The Ethics Of Trailbuilding

Her tail balanced in uncertainty as her nose sniffed the fishy, humid air. We careened along Big Detroit lake, anticipating a journey into the heart of 10,000 lakes country. Turning off highway 10, we crossed railroad tracks and bumbled onto a gravel road which rolled along late August cornfields, mosquito infested ponds, and dotted with lush forests. A small sign nailed to a tree said : " Mountain View Rec Area." Adrenaline kicked as I signaled to turn uphill into a deserted parking area no bigger than a tennis court. I exited my car, opened the back door. Her ears stiffened, wide eyes staring at me. Obediently waiting for the command " OK !" She bolts out instantly, stuck her nose to the ground and sniffed out our perimeter eager to roam offleash. I noticed a rusty black mailbox, containing a map. Color-coded lines indicating cross country ski routes in black, walking in yellow, and my route singletrack in red. This guide points me towards a vein leading into the thick foilage. Anxiously I accelerate into this void. Duffy barks instinctively as we put paw to path, and tire to trail.

The terrain is hazardous with protruding rocks and random tree roots exposed from constant attrition. A real leg burner of a course requiring skill,stamina, and commitment. Simultaneously, I focus on keeping mental notes of the terrain while maintaining control of the bicycle. My plan is to purge through fall lines, switchback up and down steep gradients and to simply weave my way through the wilderness.

Sweat runs down my face and into my eyes as I pick up speed and zip around dry,compact, dirt burms trying to gain momentum. Pulse quickening , breath thick I push on letting out a primal groan. I anticipate the reward of reaching the pinnacle as we charge up a hill, isolated and exhausted. The next section is a steep decending serpentine route. It is difficult to ride down without skiding. This forces me to feather my disc brakes making them squeek loudly announcing our presence. I've seen signs assuring me I was on the correct path but this section made me unsure. Hesitantly I ride the rest of trail and am hopefull I will make it back to parking lot in one piece.

Trail exploring is a great way to connect with nature. However , there is potential for damaging the environment we seek to explore if the trail is not carefully surveyed and planned. Trailbuilding can result in "vegetation loss and compositional changes, soil compaction, erosion, muddiness, degraded water quality, and disruption of wildlife" (Marion). These things are crucial to the sustainablity of an ecosystem in any area and should each be respected when maintaining, building and riding trails.

The trail we create - with intentions of adventure - can degrade and destroy a once natural setting. When humans begin making trails in a relatively : "undisturbed forest , [they] cross a complex gradient" (Dale,770). Studies in the Rocky Mountains show how : "Many of the characteristic plants of the forest floor tend to disappear at trail sides. Vaccinium scoparium is the predominant ground cover species of the higher forests studied; within 0-5 m of the trail it provides less than 1/3 of the cover it provides in the adjacent forest." (Dale,770). This shows how life once thriving can disappear just from our infiltration. When heedlessly punching a hole into a forest area we allow more invasive and nasty plants like itch weeds, poison ivys, and cockburr thistles to proliferate.

Forestry officials, park managers and trailbuilders need to carefully determine which plants will be affected by trailbuilding. When paths are made trailside plants are categorized into two groups : " those that increase steadily to the edge of the trail and those that are most prevalent at the forest margin and decline in abundance toward both the forest and the trail such as : Pedicularis bracteosa, Fragaria virginiana, and Antennaria racemosa. Others such as such as Geranium viscossissimum and Lupinus sericeus are most prevalent at trail sides and rare in forests " (Dale,771). This fragile environment can change drastically when growing conditions are changed for native species.

All trails experience erosion and compaction as they are used. The degree and type of erosion is determined by the type of use and whether the user is moving up or down a hill. A bike rider, when heading up hill will : "establish a narrow rut which increases the velocity and sediment transport capacity of trail runoff. Cyclists moving down hill when torque is not needed , caused less erosion than hikers and horses which tend to loosen soil when descending a steep trail "(Wilson, 78). The erosion caused by all of these methods of trail use tramples the route and is exacerbated by allowing water to travel faster via the trail. This process increases the erosion process. In many ways water is the enemy of any trail area. " Wet sites are more susceptible than dry sites to erosion damage and may help if future studies can demonstrate a link between trail segments that have experienced substantial trail erosion and landscape positions with consistently high soil-water contents" (Wilson,87). High traffic trail routes need to especially be concerned with erosion and water otherwise the trail will deteriorate leaving unusable and unsafe trails.

