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32 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, November 28, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 26, 2004 David Lane takes a bump in the trail during a foggy Thanksgiving on John's Peak. Riders hope to buy land from the city of Jacksonville, an idea that has drawn support and criticism. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Riders seek John’s Peak support They’d like to buy land from Jacksonville, but not all like the idea By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Bobby Lane couldn’t wait to visit his family in Medford so he could ride motorcycles with his brother and sister on John’s Peak near Jacksonville. "It’s one of the best places to ride, and the trails go on forever," the 22-year-old Eugene resident said Thursday. Lane is one of many off-road enthusiasts who support the attempt by the Medford-based Motorcycle Riders Association to purchase the 1,800 acres of city-owned land just northwest of Jacksonville. Few other places are as appealing to ride as John’s Peak, he said. The future of the area has been in question since the city established a 15-member advisory committee almost two years ago to recommend what should be done with the property. The recommendation is expected in the next few months. The association sent out a letter and brochure recently to Jacksonville residents asking for their support in getting funding from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department for the group to purchase the land. Advertisement "We’ve got a lot of people very much for it, and a lot of people against it," said David Lexow, president of the 568-member association. One group against the proposal is the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, which doesn’t believe an off-road vehicle track would be an economic draw for the city. "That area would be better served with non-motorized uses," said Linda Graham, a member of the chamber. Jack Duggan, an Applegate resident and opponent of the association’s plans, said the mailing is an attempt to sway public opinion. The brochure shows motorcycles, hikers and horseback riders using the land in harmony, but "the truth is that such an image has to be created in a computer because it doesn’t exist in real life," Duggan said. In other states, he said, hunters, hikers, horseback riders and bicyclists have been shut out of such areas when the off-road vehicles have taken over. "The reality is that once motorized recreation dominates the land, non-motorized activity is no longer enjoyable or even possible," Duggan wrote in a letter to the Mail Tribune recently. Lexow, however, said the association plans to convert the 1,800 acres near the reservoir into a multi-use park with hiking, biking and separate off-road vehicle trails. In addition, he said, the association will patrol the area, preventing the illegal garbage dumping that takes place now, and fence off sensitive environmental areas. "Ninety-five percent of the enforcement comes from engineering the trails," he said. "People will want to stay on the (engineered) trails when they are good." He said the association often takes the blame for a landscape that is crisscrossed with trails and gullies. "The knuckleheads will stop going up those hills when we get good trails to ride," he said. Lexow said the association wants to restore the area to a more natural appearance. "It’s beautiful. That’s why it should remain a public recreation area," he said. The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department did give the motorcycle association a grant for $164,445 this year to purchase properties and easements in the Jacksonville area. Lexow said the money allowed the group to purchase 61-acre and five-acre parcels in addition to the 220 acres it already owns in the John’s Peak area. To purchase the 1,800 acres, the association would need a letter of intent from the city. Lexow said he expected the property would be worth roughly $300 to $500 an acre, possibly valued at $1 million plus. Mayor Jim Lewis, referring to this amount, said, "Of course he would like to lowball it." He expected the property would be worth far in excess of $2 million, adding, "We’ve never had a professional appraisal done." The city hasn’t developed an official position on what it wants to do with the property, he said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities