Sounding (the silent sports) Alarm
Causes for concern & action
MAY 17 RIDE OF SILENCE FOR CYCLING CASUALTIES
On May 17 at 7 p.m., cyclists in more than 120 U.S. cities and eight countries will take part in the Ride of Silence silent processions to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways.
Cyclists have a legal right to share the road with motorists but the motoring public often isn't aware of these rights or aware of cyclists themselves.
The first Ride
Of Silence was organized in Dallas, Texas, in 2003 after endurance cyclist Larry Schwartz was hit by the mirror of a passing bus and killed.
The Ride of Silence is a free ride that asks cyclists to ride no faster than 12 mph and remain silent during the ride. There is no brochure, no sponsors, no registration fees and no T-shirt. The ride, held during Bike Safety Month, aims to raise the awareness of motorists, police and city officials that cyclists have a legal right to the public
roadways. The ride is also a chance to show respect for those who have been killed or injured.
A Ride of Silence will take place in the following cities throughout the upper Midwest. To find other events and how to contact the organizers, go to www.rideofsilence.org/main.php.
Wisconsin
Lake Geneva, Madison
Minnesota
Brainerd, Minneapolis
Illinois
Arlington Heights, Chicago, Joliet
Iowa
Des Moines
Michigan
Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Big Rapids,
Boyne City, Buchanan, Burton, Dearborn, Westland, Livonia, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Grattan, Grayling, Hamburg-Pinckney, Houghton, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Manistee, Marquette, Menominee, Midland, Bay City, Saginaw, Mount Pleasant, Traverse City
USE STATE FORM TO REPORT TRAIL CONFLICTS
For the past year, the Wisconsin ATV Association and the Ice Age Park and Trail Foundation have been working together on trail
issues. The first step was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two groups and what they would be working to accomplish. One of the next steps was the creation of a Trail Incident and Safety Report Form for use by all trail users, to provide a standardized way to report information about Wisconsin trails. That form is now available online.
If you encounter what you think is a safety issue while out for a ride or walk, or if another user causes you to have an unpleasant
experience while out on the trail, use the form to report it to Brigit Brown, state trails coordinator for the Wisconsin State Park System.
The goal is to provide an accurate picture of what's going on on the trails. Much of the information the state has received to date is anecdotal and the form will offer a more quantifiable method for determining where issues exist and where time should be spent improving trail users' experiences. It will also be used to identify "hot spots."
User groups may be asked to participate in dealing with issues brought up by the information gathered from reports. Issues may be dealt with through a variety of ways: user education, policy changes, signage, trail relocation, etc. Every form will be read, evaluated, recorded and passed on to appropriate parties such as leaders of the user groups involved, local law enforcement or DNR staff.
Sometimes, the reports won't be about trails on state-owned land. In those cases, where the
owner of the land is not known by the user, Brown will determine who should receive copies of incident reports.
This is a pilot program that will be re-evaluated in a few months. The form can be found at http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/parks/trails/pdf/trail_incident_report.pdf.
If you have an accident or a legal issue while out on the trail, first contact law enforcement authorities, then fill out the Trails
Incident and Safety Report Form.
CRITICS SAY NAT'L PARKS PLAN TOO COMMERCIAL
The National Park Service may be nearing the home stretch in its controversial revision of its management policies. NPS may issue a final version in July with no additional public review.
The first version of the revised management policies was leaked in August 2005. The second version contained many revisions, but critics such as the National Parks Conservation Association say it still
jeopardizes park air quality and wilderness values.
If substantial changes aren't made to the revised version, the parks will also be damaged by an increased emphasis on commercial and motorized vehicle interests, says the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees.
NPS Director Fran Mainella says the policy changes, which have drawn more than 50,000 public comments, are needed to address concerns such as homeland security, budget limitations and urban encroachment.
NPS staff were
scheduled to meet in Denver in mid-April to review the proposal, and a new version is expected to be sent out in mid-May for more review by NPS executives and an NPS advisory board. Park employees, but not the public, are then expected to get a 30-day crack at the policies beginning around June 1. The final version may be announced in the Federal Register around July 23 and posted at www.nps.gov/policy.
In addition to the management policy revisions, NPS is revising its direction on how to
reward its corporate and individual sponsors. The revised Director's Order No. 21, which critics say would excessively commercialize parks, also drew thousands of public comments.
Due in part to the public feedback, NPS says it has dropped its proposals to allow park employees to solicit donations, to allow placement of donor's names on surfaces such as paving bricks and benches, and to accept contributions from in-park concessionaire operators and the alcohol, tobacco and firearms
industries. The agency says its final version will allow recognition of funders through venues such as discreet plaques inside buildings, but that funders won't be given naming rights for park buildings or the parks themselves, and that no advertising or marketing will be allowed within park boundaries. The final version was expected to be released at the end of April.
Many U.S. senators and representatives are weighing in on both these issues. Some of these players are involved with the
Senate Subcommittee on National Parks, whose planned April hearing on the management policy revisions was delayed.
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