| 04/09/2001 | IMBA Meets With Wilderness Society LeadersNational leaders of IMBA and The Wilderness Society met in Washington on March 27 to discuss ways to improve communication and work together. One key topic was proposed and potential Wilderness area designations across the country, which are problematic for bicyclists because federal agencies have prohibited cycling in Wilderness areas since 1984. This meeting, the first in a series, was sponsored by REI.
The 66-year-old Wilderness Society works to protect America's wilderness and to develop a nationwide network of wild lands. The group and its partners are currently developing Wilderness proposals for almost every U.S. state.
One outcome of the meeting was a joint commitment to engage IMBA's grassroots activists in the site-specific review of Wilderness proposals early in the process. Another topic was IMBA's work on alternatives to Wilderness designation that would protect both public land and bicycle access.
Both organizations back full funding of the Land & Water Conservation Fund, the Forest Service Roadless Initiative, as well as increased support for Federal land management agencies.www.imba.org
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