The Parks and Recreation Commission discussed Jan. 14 a BLM outreach effort that could change trail rules across the Colorado River Field Office, including Red Hill and Sudie Ranch. The Bureau of Land Management plans an environmental assessment (NEPA) scoping period beginning in late February; staff asked commissioners for feedback that the town could submit as formal public comment.

Eric Brenlinger, the town’s parks and recreation director, said the BLM’s request is to allow Class 1 e-bikes on multiple BLM-managed mountain-bike trails and that the BLM will accept public scoping comments for 30 days. "They're gonna go through a whole environmental assessment process and NEPA process ... and that's gonna have a public open comment period in February," he said.

Commissioners and trail stakeholders raised consistent concerns: enforcement and trail degradation, user-speed conflicts on narrow single-track trails, the absence of on-site rangers and the difficulty of distinguishing pedal‑assist e‑bikes from conventional bikes. Chris Brandt (identified in meeting materials as president of the Red Hill Council) provided a written personal opinion and was cited by staff as warning about rapid degradation from increased and mixed-use traffic.

Several commissioners and members of the public urged mitigation steps that could be recommended to BLM and trustees, including:

- Limiting e-bike access to less-technical trail segments (for example, permitting Sudie Ranch but not the steep front side of Red Hill), or delaying BLM implementation until an uphill-only bike trail is engineered and signed;
- Investing in stronger, more visible signage and trail rating to inform users of difficulty and distance;
- A public-education and volunteer-patrol model (volunteer shirts/chicanes at trailheads) to encourage etiquette where formal enforcement is limited;
- Considering changes to trail design (one-way sections, switchbacks or separate uphill routes) to reduce speed conflicts and erosion.

Members also discussed regional coordination and precedent: staff noted other BLM-managed areas have allowed Class 1 e-bike use and that BLM plans to use nearby trail research as part of impact analysis. Commissioners urged staff to gather comparative data and to prepare a list of local concerns and priorities for submission during the BLM scoping period.

What's next: Staff asked commissioners to develop a concise list of concerns and suggested mitigation measures for the March meeting and said the town could submit official comments on behalf of Parks & Recreation. The public comment periods are expected to begin in late February and last about 30 days; further draft and final EA steps would follow the scoping period if the BLM proceeds.

Provenance: Discussion introduced Jan. 14 (topic start SEG 1016; topic finish SEG 2013).