Every group of conservationists working to see wilderness legislation introduced or passed by Congress must now factor the mountain biking community into the political equation. With bikers now organizing to oppose some new wilderness designations in California and elsewhere, conservationists are faced with the vexing issue of how to accommodate a growing recreational constituency-and its potential political muscle-without compromising the wild places we love.

Would opening designated wilderness areas to biking exacerbate the "creeping degradation" of the National Wilderness Preservation System? Or might it have the opposite effect-swelling the wilderness movement with millions of mountain bikers, ready to work for expanded wilderness protection on federal public land?

In a provocative forum of viewpoints in the current issue of Wild Earth journal, veteran wilderness advocates and a long-time board member of the International Mountain Biking Association wrestle over these questions. Commentators include Dave Foreman, Andy Kerr, Doug Scott, Brian O'Donnell, Michael Carroll, and Jim Hasenauer. How the wilderness movement responds to the mountain biking and wilderness controversy has profound implications for wilderness campaigns across the country.

For More Information

• Receive a free copy of the issue ($2 for postage) by calling 802-434-4077, ext. 10 and mention this offer (quantities are limited). You can download this spirited series of commentaries at:

http://www.wildlandsproject.org/inside_wp/index_news.html