While the idea of taking a bike-ride up Moose-Wilson road is great, this study unfortunately takes little consideration towards the potentials impact of this project on elk communities and dude-ranching/horseback riding. For as long as I can remember, many Elk herds in the southern park choose their spring nurseries to be in the meadows south of the Rockefeller preserve. From personal experience, while the elk and their young pay little attention to horseback riders, they often react much more skittishly and severely to pedestrians and bikers. It seems unfortunate that the proposed bike path is slotted to be built right through the middle of meadows where hundreds of Elk are born every spring. I think this will have a substantial impact on wildlife in the area that greatly outweighs the benefits of being able to bike to Dornans. Another consideration on the paths is its impact on dude ranches that operate at the southern end of the Park. There have been several incidents during the past few years where bikers illegally riding on southern Park trails have spooked horses carrying ranch guests visiting the valley. It is a bit worrisome that if people are already riding bikes off the road, this illegal traffic might increase with the addition of a bike path. Furthermore, having to cross a potentially busy bike-path with a group of dudes on horseback creates a dangerous scenario. While horses generally dont mind cars, bikes are another story. This is not to say that the southern end of the Park should be made exclusively available to dude-ranchers and horseback riders, but, as this is one of the only areas in the park that they still operate, the impact on this demographic should be discussed. Dude ranching is a cornerstone to the history of the Tetons and the development of a successful tourism industry in the area. While it does not necessarily represent a majority, dude ranchings historical significance runs deeper than most other activity (sans maybe mountaineering) in the Park. I think preserving their ability to safely and effectively take families into the Park on horses should be an important consideration. I am all for accessibility and safety in GTNP, I am just concerned that the impacts of this project could outweigh the benefits and that the voices of all the parties (animal and human) affected by a Moose-Wilson bike path are not being equally considered.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 16:56:17 +0000
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