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Haley Murray

Armed with sickles, machetes and so-called whackers of all types, the 12 group members trooped into Shawnee National Forest early Sunday morning, prepared to do their worst.

The overgrowth on the Cove Hollow trail didn't stand a chance against these members of the Shawnee Mountain Bike Association, who had come together for the third time this year to maintain their favorite trails.

"If you ride them, you should work on them," said Randal Falker, a junior from St. Louis studying communication design and a self-proclaimed dirt-lover.

The group headed through the three and one-half mile trail, weed-whacking poison ivy and lopping off the hanging vines that would eventually become a problem for trail users.

"We're not only riding the trails, we're working on them to help improve them," said Sean Boyle, president of the association and professor of automotive technology at SIUC. "Part of our goal is to make them safe and make them sustained, so they'll take care of themselves."

In addition, taking care of the trails adds up to what member Mary Collier called "good karma," which the group will need when the latest Land Resource and Management Plan is finalized.

The Land Resource and Management Plan is a 400-page document put together every 15 years by the U.S. Forest Service and Department of Agriculture. The plan authorizes everything from harvesting timber to recreation. In 1992, the future of mountain biking was threatened by a proposed revision to the 1987 plan, Boyle said.

Because mountain biking was a fairly new sport, it had not been mentioned in any of the previous plans. Therefore, mountain biking was allowed wherever hikers or horses were allowed, Boyle said.

"No recognition, no policy," he said.

However, the revision clumped mountain bikes with all-terrain vehicles. This limited the number of trails bikers were allowed to use. In addition, environmentalists were fighting to have all-terrain vehicles, and therefore mountain bikes, abolished, Boyle said.

Because the issue was raised, the revision was dropped and the Forest Service reverted to the old plan.

"In a sense, that saved mountain biking," Boyle said.

But mountain bikers knew something must be done to ensure that their sport would not be threatened again. In 1993, the Shawnee Mountain Bike Association was formed to make certain there was a place for mountain biking in the Shawnee.

According to its official Web site, the association works with Shawnee National Forest personnel to develop and maintain quality trails, promote responsible biking, and work with other trail users, such as equestrians and hikers, to improve the trail experience.

"We want to be looked upon as responsible users," Boyle said. "We want to make this a better experience for everyone."

Today, the new alternatives to the Land Resource and Management Plan officially recognize mountain biking and Boyle said he believes it's because of the association's efforts.

"We're a force to be reckoned with," Boyle said. A finalized plan will be ready in late fall.

"It will give us recognition, which is what we really need," Boyle said.

Becky Banker, public affairs officer for the Shawnee, said the service appreciates what the bikers and other volunteers have done.

"We couldn't get near the trail maintenance we have without them," she said. "They are a Godsend."

Reporter Haley Murray can be reached at haley_murray@dailyegyptian.com