The state Department of Conservation and Recreation plans to immediately close some 25 miles of unpermitted trails that were carved into the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest, and has initiated a comprehensive, five-year restoration plan after citing the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation for the unauthorized clearing last summer.
Announced during a lengthy public information session hosted by DCR staff Thursday night, the mitigation plan caps a nearly year-long investigation and review process by DCR into the trail clearing. It also marked the first detailed accounting of the sweeping extent and impact of the clearing that took place in priority forest habitat.
According to state wildlife experts with DCR and new maps showing the unpermitted trails, the trails snake through nearly every corner of the 5,000-acre state forest, disturbing at least 32 acres of rare species habitat, in conflict with DCR’s mission to maintain the natural, biological diversity of the state forest.
Eric Seaborn, a forester with DCR who presented the plan in an online session Thursday, called the trail creation “inappropriate,” particularly considering the state forest’s reserve designation. He said the trail clearing sidestepped DCR’s extensive, multi-step permitting process for new trail creation that normally involves the Environmental Protection Agency, local stakeholders and the Army Corps of Engineers.
“This expanded system of trails causes additional stress to rare species . . . so we take this very seriously. This fragments the forest in a way that we would not have preferred. And it conflicts with our trail density guidelines,” Mr. Seaborn said. “As a result, our determination is that these unauthorized trails will be closed, and we will be working to restore them.”
In the nearly two-hour meeting, DCR officials confirmed that Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, which works with the state as a third party forest manager, was responsible for the clearing, but said no civil or criminal penalties would be issued for violations of the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act.
“We’re not envisioning penalties being a part of the return to compliance plan at this time,” said Jesse Lettick, chief of regulatory compliance at MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage Program.
There was little explanation about why or when the unpermitted trail clearing originally took place, although a timeline presented by DCR said the clearing came to the state’s attention in April 2020. A citation was issued to Sheriff’s Meadow by the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program last June, and the state subsequently worked with the land trust to develop a restoration plan. The state conducted site visits between October and December of 2020.
Sheriff’s Meadow executive director Adam Moore confirmed last year that a board member, Michael Berwind, was involved in the trail clearing for mountain biking, and that Mr. Berwind was no longer on the board.
In a written statement issued Friday, Mr. Moore said Sheriff's Meadow valued the state forest and took permitting requirements and relationships with partner organizations very seriously.
“Over the years, we worked cooperatively, in close communication and in good faith, on a volunteer basis with DCR at the local level on trail work in the forest,” Mr. Moore wrote. “If we had known that the trail work did not have the proper NHESP permit or follow the proper DCR procedure, we would not have undertaken the work.”
“We are working very hard with Natural Heritage and DCR to reach an agreement, complete mitigation and any restoration, and return to compliance,” he added.
Sheriff’s Meadow will pay for the restoration plan, state officials also said Thursday, as part of the citation from Natural Heritage, which acts as the compliance authority for state forest and trail management. No monetary figure was provided.
“The bulk of the cost is actually going to be borne by the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation as part of their non-compliance,” Mr. Seaborn said.
The 5,000-acre forest that sits atop the Island’s sole source aquifer is one of the top three forests in the state when it comes to biodiversity, DCR officials said — home to everything from rare buck moths, migrating warblers, the Eastern whippoorwill and unique ecological features known as frost pockets.
DCR officials said Thursday that the unauthorized clearing increased trail coverage in the state forest by 35 per cent, from 72 miles to 97, raising trail density from moderate to high, while the stated goal is to keep the density low. The majority of the pre-existing trails are fire trails, they said.
Mr. Seaborn said the state used the unpermitted trails as an opportunity to take a fresh look at its entire, holistic management of the state forest, essentially reviewing the trail network retroactively.
As part of that broader review, DCR determined that there were also approximately three miles of authorized trails that were underused, redundant, or poorly sited that would be closed down as well. State officials said they would retain about four miles of unpermitted trails that promoted the goals of increasing connectivity throughout the state forest.
The state plans to close parts of the red path in the south part of the forest west of the airport, and the purple path just north of it. Parts of the unpermitted trails named Twisty and Fantasy will remain.
“A group of us . . . went out and started doing some ground-truthing,” said DCR ecologist Alexandra Echaldi. “From all of that analysis, we determined that certain DCR trails that were poorly sited . . . or went through some significant habitat, could be removed from the trail map and also restored to pre-existing conditions.”
