Unfortunately mountain bikers were not suitably represented at the onset of these meetings. Al Casille offered to step up and represent mountain bikers on behalf of Evergreen, Fat Tire, and IMBA. Through efforts in petitioning, mountain bikers were succesful in being afforded a legitimate seat during these discussions. A special thanks to Al Casille for stepping up and working on our behalf. Evergreen and mountain bikers can also be thankful to John Stensgar representing the Colville Confederated Tribes as he petitioned for our user-group to be able to have a seat.

Evergreen is excited at the future opportunities of being able to sit at the table and work out solutions. Much of the meeting will be focused on Wilderness Designation and other protections, as there are 21 Roadless Areas within the Colville Forest currently under the Wilderness Review Process. Wilderness Designation unfortunately does not provide access for mountain biking recreation. There are other user-groups at the table with many concerns, and there are many diverse, if not polarized viewpoints at the table. So we are excited at the opportunity to speak up on behalf of mountain bikers, for it's our understanding that we are similar minded to others at the table, in that we want what's best for protecting these splended forest lands. And so there is hope that at the very least we can have a better opportunity to help bridge gaps, gain trust, and galvanize relationships as we move forward in this collaborative effort.

View Evergreen's "Kettle Crest Trail Guide" here.