Please proofread my letter to the Dnr discouraging the mtb trail expansion.

[DouglasR]

This is embarrassing.
what the heck am I supposed to say?

Is un-trailed a word?

am I going in the right direction with this?

 

[DouglasR]

To whom it may concern,
My name is Douglas R.
I am frequent user of Kickapoo state recreation area, specifically the area north of county road 2130 where the mountain bike club is attempting to expand their existing trail system by constructing trail 11.

I strongly oppose the construction of trail 11.
The lack of trails and roads in this area make for a wonderful outdoor recreation experience similar to true wilderness areas in western states.

I’ve spent countless hours hunting and wandering that area over the past 5 years.
Through those wanderings I have developed skills and confidence in the outdoors that have lead me to numerous diy, multi-day backpacking, skiing and backpack hunting adventures in the mountainous west that have provided me with a great sense of joy and purpose.
I’ve introduced numerous people from various walks of life including professional educators and civil engineers to the joys and rewards of squirrel hunting and off trail navigation in this area.

For what it’s worth I am also an avid mountain biker.
I’ve logged over 1000 miles on the existing trail system this summer, often riding with members of the Kickapoo mountain bike club who are proponents of trail 11 and have taken part in the design and construction of the existing 20 plus miles of trail.
We rarely ride the entirety of the system in one evening so I have a hard time understanding their desire to build 10 more miles of essentially the same trail running through the same scenery.
Also worth noting is that on several occasions this summer these individuals have mentioned certain sections of the trail falling into disarray following the construction of trail 10 last year due to lack of use.
Perhaps we could take care of the trails we have before adding another 10 miles?

In conclusion, I feel the construction of trail 11 would greatly diminish the beauty of this abnormally large un-trailed section of Illinois public land.
For an amalgam of reason, public access to hunting land in our state has been greatly reduced over the past several decades.
I feel it would be a shame to transform such a beautiful wild place into a racetrack or an amusement park.

I would like to one more time mention how rare it is in this state to find such a large un-trailed, continuous section of woods in Illinois.

Thank you for your time,

Douglas R
Sent from my iPhone

 

[Ben Lamb]

Good letter. Very concise and clearly written.

If possible, include something in there about impacts to other users if the trail goes through, and highlight the conflict that may occur with hunters and cyclists sharing a trail in such a tight area when there is already enough trail in existence for current use.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Good letter. Very concise and clearly written.

If possible, include something in there about impacts to other users if the trail goes through, and highlight the conflict that may occur with hunters and cyclists sharing a trail in such a tight area when there is already enough trail in existence for current use.

The current trail configuration allows for mixed use while at the same time not diminishing the experience of either group. Further trail expansion would...

@DouglasR Nice work!

 

[rwc101]

Throw "vibing" in there somewhere.

 

[noharleyyet]

"Send it...."

 

[Hunting Wife]

I think it’s well written. @wllm1313 ’s verbiage would add that point while keeping things concise.

Nice job!

 

[Nameless Range]

I also agree that it is a well written letter and that @wllm1313 's addition would make sense. Highlighting that this park already offers a significant portion of the recreational opportunity spectrum is a good reason to: (A) Not remove the that portion of the spectrum that relies on untrailed and harder to access landscape. And (B) Not increase that amount of landscape dedicated to that portion of the spectrum already fulfilled by the current management strategies.

 

[Gerald Martin]

For an amalgam of reason, public access to hunting land in our state has been greatly reduced over the past several decades.

You could probably eliminate this paragraph.

Good letter.
Add @wllm1313’s part and it would be CORE.

 

[rwc101]

In seriousness, the current trail system seems to keep things pretty compact (thereby concentrating user impact).

 

[mtnrunner260]

Colorado has several studies on detriment of Wildlife disturbance. Mostly elk but maybe get those handy for follow up conversations.
Get a local group to sign on as a sponsor, archery club or something.
More mtn bike trails are not what we need here so I applaud your efforts

 

[DouglasR]

To whom it may concern,
My name is Douglas R.
I am frequent user of Kickapoo state recreation area, specifically the area north of county road 2130 where the mountain bike club is attempting to expand their existing trail system by constructing trail 11.

I strongly oppose the construction of trail 11.
The lack of trails and roads in this area make for a wonderful outdoor recreation experience similar to true wilderness areas in western states.

I’ve spent countless hours hunting and wandering that area over the past 5 years.
Through those wanderings I have developed skills and confidence in the outdoors that have lead me to numerous diy, multi-day backpacking, skiing and backpack hunting adventures in the mountainous west that have provided me with a great sense of joy and purpose.
I’ve introduced numerous people from various walks of life including professional educators and civil engineers to the joys and rewards of squirrel hunting and off trail navigation in this area.
I believe the current trail configuration allows for mixed use while at the same time not diminishing the experience of either group.
For what it’s worth I am also an avid mountain biker.
I’ve logged over 1000 miles on the existing trail system this summer, often riding with members of the Kickapoo mountain bike club who are proponents of trail 11 and have taken part in the design and construction of the existing 20 plus miles of trail.
We rarely ride the entirety of the system in one evening so I have a hard time understanding their desire to build 10 more miles of essentially the same trail running through the same scenery.
Also worth noting is that on several occasions this summer these individuals have mentioned certain sections of the trail falling into disarray following the construction of trail 10 last year due to lack of use.
Perhaps we could take care of the trails we have before adding another 10 miles?