After the presentation, officials answered a flurry of questions from prominent Island biologists and other stakeholders, including ecologist David Foster, Edgartown conservation agent Jane Varkonda, Martha’s Vineyard Commission senior planner Bill Veno and former DCR staffer Dorothy Zug.
The forest has seen turnover in its superintendent in recent years and has been without a full-time superintendent since Chris Bruno left in March 2020. In January the state named Connor Laffey as the new full-time superintendent, who will commute to the Island from Falmouth.
On Thursday DCR officials pointed to the hire as a first step in ensuring that forest is closely monitored. In addition to the full-time superintendent, two summer staffers have been hired, and the state will retain forest firefighter Karen Lothrop, who has been commuting part-time from the Cape.
Susan Kane, DCR south regional director, said the agency is committed to supporting Mr. Laffey in management of the forest.
“Although he is alone out there right now . . . it’s my commitment to support him in a much bigger way than maybe this position was supported in the past,” she said.
Concerned residents peppered officials with questions, from fire safety to how the state plans to use a vacant house on state forest property. A handful of people pushed back against the decision to close the trails, but the vast majority of public comment centered on forest management, how 25 miles of trails could have been cleared without the agency’s knowledge, and what could be done to prevent it in the future.
DCR officials said they regretted the clearing and announced a five-year monitoring program with Sheriff’s Meadow to restore the trails.
The long-term impacts of the trail clearing remained unknown.
“There were definitely immediate impacts,” Mr. Seaborn said. “Long-term . . . we will be monitoring that very question.”
The meeting and restoration plan will be available for viewing and public comment on the state website.
This article appears in March 12, 2021.
Really, what’s the big deal here?? I personally think it’s great they cleared the trails…
If you read the article you would understand why it’s a big deal:
“This expanded system of trails causes additional stress to rare species . . . so we take this very seriously. This fragments the forest in a way that we would not have preferred. And it conflicts with our trail density guidelines…”
And there are those of us that think it is a big deal. The trails should never have been carved into our state forest.
https://www.mass.gov/event/manuel-correllus-state-forest-trails-and-ecological-restoration-public-information-meeting
what a shame and waste of resources. those trails have provided great options for biking and hiking. the state forest should be open to recreation of all types, and given how many people are out on the trails these days due to COVID, it is really nice to have had them spaced out on these trails.
With all due respect if you wanted the trails so badly then you should have formed a group and formerly proposed them with a solid plan. Very few are disagreeing that trails are good, most people are upset these trails were illegally built without public process on public lands. COVID has sparked a trail revolution across the country, sadly here people are too selfish to think community first or about regulations and compliance.
Well said.
title should be “Boomers making island smaller”.
Boomer gen strikes again.
I did not see Boomers mentioned in the article. But I do sense ageism in your response.
Jesse, your comment is an act of stereotyping. As a Boomer who has been an environmental activist all my life, and have worked with others who are as well, it is clear that you know a very narrow range of Boomers. I would hate to guess what other stereotypes you hold.
Isn’t this a public space? Shouldn’t we consider people out exercising on the trails a good thing? What’s wrong with having people walking around in nature. Looks like the tail is wagging the dog once again.
There are many, many miles of walking/biking trails all across the island. Literally no one is saying that there’s anything wrong with walking around in nature.
No indication where these trails are so it is difficult to know the impact.
Watch the meeting to see the maps https://www.mass.gov/event/manuel-correllus-state-forest-trails-and-ecological-restoration-public-information-meeting
There are maps in the article showing where the permitted and unpermitted trails are. @@ I am horrified that some of these unpermitted trails were intended for mountain bikers. They really do grind things up more than footgoers, and I expect the trails they have frequented will be harder to restore.
The 2 maps are difficult to read, but not impossible!
DCR does not have the resources to adequately maintain state land across the commonwealth and DCR often relies on third parties and local town resources to lend a big hand. In most cases, this is a good working relationship. In this instance, some administrative lapses seem to result in the local guys getting thrown under the bus.
I commend DCR for outlining the ecological priorities in their meeting, but I would like to see more thoughtful consideration given to connectivity with trails to/from adjacent conservation (non-DCR) properties as DCR selects which state forest trails to keep. The trails network in MV is a unique asset – let’s not undermine the core of it to correct the current problems.
If I recall they are keeping two of the previously unauthorized trails and closing some of less useful authorized trails all of which seems remarkably thoughtful and nothing like the fiasco on Pogue and and Norton/South Beach.
