This is taken from the OMBC website
WE NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE MT. HOOD THE 5TH LARGEST NATIONAL RECREATION AREA IN THE NATION.
The public comment period will be open from Monday, December 6 at 9am to Friday, January 7 at 11:59pm (all times PT)
For many Oregonians, Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge offer some of the best our state has to offer: incredible views, epic trails, diverse recreation opportunities and so much more. Like many recreation hot spots across the state, these areas have seen a huge increase in visitors in recent years. The pandemic magnified these issues as more people than ever searched for recreational experiences and socially distant opportunities to see friends and family on our public lands. Now though, Mount Hood and the surrounding National Forest lands need our support.
As mountain biking continues to grow in popularity, we know that the existing trail networks around Oregon’s treasured mountain need to be expanded and enhanced. Meanwhile, competing interests continue to support closing trails to sustainable recreation like mountain biking while climate change and wildfires threaten to degrade the recreation opportunities, clean water, and wildlife habitat of this beloved region. The management plan for the Mt Hood National Forest is over 30 years old now and it fails to adequately address sustainable recreation, climate change, and wildfire needs.
Thankfully, Oregon Mountain Biking Coalition has been working with Congressman Blumenauer and Senator Wyden over the past few years, along with other recreation organizations, local communities, tribes, conservation organizations, to craft a thoughtful, balanced proposal that attempts to address all these issues.
