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State to study Jacksonville trails By Melissa Martin JACKSONVILLE � The state will study 1,792 forested acres near the city to determine whether hikers, horses, mountain bikes and motorcyclists can share the same mountain. "It�s close to Medford and what an excellent opportunity for people to have a chance to get out, explore, hike, ride horseback, ride a bike, whatever," said Terry Eccles, all-terrain vehicle coordinator for Oregon State Parks. The Jacksonville City Council gave permission for the state to do a feasibility study about building a trail system to suit a variety of users. The 1,792 acres can be reached via Reservoir Road just west of Jacksonville. It�s good news for the Motorcycle Riders Association, said Tyrrell Hart, project coordinator for the group�s nearby dirt bike trail system known as Lily Prairie. "We feel Oregon State Parks could control the use and mitigate problems," Hart said. "Trails that are well kept, laid out and engineered are more fun to ride than trails that just happened because it�s an old logging skid road." Local bicyclists agree. "I think it�s a great idea," said Jana Jensen, owner of Cycle Analysis in Jacksonville. The bike shop sponsors after-work rides up Reservoir Road. "There are already 250 miles of trails up there that motorcycle and bicycle people have been using. I take my (13-year-old) son up there a lot." If the proposed trails are built wide enough for bicycles, they would work for horses, too, according to Mike DeSalvo, co-chair of the Southern Oregon Mountain Bike Association, which sponsored a trail-building seminar last fall with experts from the International Mountain Bike Association. "The focus is to make sustainable trails that are multi-use, that equestrians and hikers can enjoy too," DeSalvo said. Bicycles, horses and hikers have been sharing trails near the Ashland watershed for some time, according to Nathan Riddle, a mountain biker who works at Sims Cycle and Fitness in Medford. "When I go riding, I usually try to yield to whoever is on the trail in front of me," Riddle said. The mountain bike group and the motorcycle association battle the same problem � careless riders creating illegal trails or steep, vertical trails that can cause erosion. Both groups welcome an agency, such as Oregon State Parks, willing to build and monitor a trail network. "A lot of people think we want to go willy-nilly and rip through the brush," said Hart, of the Motorcycle Riders Association. "But dirt bike trails should follow the topography and go across rather than up and down. We�ve moved logs to block off miles of that stuff." Riders police themselves by calling club leaders to report individuals who are acting irresponsibly, according to Jensen. The culprit may get grounded from the mountain. "It only takes one yahoo on a motorcycle or one idiot on a mountain bike to give everybody a bad name," Jensen said. The Motorcycle Riders Association has owned property at the headwaters of Jackson Creek since 1971. It has built riding trails on 220 acres bumping up against Bureau of Land Management property known as the John�s Peak off-road vehicle area. The motorcycle group plans to build public restrooms and a picnic area and contract with a resident caretaker to keep the area clean and patrolled. This isn�t the first time a variety of groups have come together to talk about sharing the mountain. The Multi-Use Trails Coalition that formed about eight years ago remains active, bringing together the Sierra Club, horse and mule riders, snowmobilers, mountain bikers and hikers. "We�ve worked out a lot of problems," said Jensen, a member. "We�re breaking bread together instead of pointing fingers at each other." Reach reporter Melissa Martin at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.