OK. Time to name the “rare specics” or would you have to kill us if you did? Big problem, with the Land Bank too, is that education is not part of their mission.
Theyre right in the article.
Probably deer…
Closed beaches for plovers. Gut closed because to boats due to NIMBY. State Forest closed for moths. Welcoming island wouldn’t you say?
I agree, it is totally unfair that we aren’t allowed to trample whatever we want to trample and permanently damage whatever species we want to on this island with continually limited resources.
A little levity is a good thing on most subjects that we get too emotional about about. But frankly if the plovers which I am all in favor of saving need what little is left of Pogue beach and the Gut, they are doomed anyway but the beaches need to be preserved from inundation or people and boats. Virtually every town has resident restrictions so whether its controlled by the Trustees, et al or not there should be limitations.
I don’t understand what you mean by state forest closed for months. I’ve never know it to be closed. There are over 70 miles of trails and firebreaks to walk on. Yes, it’s not easy to bike on all 70 miles, but it is possible for a normally abled adult to walk on them.
It is nice to see some adults enter the room and impose a sense of responsibility for this “land grab” by Sheriff’s Meadow. I would like to know who, specifically, made this unilateral decision to carve new trails. Too many times island machinations are driven by “ask forgiveness, not permission.” Maybe more than the usual “tsk tsk” and slap on the wrist applied more often will change this behavior.
Good for Sheriff’s Meadow to acknowledge their mistake and commit to repairing and restoring the cuts. Speaking for the forest inhabitants, I’m sure they thank you for returning their homes to them.
well, it was nice while it lasted. thanks to the people that tried to add a little life to the island for the locals. i was out there on my bike three of four days a week this winter and it made me very, very happy.
spot on
There are many miles of trails across the island you can use.
Personally I think we should either clone or hire Gus Ben David, who always does the right thing, both by nature and us.
As a mountain biker, those trails were pretty bad. No where near what contemporary trails offer in other places. Too bad the island community let this happen when they could’ve tried to collaboratively create more and better trails. There are lots of successful models for getting more trails, this is most certainly not one of them.
As a person who rides on trails all over the country, the trails were great. They were new, but all trails are like these are when they’re new.
Quality can be measured, do some research on mountain biking and trails.
And regardless of your personal opinion, the trails are illegal.
In the presentation DCR talked about redundant trails. The “trails” that were illegally built are redundant experiences. We have enough boring old plain trails on this island, would’ve been cool to build something new and awesome. Of course SMF ruined that chance….
Wouldn’t it be reasonable to ask the DCR and the Sheriff’s Meadow to allow those trails to remain open and in use by all until after the pandemic has passed. With options for recreation and exercise limited due to social distancing, retreating to the safety of the forest is a virtue the island brings to many users of these trails.
Is there not be a way to compromise that offers both recreation on these expanded trails and greater protections for the habitat?
Further, what is the benefit of actively replanting the trails that are cut? That is an expenditure that should be studied prior to commencing any work. There are surely other ways to spend resources to protect endangered species in the forest, and there certainly are other activities in the forest that have a higher impact than bicycling.
If you were really bummed you would’ve done the right thing from day 1 and stopped riding those trails and tried to get new trails the right way. The mountain bikers on this island sure are whiny. There are rules and regulations, it is life, get over it. Lots of mountain bikers in this country are getting new trails, and I can assure it they aren’t doing it by illegally sneaking around laws and not by whining when they get caught.
Shoot you island folks don’t seem to realize this reflects poorly for ALL mountain bikers, so not only did you shoot yourselves in the foot you wrecked a lot of other people’s chances.
Lets top blaming C19 for everything! Its all but over anyway. There are plenty of ways to get exercise and doing different things is the best thing – try running, or even walking, as others have said on existing, legal places. I’ve been doing if for 60 years.
Gee, not only did they get caught but they also got some of the existing trails closed! Red Trail was one of my favorites, nice going!
The Wildland Firefighter position that is assigned to the State Forest is a full time year round position. That person works 40 hours a week in the Forest assisting DCR park operations. Plus DCR Forest Fire Control will be adding a full time long term seasonal position on the island from March 28th till Mid Oct. Here is that job posting.
https://massanf.taleo.net/careersection/ex/jobdetail.ftl?job=210001TH
So why isn’t it a no-brainer that the dwelling on the property should be the residence of the full-time forester? Fires have been known to ignore office hours and the ferry schedule, and start at night . . .
