This article was originally published in the Marin Independent Journal on July 24th, 2025, by Krista Hoff, MCBC’s Off-Road Advocacy Director.
Earlier this year, a modest, two-year pilot program aimed at opening 6 miles of trails (out of 60) to bicycles in the Mount Tamalpais watershed hit an unexpected legal roadblock. 
Despite four years of outreach, resource surveys, and stakeholder input, the decision by the Marin Municipal Water District Board of Directors to approve the program was met with a California Environmental Quality Act lawsuit from a coalition of hiking groups. I consider it a major setback for data-driven planning, public collaboration, and more equitable trail access.
The pilot was designed to gather data that could inform MMWD’s broader watershed recreation plan, data that could have guided future decisions on shared use. It proposed simple enhancements like trail signage, surface repairs, and erosion control. But opponents insisted that a full environmental impact report was required – despite the program’s limited scope, negligible environmental impact, and qualifying for CEQA’s exemptions.
Many legal observers, as well as my fellow Marin County Bicycle Coalition members, firmly believe that had this case been considered by the court on the merits of the claims, MMWD’s pilot program would have been allowed to proceed. CEQA focuses on evaluating actual environmental impacts and allows exemptions explicitly for programs like this one.
In this case, the pilot was temporary in nature and would have helped inform MMWD’s larger recreation planning effort, which will be subject to a full environmental review. The pilot had a limited impact on already disturbed areas, staying within existing trails, and it included only minor physical improvements, qualifying it for exemptions from CEQA. Although not required by CEQA, MMWD evaluated trail use and visitor experience in addition to environmental impacts when selecting these trails and included strategies to further promote safe trail sharing.
Unfortunately, rather than defend against the spurious claims in court, MMWD settled, citing the cost and time burden of litigation. This decision should not be viewed as an admission of error, but rather as a pragmatic response to legal tactics that exploit CEQA to obstruct progress, even when no real environmental harm is at stake.
I want to be clear: CEQA plays a vital procedural role in protecting California’s natural environment. But it’s increasingly being misused to delay, derail, or defeat projects simply because a well-funded group or individual doesn’t like them. This is classic NIMBY-ism, and CEQA litigation is simply the tool to impose a group or individual’s preferred outcome at the expense of the public. CEQA became a weapon of obstruction, not a safeguard.
This is not what CEQA was meant to do.
MMWD followed the law, applied exemptions properly, and took a reasoned approach. The hiking groups’ successful effort to block this well-intentioned program didn’t just stall a trail project; it undermined public trust in environmental protections and in good-faith, collaborative planning.
At a time when environmental regulations face political threats nationwide, we can’t afford to erode public confidence in laws like CEQA. Misusing it breeds cynicism, fuels polarization, and makes future protections harder to defend.
This legal setback is frustrating, but it’s not the end of the story. It underscores the urgent need for:
- Public education around how CEQA works (and doesn’t work)
- Legal advocacy to protect the appropriate use of exemptions
- Continued partnership with land agencies and stewardship organizations is open to inclusive, sustainable, and responsible trail access.
Most of all, it strengthens our resolve to keep working for common-sense access solutions that serve all trail users – hikers, runners, equestrians, and, yes, cyclists.
This pilot could have delivered critical insights into shared use, trail conditions, and user behavior. At MCBC, we still believe in collaborative, science-informed recreation management, and we remain ready to work with MMWD, environmental advocates, and all community partners to build a trail system that reflects our shared values of access, stewardship, and equity.
The coalition’s mission is to make bicycling safe, fun, and accessible for all. We support responsible trail use and conservation, and we believe that these goals are not mutually exclusive.
If you believe that trails can be shared respectfully and responsibly, we invite you to join us. Advocate with local agencies. Stand up for fair, fact-based policy. Be part of a growing movement for thoughtful access and lasting stewardship.
Together, we can move beyond litigation and back onto the trails – where all of us belong.