Those who are accustomed to biking freely throughout the territory that is now Canyons of the Ancients National Monument are understandably concerned that their recreation will be curtailed. Any new limitations on land use draw reactions ranging from suspicion to outrage. But the premise behind the plan is sound. It makes sense to allow or restrict activities based on their impact on public lands, rather than to lump all motorized vehicles into one class and all nonmotorized modes of transportation into another. Vehicles with smaller wheels are not wholly benign, however.
Mountain bikes concentrate weight in a small area, quickly wearing grooves into the ground.
Water follows those grooves, and erosion begins. Because they re narrower and lighter than motorized vehicles, bikes can be used in and can potentially damage many more places. Non-wheeled transportation can cause damage, too. A pack string can be harmful if the person leading it isn t paying close attention. Waterholes can be trampled to mudbogs by hooved animals, some of them loosed by recreational users who didn t bother to close a gate.