There are literally hundreds of miles of trails to walk and bike on this island including those remaining open in the state forest. It’s black and white people: a state forest superintendent doesn’t have the authority to give a local conservation non-profit permission to cut trails. Had Sheriff’s Meadow made that request as is required, it would have been denied. Therefore, the trails need to return to original habitat. What the state forest should or shouldn’t be used for has nothing to do with this. Its already clear what it’s can and can’t be used for. If people want it to be something more of different than that, there is a process for that too. The sanctimony is here unbearable.
Exactly right.
These new trails provided a welcome outlet for my family during last years lockdown. The wide open fire breaks are okay but not as interesting as these new trails. The total acreage of these trails was tiny in respect to the whole forest but provided many hours of distraction for our family. Maybe we need to acknowledge that humans have an equal right to these lands as do any other species.
It’s a big island. Plenty of places to take your family on a stroll without needing illegal trails. You seem to have hours of time on your hand — venture out, legally.
We do acknowledge it. Through forest planning and other processes. Public lands management is complex. These actions skipped that due process and ignored regulations. People are confused, the trails are not being taken away because they are bad, but because they didn’t go through the correct process.
But they don’t. They were there first and then there are all sorts of intelligent reasons why they need to be protected.
These were the only trails on the island that you could actually connect to get a good point to point ride in without having to hop on the pavement. They were a unique asset in that way and any islanders looking to get out and EXPERIENCE the state forrest were benefiting from there existence. I think people need to remember that that public land belongs TO THE PUBLIC… not the DCR, they work for us. Our tax dollars pay their salary. There should have been more opportunity for public input on this. I know I would have been on that zoom meeting had I been made aware of it. One more reason to leave this place and head back to the mountains.
Yes Cody, please leave. If mountain bikers wanted certain experiences do it the right way. Even out there in your mountains the good trails you experience were not built illegally like these.
Why are bikers so defiant and filled with entitlement? The same attitude is displayed by bikers here and in Cambridge.
Too many of the biker comments here do sound like they believe their recreation is more important than all the reasons the forest was laid out as it is. On the other hand, the bikers are tame compared to the self entitlement of the off-leash dog walkers!
The endangered species in question is a grey moth. Seems like it’s the State Forrest’s version of the Plover. Seems to me people should be a little higher on the list of reasons to have a few more trails in the Forrest. And while there are lots of great trials, some of the new ones are great as well and it seems worth keeping. And we have plenty of moths on this island – billions I would imagine, and they do a lot of damage.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metarranthis_apiciaria
What the State Forest calls trails are straight, wide fire breaks that are more like roads than trails. The trails that have been created by volunteers are created to give people a way to enjoy this amazing resource that we share. I much prefer the new trails to the fire breaks that you can drive a fire truck down.
If you prefer that experience than ask for it the right way.
What don’t you mountain bikers understand? There is a right way and wrong way to get trails, you all picked the wrong way.
Keep heading down that path and you may loose even more trails.
What you call volunteer I call criminal.
I agree with you, Greg.
While I do not live on the island I am very confused. There is literally zero evidence any of this was done with permission or through the right channels. So why are so many mountain bikers and trail users upset? We as mountain bikers have had to fight hard for trails, and it is actions like these that make that fight even harder! If I was a local I would be very upset this character did this and made everyone look bad. Judging by social media the mountain bikers feel no remorse over this and do not even understand what happened. My advice to you island mountain bikers? Stay off the trails and keep quiet, maybe in 5 or 10 years you regain the community’s trust and have new/better trails….
Reading the article and comments I have several thoughts, first of which is most people donate land to conservation for the recreation and enjoyment of people. I have respect for forest and species, frequently a tiny percentage of conservation lands are used to make up trails. Who is to determine what the best use for this land is. I would suspect that very few people donated their land for the sole purpose of protecting the tree frog. I personally have not been down the alleged trails, but trails are typically paths through the woods built purely by using not by cutting trees or excavating soils. The whole thing sounds like just another over reach of government trying to control our every move.
My grandparents and parents have donated hundreds of acres over the last 50 years. “Most” people don’t donate conservation land to have it destroyed by recreational seeking humans. My granddad was clear with his intentions — he donated the land to keep parts of this island the way it used to be — untouched by humans. I would be a very rich man if he’d left me some of that land he donated. But I am proud of the legacy he left to all of us. He would be quite angry if he knew dirt bikers were careening through his gift of nature.
