The Guilford Conservation Commission, which is responsible for implementing the management plans for the town’s preserves, has recently modified the original management plan for the East River Preserve regarding mountain biking. A new trail designation and use plan went into effect on November 1, 2021, in which mountain biking is now seasonally permitted on the yellow, orange, and white blazed trails in the preserve, and on the trail that circles the northern meadow, a portion of which is blue-blazed.

According to the commission, due to the sensitive nature of the terrain and the need to protect water quality, mountain biking will continue to be prohibited on the green and red blazed trails, and on a majority of the blue-blazed trail. Signage indicating “No Biking” or “Foot Travel Only” will be clearly visible at appropriate locations on these trails.

The commission is requesting that all users of the East River Preserve respect these trail designations and any notices regarding seasonal and temporary trail closures due to saturated and or muddy trail conditions. Users of the East River Preserve should stay on marked trails and should not create any new trails.

Town Environmental Planner Kevin Magee said that the commission has a difficult job juggling the needs of hikers, bikers, and the rules mandated by the original purchase agreements of the properties that encompass the preserve and the various entities that supervise sections of the parcel.

“At the beginning of last winter, some signage was put up directing mountain bikers to where they were approved to ride on the property, which stirred up some controversy because I don’t think most users are aware of some of the restrictions on the property. So, we had some concerns coming into the office regarding the signage, and the mountain bikers expressing that they felt they could ride anywhere on the property up there,” said Magee. “So with those concerns, and the fact that the restrictions kind of prevented bikers from making a loop, we spent about six months looking at the trails, meeting with some biking organizations to determine how we could extend some mountain biking if possible, within the restrictions of the land. We reviewed and we were able to extend it to a couple of other areas of the property and try and create a little loop for the bikers and not riding back on the same trails.”

This isn’t sitting well with some mountain bikers who feel they are being squeezed out of more and more riding areas. However, according to Magee, these new regulations will actually increase the sections of trails open to bikers.

The confusion stems from the fact that many users of these trails were unaware that mountain biking was already severely restricted over much of the acreage.

“Some may bikers may think it’s restricting because they were riding everywhere up there, but they weren’t really paying attention that there were really only a few trails that permitted mountain bike use,” said Magee. “This is an expansion of mountain bike riding, actually.”

Magee also stressed that these new regulations are seasonal, which means that during wet weather, certain trails or sections of trails will be closed if they become too muddy or water covered.

“If the trails get muddy, late winter or early spring, trails will be shut down during these times until they firm up enough to allow bikers to utilize them,” said Magee. “If they get too muddy, we temporarily have to shut trails down to prevent too much damage.”

The heavy use that was observed during the pandemic also was a factor in how the commission designated trail use, according to Magee.

“With the increase of use of the property during COVID, there was more mountain bikers and more use, which did cause deterioration of the trails. Increased use obviously increased deterioration, and it increased erosion as well, which has affected the streams on the property,” said Magee.

Magee said that ultimately users of these trails, especially mountain bikers, will have to take the responsibility of adhering to the trail designations if they want to continue to have access.

“The commission is really looking for respect from the mountain biking community and kind of police themselves so they can enjoy these areas without having any more restrictions,” Magee said. “Unfortunately, the funding sources we have dictate how we create the management plans and what activity is allowed on the property. We do feel for them, but we have to follow the management plans or it could put us in jeopardy for funding these properties and also for the future purchase of open space properties.”