Beach Runner wrote:

Since everyone agrees that trail and wildlife impact is no worse for
bicyclists than hikers,
BS. Everyone KNOWLEDGEABLE (i.e., scientists) agree that mountain
biking has much greater impacts than hiking.

As an ardent environmentalist, people need to unifiy.

Correct. But one way to unify people is with facts and logic. It is
important that everyone understand the facts regarding trail impact, in
order to eliminate friction between users that is often based on false
assumptions.

Look at all the studies regarding impact, and you'll not find a single
credible study that shows any significant difference in trail impact or
wildlife impact between hikers and mountain bikers. One study does show
a marginally lower impact on wildlife from mountain biking, but it's not
significant enough to base a ban on hikers on.

Personally, I was very disappointed in California's recent primary,
where a big developer and anti-environmentalist won the Democratic
primary. This spells big trouble for California, as his biggest campaign
contributors were developers too. Look for more sprawl and strip malls,
coming soon to a greenbelt near you.