at MORE-MTB.ORG are accurate and we at savetheraven stand by them. This will continue to be a very confusing matter for some and we apoligize in advance for any issues that arise. There is to be no enforcement and only education until a new plan is in place. If you are put in a situation that contradicts this statement please let us know, and of course act respectful to any authorities because they may not know about the agreements. A warning is enforcement by definition and we want to know about it. We have to make sure that every party involved is playing by the rules. This statement only pertains to singletract usage by mountain bikers during daylight hours.
Thank you and please continue to send in new contact information so that we may include you and any others that would like to help.
Dec 23, 2009
Here are the agreements which have been approved by the Mayor's office:
- The existing Plan for Mountain Biking is outdated and a new committee shall be formed to update the Plan
- The Committee shall be co-chaired by a representative from MORE and comprised of representatives of DPW, MORE, local residents, and other LR users, as well as Councilwoman Clarke who will represent the City Council
- The committee's goal will be to complete the revised Plan before Councilwoman Clarke's hearing in late Feb
- Watershed Law Enforcement Officers shall focus on educating trail users until a new Plan is approved
- DPW shall implement new signage and maps after the new Plan is approved
- DPW may blaze some of the existing woods roads in order to facilitate public safety
- Authorized singletrack riding shall be discussed during committee meetings and is considered to be on the table
- Authorized night riding shall be discussed during committee meetings and is considered to be on the table
- User fees shall be discussed during committee meetings and is considered to be on the table
Dec 16, 2009
See our new In The Press link on the left menu for up-to-date news and info.
Dec 15, 2009 9:42 PM
It has come to our attention that The Church of Jesus Christ of LDS located at the corner of seminary and dulaney valley roads wishes for trail users not to use their parking lot on Sunday mornings as this is their busiest time. Please try and adhere to this rule as they are so kind to let us use the parking lot during the rest of the week. Thank you.
Dec 14, 2009 10:56 PM
Breaking News: Tonight, the public was informed at REI that MORE, IMBA, and the Loch Raven Mountain Biking Steering Commitee have come to an agreement with City Council and the Mayor that the Watershed Rangers should halt strict enforcement of singletrack riding and they will be educating trail users on proper rules (as mandated in the 1998 Mountain Bike Plan) until a formal public hearing is held towards the end of February. Not one citation has been written, but warnings have been exchanged and people have been scared away. We are not advocating breaking any rules from the mountain bike plan, but is has been acknowledged that that plan has to be re-worked for all user interests and proper enforcement.
This is a positive first step in the right direction. Please be kind and courteous to the ranger staff as well as any and all trail users you might come in contact with. It is very important that we remain the best stewards of the reservoir and continue with this positive public support.
The public is encouraged to send a thank you email or letter to the City Council members and Mayor Rawlings-Blake. See City Concil link for email addresses.
Please also be aware night riding is still considered to be trespassing and will most likely result in a citation. This will be addressed soon and we hope that we will have a plan in place similar to MORE's other agreements.
As always please check back for an official statement from today's informational meeting. Thank you for all of your support tonight and this week, the City Council and Mayor were overwhelmed.
So until this situation is resolved in February, please help support the people that support you, MORE, IMBA, Light Street Cycles, Joe's Bike Shop, Lutherville Bike Shop, The Bicycle Connection, and any others.
Ride Safely, Carefully, and with Respect.
Recently, Loch Raven Reservoir’s new ranger staff, under direction from the Department of Public Works (DPW) has begun to stop all recreation on footpaths that have historically been used for Mountain Biking, Hiking, Bird Watching, Running, and Equestrian Activities. These types of recreation will only be allowed on designated fireroads throughout the reservoir as mandated in the 1998 Mountain Bike Plan.
Enforcement of these rules can vary from warnings to fines and even imprisonment all at the arresting officer’s discretion. The rangers have started to issue warnings to trail users and more than one person has received a fine of one hundred dollars with a maximum penalty of one thousand dollars if the case is brought to court.
Please show your support for recreation in Loch Raven Reservoir by contacting Mayor Rawlings-Blake and the Baltimore City Council. Please see the IMBA Action Alert for a sample form letter to send to the Baltimore City Council members.