This petition is a request from citizens of Marin County and surrounding areas to propose a change of use of existing trails in the Marin Municipal Watershed District. These undersigned citizens maintain the following: 

• Off-road cyclists are a legitimate group of local citizen taxpayers and ratepayers, who represent more than 40% of the watershed users.  
• The mountain bike community is a diverse and representative segment of the community that includes all age groups, from children to older adults, and its practitioners span the gender, race, and socioeconomic gamut. 
• There is currently not enough trail access for this large and legitimate user group in the county.
• MMWD Roads and Trails management plans do not address the needs of off-road cyclists, and limit the advancement of engaged beginner and high school athletes.
• The mountain bike community feels increasingly disenfranchised by the lack of access to MMWD trails, and feel there is a pressing need for change.
• Trail sharing would reflect strategies employed in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Idaho and British Columbia.  Potential options could include simply opening trails in certain areas, proportional user-group specific designations of trails, time-sharing of trails, and use of bells on bikes to alert other users.
• Modern mountain bikes can be safely ridden on narrow, technical, hand-built trail. This is more satisfying to riders than using only fire roads, more environmentally friendly, and helps limit speed on trails.  It also reduces congestion of concentrated use on fireroads.  Bikers also travel much slower on narrow trails than fireroads, so their safety and the safety of other users is increased.  
• A prime example of an MMWD trail that should be opened immediately is Northside, which is an important connector with a moderate grade, no blind turns, and solid construction that resists even the erosion caused by horses.
• Access to the watershed trails would enhance connectivity for riders to commute and transport around the county, connecting off-road tracts of land and encouraging more citizens to bike.
• Mountain bike trail enthusiasts are our newest land stewards and can help advise and assist MMWD with maintaining trails.  Large volumes of volunteers from the sizable mountain bike community would improve trail conditions for all users, and decrease burden and costs for MMWD resources.
• Ignoring this need will unnecessarily exacerbate tensions within and between user groups, and between user groups and land managers.

If you believe in these statements, please sign this petition so it can be brought to future MMWD planning meetings.