The state forest wasn’t “donated” by anyone.
It belongs to the state.
That is why it is called the state forest.@@
It performs a number of functions and “services” to our community and the earth, such as providing habitat, filtering water into our aquifer, providing habitat for animals and plants some of which are rare or endangered, etc. It is not there just for bikers. @@ Please do try to see the bigger picture.
I have no problem with temporary trails to help people during the pandemic. We are talking bicycles not motorized bikes. Proper permitting would take years, the pandemic came on us all of a sudden. Im all for getting people out of their homes sitting around waiting to die.
Ken: There are plenty of places for people to take walks on lovely trails on Martha’s Vineyard. Thbey are not crowded. Generally I encounter very few people on these trails. There is plenty of room for you and your family, and your leashed pets. @@@
The closing of illegal trails in the State Forest and the curtailing of some mountain biking is a great opportunity for you to explain to your children why: the health of all depends on biodiversity and the survival of many species unknown and even invisible to us. Humans do not have the right to disturb everything and everyone, especially when there are plenty of other places they can take a walk. I’m quite sure your children will “get” this. @@I am glad that the DCR is making Sheriff’s Meadow do the restoration and also pay for it. Still, questions remain. Basically, the buck stops at the top, exec director and the board of directors. How can these environmental “stewards” have been so clueless? Would love to see the internal correspondence relating to this.
Before Berwind and his confederates constructed these many miles of single-use bike trails (having just walked seven crooked miles of them–all in the eastern quadrant of the forest–I can attest to how confounding and annoying the endless meandering and looping and zig-zagging of these trails is—how utterly uncongenial they are to walking), all of us (hikers, bikers, horse riders) shared forest trails equally and respectfully: pedestrians yielded to horses, and bikers yielded to pedestrians and horses—that’s the ethos that’s posted on forest signage, and it’s one that has served us very well for a very long time.
Berwind’s meandering “snake river” of mountain bike trails controverted this communitarian spirit and created a kind of “class system” out in the woods. The eastern third of the forest became a Disney-themed bike park with theme park signage: Twisty, Explorer, Tunnel, Log Jam, etc.. (Such nomenclature is an injury to poetry, no less than than the trails themselves are injuries to the land, and should be replaced by one less invasive of the imagination.)
These days, I walk the trails more often than I bike them, but I still bike the forest quite a bit and am happy to share the trails with other bikers and hikers and horse riders. In twenty years of sometimes daily use, I have discerned neither a lack of trails nor a necessity for new trails. As restoration gets underway, there are still plenty of trails to bike out there; we’ll just need to share them in an egalitarian spirit.
Good on them. It is clear that the paths may provide some utility and more space for folks, but providing LARGE uninterrupted space for species is paramount and necessary. Enjoy all of the paths that already do exist.
These comments show how selfish we are as people. Only thinking about ourselves and how much we can take advantage of the ecosystem. Return it back to the natural habitat. Mountain bikes, joggers and household pets are not part of the natural habitat, they are parasites living on the expense of this habitat.
So if the DCR is so concerned about their precious moths and “rare species” how could they not have known 25 miles of trails was being cut into their habitat? I think the rare species and moths would cohabitate nicely with the awesome trails, that we will never get to enjoy.
Indeed! The forrest should never have been cut… Over the last 30 years, I was always walking on the fire roads. When the manicured and signed paths came in I was actually heartbroken. For me, was just another example of the frittering away of the best parts of the island… yes an untouched state forrest with some sweet, organic walking trails is one of our greatest assets. If the “preservation” entities like Sheriffs Meadow and the Land Bank have it there way, they will manicure and preserve the very essence of the island all away!… STOP making the island “better”, it was just great before your committees made all these bad decisions. What a sad situation. In our lifetime it will not be back to what it was, and not for for hundreds of years! Maybe with all the monies Sheriffs Meadow has they can create a forrest education and educate there board members on why you don’t create paths, without permission, in a natural habitat.
I hope it was clear in the presentation that no electric bikes are allowed. I see ebikes in the SF all the time. They are also not allowed on Land Bank properties. Folks, keep your eyes open and report these illegal users if you see them.
