Spurred on by opposition from an established Issaquah hiking group, mountain bikers packed a park board meeting Monday night to ask for more trails.
It was a spectacle for the board, which is often so scarcely attended it uses a historic farmhouse for its meetings.
The board is considering a plan that would map possible mountain bike trails and push the city to better manage its green spaces.
The response highlighted a change in public support.
Years past, the Issaquah Alps Trails Club dominated public opinion and saw trail access closed to bikers. Monday, comments in favor of mountain bike improvements in Issaquah had a ratio of about 6-1.
The meeting ran so late, the board didn’t even discuss the plan, much less vote on whether to send it to City Council for ratification.
The proposal, presented about a month ago from the Mountain Bike Task Force, was nothing new. However, the mountain bikers showed up after strongly-worded letters from the trails club began to circulate in the community.
Despite several attempts to get the club involved, its president, David Kappler, opposed the task force’s underlining purpose.
Regional wildlands groups are already working successfully with hiking, biking and equestrian groups to map out future trails, he wrote in a letter in which declined an offer to join the task force.
If Issaquah makes its own regional trail plan, it could hurt a longstanding relationship between user groups, he wrote.
Although the trails club didn’t serve on the task force, it still made a point to critique the final proposal.
While the hiking club’s response was expected, it was strong for how modest the proposal was, said Jeff Tanka, a task-force member.
“Their reaction is so strong to nothing,” added David Baty, a Highlands resident. “They don’t want to give anything.”
The number of trails in the area that have been closed to sport is disparaging, he said. Planning for new paths is a matter of fairness.
For native plants steward Janet Wall, opposing the new effort is a matter of conservation.
New trails are new opportunities for bikers to build rogue paths and trample the mountainside.
“Obviously we need to create connectivity, but I think you need to look at where it is appropriate,” she said. “I’ve worked hard to preserve Park Pointe.”
The city purchased Park Pointe this year to keep it from development. It’s nestled between downtown and Tiger Mountain.
The task-force plan maps a possible trail, which would help connect to East Tiger Mountain, a desirable hotspot for biking.
Marked by rogue trails, abandoned appliances and invasive plants, the city has yet to decide what to do with the land.
In addition to opposing a Park Pointe trail, the hiking club pointed out problems with a Providence Point trail recommendation.
Several years ago the city looked at a plan that would take a public path through the gated retirement community, but it couldn’t find any legal traction, said Kappler, who once served as a city councilmember.
“We support a connector root,” said Providence Point’s Preston Smith. “We’re simply opposed to having our very expensive private property invaded.”
The biggest concern should be about educating mountain bikers about how they’re impacting the environment, said Connie Marsh, president of the Issaquah Environmental council.
The biking community has matured from 20-somethings building rogue tracks in the woods, said Kevin Philbin.
It’s now more about families, health, and it’s self-policing, he said. “Thanks for listening to the new voices of mountain biking.”
The Park Board is not accustomed to having such a packed house. Mountain bikers and hikers packed the room Monday to give testimony on a proposal that would create connectivity for bikers in the community.
