
To: Erin Boyle, Assistant Forest Planner

I would like to comment on several of the potential wilderness areas
outlined by the draft forest plan.  First, many of them have a glaring
omission in the "current use" section.  Mountain biking is not mentioned
as a current use in any of the documents.  Yet, in some of the areas I
would argue that mountain biking is a primary use -- even higher usage
than hiking on some trails (specifically in the East Catalina PWA and the
Samaniego Ridge PWA).

I have personally enjoyed numerous mountain bike rides in the following
PWAs:

    Dragoon Potential Wilderness Area
    East Catalina Potential Wilderness Area
    Mt. Wrightson Addition Potential Wilderness Area
    North Chiricahua Potential Wilderness Area
    Samaniego Ridge Potential Wilderness Area
   

 Tumacacori Potential Wilderness Area

My husband and I travel from Colorado to the Tucson area each winter so 
that we might enjoy and ride these trails. I also know many of our friends
and other mountain bikers enjoy riding in these areas, as well.

In my opinion, none of the 10 wilderness areas outlined by the draft
forest plan are suitable for designation as wilderness.  Roads criss cross
many of them, and signs of mining and other human intrusion run
throughout.  Most are far too small to get any sense of being "out there"
or any true sense of solitude, as intended by the Wilderness Act of 1964.

Further, I do not see the need for these additional wilderness areas in
southern Arizona.  Residents of metro Tucson already have sufficient
access to Pusch Ridge and Mt. Wrightson wilderness areas, both of which
have areas where it is easy to get away from 'the crowds.' Adding in other
regional wilderness

 areas to the picture gives a wealth of wilderness,
foot-only opportunities.

Meanwhile, mountain bike access is already severely limited by current
Wilderness areas.  One prime example is the Arizona Trail.
Bikepacking (backpacking with a mountain bike) is becoming an increasingly
popular activity.  Bikepackers following the Arizona Trail must detour
around wilderness areas (e.g. Mt. Wrightson and Pusch Ridge WA's), forcing
them to ride on busy and unsafe highways.  Wilderness areas cause a
significant safety concern in this way.  Traveling on busy roadways is
also emphatically not the experience that bikepackers are looking for.

For these reasons, I trust that none of the outlined potential wilderness
areas will be seriously considered or selected as preferred alternatives.
I urge that the evaluations be updated to accurately depict current
mountain bike use, as well.

Sincerely,

Mary Adamson

 Monholland