Please report on what’s happening with the Pavilion that lots of trees from the State Forest had been sawed into Lumber to build. Was the permitting process started to have that built? Where was it supposed to be erected? What is happening with all that lumber now? Is it protected from the weather and insects? You didn’t publish my previous 4 comments so I doubt you’ll publish any part of this comment, but please look into the Pavillion project.
If any one of us went rogue and cut trails without going through proper channels and destroyed habitat that was protected, we would face civil and/or criminal charges and be fined. Sheriff Meadow carries Directors and Officers insurance to cover themselves. If their D&O won’t pay, why should the rest of us?
If it weren’t for the Land Bank, Sheriff’s Meadow, and the Trustees of Reservations, Martha’s Vineyard would look like Fire Island, and the only trails would be the streets around the mega-mansions.
Once you walk these trails it’s pretty obvious that there wasn’t a plan in the their creation. They snake (literally snake) throughout the State Forest and it’s obvious that they were made for mountain bikers…period. Many of these new trails avoid natural changes in topography. In a frustrating way they were cut so close to other parts of the trail that you can literally step right through to the next part of the trail and avoid 1/4-1/2 a miles of useless twists and turns. They were created for bikes not people. Walking trails should follow the natural topography but also balance that with getting you from A to B in a expeditious way. I’ve walked these new trails many, many times and as others will confirm that I spend a great deal of time complaining about the stupidity of whoever laid these trails out. Please save us from these singular-minded souls with their entitled view.
Your description of the trails themselves is very accurate, and such an important point that hasn’t gotten much attention. I would add that they were not just created for bikes rather than walkers, but for an aggressive kind of biking that is all about the thrills, and accomplishing the best time on the racetrack. This is why Berwind and his gang created this bike park. It’s their faux-wilderness playground/skatepark, not an ordinary trail network.
I am so happy that someone finally got on this. These acres are precious. The forest is precious Why must special interests, in this case bikers, be allowed to colonize and change a precious, rare resources for a sport. Leave our island and its resources alone. Let the rare flora and fauna survive. Let them be and breathe in peace.
No one gets to go and cut 25 miles of trail on someone else’s land without permission. How a conservation organization allowed and abetted it is still a bafflement to me. If it’s the bikers today, what interest group will have a whim to cut another 25 miles for something else tomorrow? And what group the day after that? The forest was created to protect an endangered species and maintaining the biodiversity of the island should remain its principle function, while being enjoyed by many on the plentiful existing trails. In any case, obey the law, people. It’s that simple.
During the zoom meeting, Eric Seaborn said that the DCR planned to keep Twisty, perhaps as a nature trail. But in the same breath, he seemed to suggest that keeping Twisty might be a kind of sop to the biking interests, who are aggrieved at the loss of the vast theme park that these illegal trails established for them in the eastern third of the forest.
As a trail, Twisty wickedly lives up to its name. The zigzags it makes on a map represent single-use, biking-only trails. (Yes, walkers might hike them a number of times, as a novelty or because they are convenient, but after a while, they will begin to groan at the prospect of trudging these mechanical rat-mazes yet again.)
By all means, the State might keep Twisty as a nature trail of some sort, but those egregious zigzags should be ironed out so that the trail can be used by everyone, not just bikers. I would also point out that Twisty’s zig-zagging patterns epitomize the kind of redundancy that the Forest people have elsewhere sought to eliminate in their “full review” of all forest trails. Why then allow a four mile remnant of these vacuum-abhorring bike trails to eat up so much forest terrain?
A kind of chilling thought occurs to me when I contemplate that four miles of Twisty might survive “as is.” The thought is that Michael Berwind won. He hacked up 27 miles of forest trails in order to secure four. Four miles of bike park that wouldn’t have been permitted had he pursued the normal vetting and approval process. Please don’t provide him this victory: use Twisty if you will, but straighten it out so that we all may use it.
I’m quite certain that 99% of the trail users (myself included) had no idea they were made without permission. It’s an unfortunate situation, as they represented a very enjoyable and not obviously irresponsible source of outdoor recreation. There is no other choice but to comply with the dictates of state regulations. But to assert, as the author does, that the trails disturbed a “sweeping extent” of the forest is to mischaracterize what any reasonable journalist would conclude if he actually surveyed the situation with a responsible level of objectivity. Even more unfortunate is the fact that the approval of none other than the Army of Corps of Engineers (as just one prong of “multi-step” process!) is required to permit a bike path in a state forest, an utterly depressing reminder of the soul-crushing leviathan that is our modern government.