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Starting next year, mountain bikers in Indiana state parks must have a special permit to ride off-road trails. The state Natural Resources Commission approved the measure Tuesday.
The permit will cost $5 per day or $20 per year.
State parks officials say it’s needed to boost revenue. They expect it could bring in $60,000 per year.
After working with the Department of Natural Resources to address some concerns, the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association pledged its support for the proposal, but the group’s Executive Director Tammy Mebane still cautioned that the fee could deter people from riding on the trails they’ve worked hard to build and maintain.
“We would just like to make sure this fee is actually increasing revenue and not decreasing state parks revenue but also tourism in the state,” Mebane said.
The Hoosier Mountain Bike Association is also asking state parks to pledge more resources for trail amenities. Right now, the trails are largely maintained by volunteers.
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