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Illinois Department of Natural Resources: Allowing cycling on trails in Giant City and Trail of Tears State Parks
  1. Signatures
    195 out of 1,000
    Petitioning
    1. Illinois Department of Natural Resources
  2. Created By
    Darren Sherkat
    carbondale, IL
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates
Why This Is Important

Public State Parks should attempt to maximize their use by constituents seeking healthy outdoor recreation, and they should be assets for the development of tourism to the areas where they are situated.  Incorporating cycling into the trail use plans of Giant City and Trail of Tears State Parks would benefit Illinois citizens who engage in this healthy activity, and it would stimulate tourism to our region--particularly in the winter months when off-road cycling is popular. Cycling should be allowed on all sections of the Southern Illinois River to River Trail, and should be incorporated into the trail use plans of Giant City and Trail of Tears State Parks.

Why People Are Signing
Recent Signatures

Opening of state park trails in Southern Illinois to mountain biking.

Greetings,

I just signed the following petition addressed to: Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

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Opening of state park trails in Southern Illinois to mountain biking.

Public State Parks should attempt to maximize their use by constituents seeking healthy outdoor recreation, and they should be assets for the development of tourism to the areas where they are situated. The scenic regions of Southern Illinois fare poorly compared to similar parts of Missouri and Kentucky in the competition for tourist dollars and policies for trail usage in Illinois State Parks play some role in this. Opening trails to mountain bikes would boost usage of State Park facilities by previously underserved constituencies. It would also increase tourism to the region, particularly in the winter when off-road cycling is popular, but other forms of recreation do not stimulate park use or tourism. Cycling is especially compatible with the developing wine industry in Southern Illinois, and Missouri has capitalized on this successfully with their integration of the Katy Trail into their tourism and wine industry development. Southern Illinois could benefit from this, and opening Giant City State Park and Trail of Tears State Park to mountain biking would provide an excellent start, with minimal need for additional resources, given the limited impact of cycling on trails and the active network of trail maintenance organizations like the Shawnee Mountain Bike Association.
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