I want to give everyone an update on initial impressions of DCR's Draft RMP for the Middlesex Fells.

The initial read on the Fells Draft RMP is positive. DCR has gone to great lengths to document and validate that mountain biking is an absolutely appropriate activity in the Fells and deserves expanded access. It is a good starting point and a lot of thought and hard work was put into this document. We will have more detailed feedback and comments on it shortly.

Summary of the important parts that are of immediate interest:
-The Draft RMP has essentially all the pieces that DCR was proposing in the Draft Trails Plan.
-Reservoir Trail (Orange) becomes multi-use
-Dark Hollow Pond gets 1-3 mountain bike trails
-The Eastern side of the Fells is targeted for expanded mountain bike access including possibly the Rock Circuit Trail
-Winter closure (as enacted last January) is still the month of March or as conditions require
-Existing MTB Loop, Reservoir and Skyline trails will likely be de-aligned to separate them where they overlap

In fairness to pedestrians, DCR is designating the Skyline (White) Trail as pedestrian only. We know this has some favored technical sections but we believe that the compromise of expanded access on the East side (with the technical opportunities of the Rock Circuit) is a fair one. DCR believes that part of the solution to user conflicts at the Fells is separation of use: have some pedestrian-only and mtb-only trails.

I would encourage reading the Draft RMP.  Here's the download link: http://www.mass.gov/dcr/stewardship/rmp/downloads/midfells/rmp-midfellls.pdf

We are now in the next phase: 60 days of public comment. Then DCR incorporates comments and releases a version that gets reviewed and hopefully approved by the Stewardship Council. So, we're not quite done yet...but we're getting very close!

It's been a long road without clear outcomes and a fair amount of discouragement over the last 25 years. I'm optimistic that this process is yielding the start of positive changes for equitable access in the Fells for all of us. Thanks for being patient and pitching in when we've put the call out. There will be a next action request of all of you to send in comments but that will follow a more detailed set of comments from GBNEMBA on the Draft RMP.