The Southwest Idaho Mountain Biking Association believes mountain bikers should pay to use trails on public lands. The group wants Idaho to enact a $10 annual fee to maintain trails, create new ones and develop trail-etiquette education. Cyclists, who would register any bike that they ride off-road, could influence how funds are spent through advisory boards, says Tom Baskin, a Boise attorney who wrote the proposal. Baskin says the program is modeled after Idaho’s off-road motor vehicle program, which charges a $10 annual fee and achieves a high compliance rate, raising $300,000 per year. Since Idaho has far more mountain bikers than ORV drivers, Baskin says the proposed program could raise at least as much money. For more information, contact Tom Baskin, Attn: SWIMBA, P.O. Box 739, Boise, ID 83701.


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