Galbraith Mt. Closed to motorcycles

[tclossey]

Tantrum (or anyone else near Bellingham, WA), if you are still reading this forum did you see the article in the local paper anouncing that Glabraith Mt. is now officially closed to motorcycle riders. That now means that there is no place left anywhere in the entire county to ride -- Glabraith was the last place open. I talked to Syre and the "WHIMPS" mountain biker club President seems to have convinced him pretty firmly to discriminate against us motorcycle riders... Previously he had told me that the area would either be kept open for recreation for all, or closed to all. Now he is singing a different tune and wasn't much interested in considering a change.

What good is owning a KDX when you can't ride it anywhere except up and down the driveway!

Have you heard of any efforts to try and get something opened up around here? I'd like to participate or, sadly, sell my brand new bike.

 

[Tantrum]

Yeah, I have heard the same thing. I didnt get a chance to read the article though. Im sure I will get some flack on this, but, I personally dont plan on going out of town. I rode there last weekend and will continue to do so. There is no enforcement to this new rule, that was solely on the persistance of the mountainbikers club here in town, so until there is a penalty....screw em. If Trillium wants to enforce it, they will have to hire type of security and put up ALOT of fences and gates. They will not go to that expense since this wasnt their fight to begin with. There were signs up there for about 2 months now about no motorcycles and no one has said a thing about it. I saw many other dirtbikers there recently, so dont fret. This too shall pass. If you plan on continuing riding there, park your truck somewhere that is not obvious that you are a dirtbiker. I have many friends that have houses that surround Galbraith, so its not an issue with me.

Remember, North Fork is still open to use. Just have your ORV tags on. Even though its not a ORV park, they still want to see tags, whoever THEY are, I dont know.

Its a big hill....there is room for all of us. Besides, where I ride, mountainbikers dont go. Id take em all day to get there. ;)

God save the dirt.
B.

 

[tclossey]

Thx for the info. I was up there last weekend and saw three or four groups of riders as well. We stopped to rest up by the cell towers and did get hassled by mt bikers though. They claimed they were WHIMPS club officers and that they were going to turn in vehicle license numbers etc. We just smiled, told them to have a nice ride and went about our day. Never heard a word.

I didn't know North Fork was open. The article in the newspaper said it had been closed for two years?

Like you, I guess I'll have to ride until someone catches me since the eco freaks have left me no other choice.

One thing I agree with you for sure on, it's a real shame that they (mt bikers) seem to feel that they can't share the hundreds of thousands of acres of forest here in the Pacific Northwest.

 

[KDX Fill]

This kind of thing is very frustrating for all of us that love dirt biking. But it does show how a group of organized people can get things done. I suggest you fight back by contacting the NMA http://www.nmaoffroad.org/ I am sure they will be willing to help or at least point you in the right direction on how to stand up against this injustice. If motorcycles cannot ride there then neither should mountain bikes. If you’re going to lose a riding area then do your best to make sure it is not available to those who caused this to happen. I would be willing to bet the land owner agreed to the mountain bikers terms just so they would leave him alone. Do the same. Pester and annoy the guy until he makes it off limits to all. Regardless of the BS the mountain biker dish out they destroy the environment too. They may do it in less of a degree but the last time I checked mountain bikes had knobbies. The mountain bikers should watch out. Next thing they know the hikers will be working on banning mountain bikes.

 

[canyncarvr]

If I remember correctly (from earlier reading of this subject?) isn't this mountain private property? In which case the owner can exclude anyone he chooses.

Surely you are not saying 'screw you' to the guy that OWNS the property?

One of the access roads to the main riding area in THIS neck of the woods was gated off recently (well, yet ANOTHER gate). The landowner was tired of hauling of the trash of the scumbags that dumped it on his property. He had 6 refrigerators that had been dumped recently..will cost him $40/per to take them to the landfill. At our next MRA (local biking chapter) cleanup, hopefully we can get rid of them for him.

That's a case of misuse leading to closure..and he certainly can close his private road if he wants.

Where the organizational approach comes in is for ensuring continued multiple use of public lands. THAT is an ongoing battle!

If a private landowner says, 'keep off', and you DON'T..you might not be looking at a 'penalty'. May be looking at the business end of a weapon.