As the Trump administration defunds bike paths across the country, the opposite effort is making headway in national parks.
A proposal issued Aug. 31 in the Federal Register calls for cutting red tape for pathways and improving e-bike access in national parks. It aligns with several executive orders.
The goal is to “remove redundant procedural requirements” and “unnecessary delays and administrative costs,” the notice reads.
Jessica Bowron, the director of the National Park Service, said national parks should be “easy to access and enjoy,” in a statement about the proposed rule.
“This proposal would create a simpler, more consistent approach to bicycle and e-bike access across the national park system,” Bowron said.
The public has until Nov. 2 to comment on the proposal.
The timing, to some, feels uncanny as it coincides with the Interior Department reversing course to approve a controversial pathway in Grand Teton National Park.
Longtime park service employee and leader of Friends of Moose-Wilson Corridor Joan Anzelmo said the proposal seems “almost a sudden reaction” to her group’s opposition to the pathway recently approved by Grand Teton. KHOL has not independently verified any connection.
“The construction will require the removal of thousands upon
thousands of trees,” Anzelmo said. “It will destroy critical wildlife habitat for grizzly bears, moose and the elk calving grounds.”
In 2016, the park determined the 7.1-mile stretch of pathway would be too detrimental to habitats for grizzly bears, moose and cultural sites.
Cyclists, however, could have a lot to gain should it go through. As it stands, bikers and cars are forced to dodge one another on the narrow road’s blind corners and knolls.
Nonprofit Friends and Pathways rooted for the pathway when the park announced it would revisit the topic, citing rider safety, fewer cars in the park and the completion of a popular bike loop.
The organization declined to comment on the proposed rule that could open doors for similar projects.
The proposed pathway is also the site of tool-making and gathering for several of the park’s 24 associated tribes. In the studies leading up to the 2016 decision, tribal spokespeople reiterated a desire to protect cultural sites.
Anzelmo critiqued the Park Service for not seeking additional environmental impact studies. It says it has instead “re-evaluated” the former analysis.
It’s rare for an agency to amend or backtrack on a previous decision, she said.
“In my 35 years of serving in the National Park Service, throughout the United States, I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Anzelmo, who ran the Colorado National Monument from 2007 to 2011.
Anzelmo said her group is advocating for middle ground. That could look like one-way vehicle traffic, with cyclists and pedestrians taking up the other lane, or timed entries, she said.