Countless times I have cleaned mud from my bicycle, prayed for rain when the trail is really dry , but when it's muddy we don't ride at all. If an area is constantly wet it should be rerouted. Some bike fanatics may argue it is alot of fun to tromp through wet and sludgy terrain but that can be quite dangerous : "One of the largest reported campylobacteriosis outbreaks in Canada occurred in June 2007 in British Columbia, associated with a mountain bike race that took place in muddy conditions. Five hundred thirty seven racers and two hundred thirty five of them reported getting sick" (Stuart). Riding these wet conditions also increases erosion by deepening ruts which creates more problems.

In addition to threatening the land and foilage our intrusion will scare away many types of wildlife. The Golden Cheeked Warbler is one such example. In The Wilson Journal of Ornithology Craig Davis writes that : " abandoning nest rate was 3 times higher in biking sites than in non biking sites" (Davis,470 ). The portal we have made right into the heart of nature has created a easy meal for opportunistic animals, : " A higher predator abundance near trail edges has contributed to low nest survival of Golden Cheek Warblers" (Davis,472). A new channel to hunt previously hidden : "Warbler nests occurring in areas traversed leaving them more prone to rat snake predation" (Davis,472). Scaring away native species is never the plan intended when building trails, but when they are designed without regard for the landscape and requirement of native plants, the door is open for opportunistic predators.

My interests in biking and preserving the environment has led me to join the F-M Trailbuilders Association. This group is made up of like-minded adventurists whose goal is to create, maintain, and enjoy trails locally. The group has established a 4.4 mile loop trail in North Moorhead's M.B. Johnson Park. The forestry department and city officials are 100% supportive of our group, though perhaps for more commercial reasons in terms of attracting tourists and new residents. Our collective experiences will help us decide how to make sustainable trails that minimalize erosion, avoid passive plants, and to have little affect on the native species.

Last summer I proposed to create a new trail at the nearby park, Gooseberry, hopefully to build off the existing footpaths and bike paths. I was disappointed with what I found. The trail was nothing more than thoughtless trail which ignored the forces of nature and the rolling landscape. The trail was a scavengers buffet of flood damaged items. Discarded tires, a scattered deck of cards, numerous toilets, barbed wire all tangled up around trees, and endless piles of garbage.

The land dictated which way to build my new path. Hills dipped into wavy bumps leading to long curved corners with debris blocking my chosen path. Determined, I cut branch's with my hand saw, constructed a small bridge over a fallen tree, marked and labeled the path with stakes, raked, shoveled, as I turned hill sections into stomach lifting routes leading to tight- cornering slow-technical spots, eventually hitching a 2.4 mile loop.

Trailbuilding can be a vital part of urban communities and rural towns by allowing people to get outside,exercise, commute and interact with nature in a way prerouted for them to experience. Trail enthusiasts alike will agree on wanting to preserve nature when building trails but many of them don't understand what really goes on when we proceed to create paths. Trailriding is an excellent way to get close to nature but in reality we may be pushing nature farther away.

Works Cited

• Davis, Craig. Leslie Jr., Davis. Walter, David. Graber, Allen. " Mountain Biking Trail Use Affects Reproductive Success of Nesting Golden-Cheeked Warblers." The Wilson Journal of Ornithology Vol. 122, No.3, September (2010): 465-474. Print.
• Wilson, John. Seney, Joseph. "Erosional Impact of Hikers, Horses, Motorcycles, and Off-Road Bicycles on Mountain Trails in Montana." Mountain Research and Development. Vol. 14(Feb.,1994);77-88. Print.
• Stuart,T.L. , J.Sandhu, R Stirling, J Corder, A. Ellis, P. Misa, S. Goh, B. Wong, P. Martiquet, L. Hoang and E. Galanis. "Campylobacteriosis outbreak associated with ingestion of mud during a mountain bike race." Epidemiology and Infection 138, No.12, (Dec. 2010): n.pag.
• Dale, D. and T. Weaver. "Trampling Effects on Vegation of the Trail Corridors of North Rocky Mountain Forests." Journal of Applied Ecology, Vol. 11, No.2,(Aug. 1974);767-772.Print.
• Marion, Jeff and Jeremy Wimpey. "Environmental Impacts of Mountain Biking" Science Review and Best Practices". I.M.B.A. , (2007). Web. February 17, 2014.