Biking has exploded as a form of recreation on public lands and trails. Rules differ among management agencies regarding the types of "transportation" allowable, from only foot and horseback in declared wilderness areas, to foot, horseback, and peddle biking on many more public trails, and in many cases types of motorized recreation from two-wheel to ATV to 4-wheel drive. But where in this mix might E-bikes land? Existing rules largely (and implicitly) place them in the motorized 2 wheel category. Struggles among trail users and "preservationists" continue even as this new form of locomotion becomes popular.

What has been a mostly bureaucratic and regulatory issue and process has now taken on a new pace and urgency. Motorized electric bicycles may soon be humming along serene trails in national parks and other public lands nationwide. Its part of a new Trump administration order - hotly opposed by many outdoors groups - that will allow e-bikes on every federal trail where a regular bike can go.

Interior Secretary David Bernhardt signed the orderwithout fanfare June 6, 2019, classifying e-bikes as non-motorized bikes. The e-bikes "make bicycle travel easier and more efficient, and they provide an option for people who want to ride a bicycle but might not otherwise do so because of physical fitness, age, disability or convenience," National Park Service Deputy Director P. Daniel Smith said in a statement June 7^th. Bernhardt's order gave agency officials 30 days to come up with public guidance on how the new policy will be carried out by the National Park and National Wildlife Refuge systems, and on land overseen by the Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation. The National Park Service said in a statement that public comment would be sought as it works to develop a revised rule on bicycle use.

Enthusiasts argue E-bikes are the fastest-growing segment of the bicycle industry, with U.S. sales jumping 72% to $144 million last year, according to the NPD Group, which tracks bike sales. The motorized bikes are popular with commuters and aging baby boomers that might not otherwise get out on a bicycle. Opponents argue "Parks are already having a shortage of staffs and rangers," said Randy Rasmussen, whose organization, Back Country Horsemen of America, opposes the rules. "And now what: they're supposed to be out there with radar guns? It's unenforceable." He suspects riders going faster than permitted will create dangerous encounters with spooked horses. (The Interior statement said riders must use the motor only to boost their pedaling on the trails, and not zip along on motor power alone.) And thus the argumentsrage.

The Pikes Peak region has an abundance of trails and options for trail-based recreation. The only National Park Service presence is Fossil Beds National Monument. However, few believe that the move to introduce E-bikes on Federal lands and trails will for long remain just with the NPS. The US Forest Service, in the Dept. of Agriculture, manages large portions of the Pikes Peak region and can expect pressure soon to "go along" with the E-bike reclassification as non-motorized vehicles.

The successful Workshop Team will have a range of backgrounds, areas of study, and recreational experience. The assignment is to evaluate the existing trails in the 3-county Pikes Peak region and tag each by the types of mobility assistance allowed currently. Interviews with trails users and organizations, outdoor businesses, and land management agencies will result in a summary of attitudes in the region about introduction of E-bikes where they are not allowed now. Recommendations, including possible separate motorized vs. non-motorized trails, and a strategy for the places E-bikes should be allowed will be the culmination of this Team's report.

Team Members: Mia Dorris (Psychology &Economics), Sam Bower (Geology), Chris Mehlman (Political Science & Human Biology), Ruby Lamb (Environmental Science, Global Health)

Elevate the Peak, an initiative by the Palmer Land Trust(PLT), using funding from Great Outdoors Colorado(GOCO) and others, seeks to mobilize the community around a collective vision and priorities for public and private land conservation and outdoor tourism/recreation centered on Pikes Peak. As a united community, we can accomplish more and unlock greater private, public and philanthropic investment in the region. Elevate the Peak is premised on two core principles about the future of conservation: 1) effective land conservation must operate on a regional level, and 2) land conservation goals and priorities must be rooted in the communities in which implementation occurs.

Community Storytelling Component ---Elevate the Peak aims to identify a collective conservation and recreation vision for the Pikes Peak Region by mobilizing the community around the importance of conservation, recreation, and tourism. One important component is engaging the community through storytelling.

