Update 10/13/2011:

Friends of the Fells are now promoting an anti-mtb website from their homepage: bikesvnature.org. This looks to be perpetrated by the same rabidly anti-mtb FoF zealot Steve Guyrina who was behind the wheeled-locusts.org website. This is unacceptable. The Friends of the Fells have stepped way out of line with this. This is not an action that professional stakeholders do. Take a minute and send a personal email to all of their Advisory Council members via this link: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Tell them, in your own words, how inappropriate this is and that they need to force a wholesale leadership change of the Friends of the Fells. Please also cc: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Lies, lies and more lies

GB NEMBA been relatively quiet on the Fells issues. We've taken the high road and are working through this drawn-out RMP process with the hopes that positive change and justice will prevail.  But with all the lies and misrepresentations being floated around by the Friends of the Fells, we need to comment - and we need YOU to comment and support the Fells' Resource Management Plan NOW!

Crazy Talk

The Friends of the Fells are at it again. We have a draft of the Fells RMP, which they had screamed was required before any changes could even be considered at the Fells. So, DCR consented and did the RMP. They did a pretty good job, too. Now we are told that the RMP isn't good enough. Apparently nothing will be good enough other than granting Friends of the Fells the sole right to dictate allowed uses of the Fells (translation: Friends of the Fells are rabidly anti-bike and anti-recreation).  Just like when they were pushing their anti-recreation venom with their wheeled-locusts website, they continue to distort and misrepresent the Fells' RMP — so much so that DCR was forced to issue an email clarification debunking their mistruths.

Check out this PDF of their website and this PDF of their news page (and check out their current website) to see how far they'll go and how much distortion they're willing to spread.  DCR has called them out on it and we all need to as well.

We're not going to respond in detail to the Friends' claims, since they are so factually wrong that it is clear that they haven't even bothered to read the RMP.

The larger issue is that despite being gravely inaccurate, it is apparently fair game to undermine this process in any way possible to sabotage it in the hope that no positive change takes place at the Fells. If the Friends of the Fells are successful in spreading these misrepresentations and succeed in maintaining the unjust status quo, everyone loses - especially the park.

Lucy and the Football

For all we know, there are those within even DCR and the Stewardship Council who still listen and respect what the Friends of the Fells say, and they may even believe it! DCR may be gun-shy because of all the negative press they've been getting regarding swimming pools, and there may be some bureaucrats within the agency who would rather that this whole thing go away.  But we've had the football yanked out from under us too many times and we need you to let DCR know that this can no longer be tolerated.

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Tell them that you disapprove of the Friends of the Fells misrepresentations and that you want DCR to enact all aspects of the Fells RMP as soon as possible.

If the Friends of the Fells wants to be a legitimate stakeholder at the Fells, they need to act professionally.  They cannot perform illegal trail work, such as their unsanctioned and openly provocative re-blazing of the Dark Hollow Pond trail during the RMP process, and then boast about it on their website even though DCR has formally asked them to remove their mischaracterizations and any reference to the illegal work.

The unprofessional behavior of their current leadership needs to stop. As a "Friends" group, they need to show that they not only represent all the constituencies that enjoy the Fells, but they also need to stop their underhanded politicking against dog-walkers and mountain bikers.

Senator Jehlen kindly attended DCR's presentation of the Draft RMP. In her comments she stated, "The Fells is big, but maybe not big enough for all of us to love it our own way." The Friends of the Fells leadership needs to take this to heart and start acting like professionals who understand the importance of compromise and of being subject to the same rules as everyone else. Until that happens, there is very little reason to hope for any productive interaction with them. The Fells is not theirs. It is ours — all of us.

The Draft Fells RMP proposes to make a lot of good changes and we fully support the DCR and this process. We have asked our constituents to trust this process, hoping that trail justice will prevail and that there will be positive changes and equitable access at the Fells.  But with the Friends stooping to new lows this might be in doubt – show that you care about the Fells – show that you won’t let a small group of entitled extremists prevent the Fells from becoming a great place for all of us to enjoy and protect.

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Perhaps more importantly, click here to send the Friends of the Fells Advisory Council a message asking them to lend their influence to reign in, redirect, and if needed get new leadership for the Friends of the Fells.

We will be posting our formal comments on the RMP shortly.