One of my favorite features in the park, a log ride on Demo 1, was recently removed. I contacted FOW by email to ask what they knew about the removal, and I got a prompt and thoughtful response from Maura McCarthy, the FOW executive director.
Ms. McCarthy knew what I was referring to. She said the log (which she said was installed by FOW volunteers 2 years ago) was removed by a Parks employee who decided that it had been modified (I'm guessing this refers to the rock ramp up to it, but Ms. McCarthy did not specify) and the whole thing should go. FOW did not find out until it was removed. She said FOW crew leaders are considering whether/how to replace/repair, subject to permission from Parks and Rec. She said she couldn't give an estimate of how long this process will take.
She also stated that FOW's general policy is that technical features are "not needed," but that they make exceptions for features which slow riders, improve drainage, and otherwise benefit multiple uses, and which are authorized by Parks & Rec. The log in question had been one of the exceptions. She said Parks & Rec also is generally opposed to technical features but they're big so there is a broader range of views there.
That was the gist of her response to me.
For what its worth, here is my response to Ms. McCarthy of FOW:
"I appreciate your thoughtful and informative response to my inquiry.
"I earnestly hope that FOW will decide to seek repair/replacement of the log feature in question and will advocate against removal of the small handful of similar features located elsewhere in the park. In my view, those features are an important feature of diverse trail usage for many of the reasons you state. Further, such features play an indispensable role in broadening the appeal of the trails beyond speed-oriented cross country riding to include other mountain bikers who are more interested in enjoying the trails at a more casual, more hiker-friendly pace. In other words, the more optional technical features are available -- and by "optional" I mean features that riders and other users are free to bypass -- the slower the mountain bikers will go. Maintaining and encouraging diversity of ridership benefits non-mountain users of the park as well, and preserving technical features is a critical component of that.
"The technical features serve another valuable function for the park as well. I, like many other riders in the far-from-monolithic MTB community, am firmly opposed to unauthorized trail building in the park, but my impression is that a desire for more challenging trails and features is a primary (likely the primary) impetus behind such activity. Removal of the limited number of existing authorized technical features strikes me as a sure-fire recipe for exacerbating the renegade trail building problem. I'm not defending that and I'm certainly not advocating it, but I see no benefit to ignoring that reality.
"All of that said, benefit to other park users is not the only standard that should apply here. I know from personal observation that mountain bikers make up an enormous proportion of trail usership (and, I assume, a non-trivial proportion of FOW membership). Qualities that improve mountain bike park users' experience are intrinsically valuable irrespective of whether they also improve other park users' experiences. Of course this is especially true as to features, such as the log feature in question, situated aside the trail and thus no impediment to hiker/runner/horseback usage.
"Speaking from a more individual perspective, those handful of technical features are precisely what make those trails the amazing resource they are for me and many riders like me. Those technical features are what put a huge smile on my face every time I use the park. Losing that log feature was genuinely distressing, and the thought of losing more is depressing.
"I hope FOW will push for prompt replacement of the log feature in question, will oppose removal of any similar features, and ultimately will reconsider its general opposition to technical features.
Thank you again for your consideration of this matter."