The social values issue relates to diverse perceptions, opinions, and philosophies held by Americans. This is the reason bikes are banned in Wilderness under current interpretation of the Wilderness Act. The tenets of Wilderness management should not be applied to roadless areas. Mountain bicycling is human powered, silent recreation. It helps people appreciate and respect nature, motivating them to protect it.
Nature needs a human constituency that includes mountain bicyclists.
Smaller, Uninventoried Roadless Areas IMBA recommends that the agency adopt a rule or policy that encourages individual national forests to examine smaller roadless areas on a site-specific basis, with thorough public participation. A prohibition on road building in these areas could benefit bicyclists. The Notice of Intent specifically requested comment on the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. IMBA believes that the proposed rule should apply to the Tongass, and the EIS should examine the effects of the rule in both parts one and two. Motorized Recreation IMBA requests that the Forest Service not lump bicycling into the motorized recreation category, both in terms of analysis and management actions.