The successful Workshop team will create 8-10 short film vignettes of key individuals deeply involved in Pikes Peak issues and organizations. These film segments will tell their story of why they love Pikes Peak and how they are involved as stakeholders, as well as their "dreams" of what the Pikes Peak region's outdoors and recreation will look like in 30 years. These video segments will be hosted on a special portion of Palmer Land Trust's web site. Assistance and guidance will be provided to this Storytelling Team to design the flow and coverage of these vignettes as well as gaining access to stakeholders at the top of a priority list of community leaders, local business owners, government officials and managers, and a range of recreationists in different age and background categories. Demonstrated creative involvement in social media as well as creation of short video clips is essential, as is a range of backgrounds and outdoors-recreation interests among the Team.

Team Members: Sasha Shapiro (Film and Media Studies), with help from Maitland Robinson (Environmental Studies) and Zoe Zwecker (Environmental Science, Global Health)

National forests historically have allowed "dispersed" camping in remote areas with no services, often with a limit such as 30 days. Traditionally as families camped, others put up tents in remote areas to fish, hunt, the length of stays was limited and thus impacts on the forest floor and associated streams and trails remained "light". In recent years, perhaps for a decade, "habitation" of the national forests became a "cheap" option for those with low paying jobs, no jobs, and increasingly in the last few years the "homeless." Cities and towns near national forests have started to restrict where, how, and for how long the homeless can use municipal vacant lots, waterways, parks, etc. As these political entitles tighten up, the homeless are being pushed into adjacent public, open and vacant lands. The National Forests thus are now faced with a magnitude larger pressure from those using "dispersed" camping, for longer periods, higher density, and cumulative impacts of waste, trampled vegetation, and polluted waterways and lands.

Our own adjacent Pike San Isabel NF is facing this type of challenge. Much can be learned from how other public lands and national forests are reacting to this new kind of "urban" pressure. The team selected to address this topic will review the pattern and timing of local municipal homeless laws and regulations, review how other national forests such as the Pike that is now largely an "urban" forest are handling the issues, meet with national forest personnel, interview the fast growing homeless set of agencies, and find appropriate ways to seek responses from those in our locality now being pushed out of towns and cities and into open spaces and national forests. The resulting product will be a paper and linked presentation that can inform various constituencies and stakeholders.

Team Members: Tyler Walker (Biochemistry), Tamar Crupp (Undeclared), Karla Iruegas (Spanish & Environmental Science), Rui Shou (Math Economics)

In June 2019, Colorado started naming certain areas to be 'Creative Districts", this "process focuses on defining specific geographic areas that can attract artists and creative entrepreneurs to a community" (ColoradoCreativeIndustries.org). One of the districts named is the Colorado Springs Creative District. This type State designation could be expanded to add a Ring the Peak Creative District. This could help bridge the communities in the Pikes Peak Region: Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, Divide, Cripple Creek, Victor and Canon City. Then art pieces would be linked together in these communities. As a creative addition: art might be placed on the top of Pikes Peak, and possibly in the surrounding natural areas. This project also has the potential of bringing the outdoor recreational community together with the artistic community in the region. A goal would be to have representation of historical, cultural, alongside artistic components

The winning Team will explore how such a multi-community Creative District might be formed, including what is required so that Colorado designation could be achieved. This Team will have members familiar with other creative districts as well as representation of diverse majors and backgrounds. Tasks will include contacting cultural groups and artists in these communities, finding similarities with other examples of regional districts, determining management and municipal requirements for additional art to be locates, and writing a "mock" application for such a regional district. The resulting Ring the Peak Creative District will have pieces of art and culture that encapsulate the entire Pikes Peak Region.

Team Members: Maddy Unger (Environmental Studies), Xavier Dominques (Physics), Ryan O'Meara (Economics), Adrian Ward ( Mathematics)