I also fear potential for user conflict based on the planned route of the new trail.
From a digital proposal of the route I was shown by an active member of the bike club and the pink marking flags that are currently laid throughout the area it appears as though the new trail will be directly upon the existing game trail along the tops of the ravines and more troubling along the edge habitat where the woods meets the prairie.
That area is great white tail habitat and is often a prime location to set a stand.
I worry that the trail being placed in this area will lead to a diminished hunting experience due to the risk of a cyclist passing by and disturbing game at any moment.

In conclusion, I feel the construction of trail 11 would greatly diminish the beauty of this abnormally large un-trailed section of Illinois public land.
For a variety of reasons, access to hunting land in our state has been greatly reduced over past decades.
I feel it would be a shame to transform such a beautiful, wild place into a racetrack or an amusement park.

I would like to one more time mention how rare it is in this state to find such a large un-trailed, continuous section of woods in Illinois.

Thank you for your time,

 

[DouglasR]

Better or worse?

@wllm1313 I’m not a good student Sorry if I completely F’d up what you were trying to say.

 

[DouglasR]

@Gerald Martin amalgam is my favorite $5 word when I’m trying to sound smart but if you can smell the bs in it I’ll drop it.
but based on @nick87 ’s post from earlier I feel like it’s really important to mention how important access is.

 

[DouglasR]

Also,
Thanks for the feedback!

 

[DouglasR]

To whom it may concern,
My name is Douglas R.
I am frequent user of Kickapoo state recreation area, specifically the area north of county road 2130 where the mountain bike club is attempting to expand their existing trail system by constructing trail 11.

I strongly oppose the construction of trail 11.
The lack of trails and roads in this area make for a wonderful outdoor recreation experience similar to true wilderness areas in western states.

I’ve spent countless hours hunting and wandering that area over the past 5 years.
Through those wanderings I have developed skills and confidence in the outdoors that have lead me to numerous diy, multi-day backpacking, skiing and backpack hunting adventures in the mountainous west that have provided me with a great sense of joy and purpose.
I’ve introduced numerous people from various walks of life including professional educators and civil engineers to the joys and rewards of squirrel hunting and off trail navigation in this area.
I believe the current trail configuration allows for mixed use while at the same time not diminishing the experience of either group.
For what it’s worth I am also an avid mountain biker.
I’ve logged over 1000 miles on the existing trail system this summer, often riding with members of the Kickapoo mountain bike club who are proponents of trail 11 and have taken part in the design and construction of the existing 20 plus miles of trail.
We rarely ride the entirety of the system in one evening so I have a hard time understanding their desire to build 10 more miles of essentially the same trail running through the same scenery.
Also worth noting is that on several occasions this summer these individuals have mentioned certain sections of the trail falling into disarray following the construction of trail 10 last year due to lack of use.
Perhaps we could take care of the trails we have before adding another 10 miles?

I also fear potential for user conflict based on the planned route of the new trail.
From a digital proposal of the route I was shown by an active member of the bike club and the pink marking flags that are currently laid throughout the area it appears as though the new trail will be directly upon the existing game trail along the tops of the ravines and more troubling along the edge habitat where the woods meets the prairie.
That area is great white tail habitat and is often a prime location to set a stand.
I worry that the trail being placed in this area will lead to a diminished hunting experience due to the risk of a cyclist passing by and disturbing game at any moment.

I would also like to note that there are several other mountain biking parks within 2hrs of Kickapoo.
Brown county state park in Nashville, In, Griffin bike park in Terre Haute, In and Dirksen, independence, Farmdale, Jubilee, Kinsey, and black partridge located in the Peoria, Il area provide hundreds of miles of trails and vast amounts of opportunity for cyclist in our area.

In conclusion, I feel the construction of trail 11 would greatly diminish the beauty of this abnormally large un-trailed section of Illinois public land.
For a variety of reasons, access to hunting land in our state has been greatly reduced over past decades.
I feel it would be a shame to transform such a beautiful, wild place into a racetrack or an amusement park.

I would like to one more time mention how rare it is in this state to find such a large un-trailed, continuous section of woods in Illinois.

Thank you for your time,

 

[DouglasR]

I think im gonna add that paragraph and call it good enough

 

[DouglasR]

But if this draft is worse than the original let me know.

 

[DouglasR]

Throw "vibing" in there somewhere.

You being serious or joking?
I definitely want to come off as pro multi use.

 

[RobG]

But if this draft is worse than the original let me know.

The more I tweak the more I F' it up. However, it may be stronger if you mention that you are a mountain biker in the first sentence. (I am a mountain biker and frequent user of....)