The major harm that mountain biking does is that it greatly extends the human footprint (distance that one can travel) in wildlife habitat. E-bikes multiply that footprint even more. Neither should be allowed on any unpaved trail. Wildlife, if they are to survive, MUST receive top priority!

What were you thinking??? Mountain biking and trail-building destroy wildlife habitat! Mountain biking is environmentally, socially, and medically destructive! There is no good reason to allow bicycles on any unpaved trail!

Bicycles should not be allowed in any natural area. They are inanimate objects and have no rights. There is also no right to mountain bike. That was settled in federal court in 1996: https://mjvande.info/mtb10.htm . It’s dishonest of mountain bikers to say that they don’t have access to trails closed to bikes. They have EXACTLY the same access as everyone else — ON FOOT! Why isn’t that good enough for mountain bikers? They are all capable of walking….

Why do mountain bikers always insist on creating illegal trails? It’s simple: they ride so fast that they see almost nothing of what they are passing. Therefore, they quickly get bored with any given trail and want another and another, endlessly! (In other words, mountain biking is inherently boring!)

A favorite myth of mountain bikers is that mountain biking is no more harmful to wildlife, people, and the environment than hiking, and that science supports that view. Of course, it’s not true. To settle the matter once and for all, I read all of the research they cited, and wrote a review of the research on mountain biking impacts (see https://mjvande.info/scb7.htm ). I found that of the seven studies they cited, (1) all were written by mountain bikers, and (2) in every case, the authors misinterpreted their own data, in order to come to the conclusion that they favored. They also studiously avoided mentioning another scientific study (Wisdom et al) which did not favor mountain biking, and came to the opposite conclusions.

Mountain bikers also love to build new trails – legally or illegally. Of course, trail-building destroys wildlife habitat – not just in the trail bed, but in a wide swath to both sides of the trail! E.g. grizzlies can hear a human from one mile away, and smell us from 5 miles away. Thus, a 10-mile trail represents 100 square miles of destroyed or degraded habitat, that animals are inhibited from using. Mountain biking, trail building, and trail maintenance all increase the number of people in the park, thereby preventing the animals’ full use of their habitat. See https://mjvande.info/scb9.htm for details.

Mountain biking accelerates erosion, creates V-shaped ruts, kills small animals and plants on and next to the trail, drives wildlife and other trail users out of the area, and, worst of all, teaches kids that the rough treatment of nature is okay (it’s NOT!). What’s good about THAT?

To see exactly what harm mountain biking does to the land, watch this 5-minute video: http://vimeo.com/48784297.

In addition to all of this, it is extremely dangerous: https://mjvande.info/mtb_dangerous.htm .

The latest craze among mountain bikers is the creation of “pump tracks” (bike parks). They are alleged to teach bicycling skills, but what they actually teach are “skills” (skidding, jumping (“getting air”), racing, etc.) that are appropriate nowhere! If you believe that these “skills” won’t be practiced throughout the rest of the park and in all other parks, I have a bridge I’d like to sell you! …

For more information: https://mjvande.info/mtbfaq.htm .

The common thread among those who want more recreation in our parks is total ignorance about and disinterest in the wildlife whose homes these parks are. Yes, if humans are the only beings that matter, it is simply a conflict among humans (but even then, allowing bikes on trails harms the MAJORITY of park users — hikers and equestrians — who can no longer safely and peacefully enjoy their parks).

The parks aren’t gymnasiums or racetracks or even human playgrounds. They are WILDLIFE HABITAT, which is precisely why they are attractive to humans. Activities such as mountain biking, that destroy habitat, violate the charter of the parks.

Even kayaking and rafting, which give humans access to the entirety of a water body, prevent the wildlife that live there from making full use of their habitat, and should not be allowed. Of course those who think that only humans matter won’t understand what I am talking about — an indication of the sad state of our culture and educational system.
—
Machine-Free Trails Association

I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-limits to humans (“pure habitat”). Want to help? (I spent the previous 8 years fighting auto dependence and road construction.)

Wildlife must be given top priority, because they can’t protect themselves from us.

Please don’t put a cell phone next to any part of your body that you are fond of!

Stop obeying dictators and incompetent leaders from this time forward! Please share this message as widely as possible!

https://mjvande.info

244

Vishesh Raisinghani

Thu, October 6, 2022 at 3:00 AM·3 min read

Just a few years ago, the rise of plant-based meat seemed inevitable. Major grocery stores and fast food joints started adding these faux meat alternatives to their product mix as consumer demand skyrocketed.

Now the boom has ended. The novelty has faded while the fake meat has taken center stage in the ongoing backlash against corporate “wokeness.”

The sudden reversal of this trend highlights several economic factors that impact consumers and investors alike. Here’s a closer look.

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The ‘wokeness’ backlash

While the term “woke” first popped up in the Black American community, it had grown into a global phenomenon as a catch-all term for everything relating to awareness of racial and social justice matters.

Part of the reason the term is so widely used and loosely defined is that corporate entities have embraced it so thoroughly. Organizations like Whole Foods, Pinterest and Adidas adopted the trend to restructure everything from human resources to marketing campaigns — a phenomenon the Harvard Business Review has dubbed “woke washing.”

Plant-based meat companies are closely associated with this phenomenon. Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods mention “climate change” and “animal welfare” several times on their website and in corporate reports.

The marketing strategy worked initially, driving double-digit annual sales for both companies and major brand partnerships. However, the growing cynicism about woke capitalism has upended this strategy. Recent data from Information Resources Inc., or IRI, suggests that fake meat sales are declining in 2022, while analysis from Deloitte Consulting LLP. indicates that the market may already be saturated in the U.S.

Deloitte also suggests that consumer disenchantment with the term “woke” is making these products less appealing for the average shopper.

Inflation impact

The cultural backlash against “wokeness” isn’t the only reason for declining sales. Inflation could be driving consumers away too.

Food costs have been a key driver of inflation this year. The current rate of inflation is 8.3% — much higher than average.

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Niche fake meat products are likely to struggle in this environment. Products from Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat cost significantly more than traditional meat brands because they lack the economies of scale of their larger competitors.

Industry experts believe fake meat brands could take 15 to 20 years to achieve price parity with regular meat.

Which means consumers struggling with their grocery bills may have substituted their meat already.

A lesson for new investors

The rapid rise and sudden fall of fake meat holds an important lesson for investors. The economy is cyclical, but some sectors and products are immune to this cycle if they’re sufficiently essential.

Traditional food companies like Conagra Brands Inc and Hormel Foods Corp. have outperformed the stock market this year. Conagra stock is flat and Hormel is down 4.5% — while the S&P 500 has lost 21% of its value year-to-date.

Fertilizer companies have performed even better. Nutrien — the world’s largest producer of fertilizers — is up 15.85% year-to-date.

All these stocks also offer reasonable dividend yields.

The lesson for investors is simple — forget fads and bet on long-term trends that are immune to market cycles. Making money is much easier when the product or service is a basic necessity.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/fake-meat-sales-now-plunging-100000695.html