Reno-area motorcyclists, bicyclists, hikers and four-wheelers are banding together to ensure access to Peavine Peak remains protected in the face of rapid development.

On Monday, the newly formed Washoe County Back Country Coalition presented the U.S. Forest Service with a petition signed by 1,760 people demanding that continued access to the network of dirt roads crisscrossing the mountain be guaranteed.

The group also advocates the possible creation of a “world class” recreation area at Peavine that members say could draw visitors from far away, boosting the economy and building on the region’s status as an outdoor destination.

“It’s a spectacular area. It’s just too good to give up,” said Carl Adams, coalition spokesman. “We think it could become a major tourist destination.”

The group’s formation follows December’s release by the Forest Service of a long-term land management strategy for what many consider Reno’s backyard mountain.

Larry Randall, recreation officer for the Carson Ranger District, said the Forest Service welcomes the coalition’s participation as it implements specific projects outlined under its Peavine management strategy. Concerns cited by the coalition’s petitioners will be taken into account as those decisions are made in the months and years ahead, Randall said.

“My sense is they just want to make sure they’re heard,” Randall said. “I view this as an opportunity.”

The Forest Service plan, endorsed by the Reno City Council, aims to protect both the interests of those who play on Peavine’s chocolate-colored slopes and those living in homes steadily creeping up the mountain’s flanks.

Although the plan proposes to ensure continued public access through the designation of 13 different portals around the mountain, members of the Back Country Coalition insist more thought needs to be given to Peavine’s recreational opportunities and the threats they face.

“When you think about what’s going on, all over Reno we’re losing access to public land,” Adams said. “There isn’t any plan as far as we can see to really protect this access.

Continued residential developments, including Somersett north of Mogul, make planning for public access now particularly important, said Adams, 60.

“The sprawl is going to be all the way to Verdi before we know it,” said Cliff Young, who represents bicyclists on the coalition. “It’s like a wildfire the way we’re growing.”

By this summer, officials expect to designate a 1,950-acre area of Keystone Canyon for nonmotorized recreation. Engineers also will commence detailed surveys of roads on the mountain. These are among the first projects called for under the Forest Service’s Peavine strategy.

The Forest Service’s long-term plan calls for closing many of Peavine’s roads, a proposal that has some users concerned. It will be useful to have coalition members involved in discussions before any decisions are made as to which roads should remain open, Randall said.

Bill Von Phul, president of the Truckee Meadows Trails Association, acknowledged the coalition is made up of an unlikely partnership.

“Usually the motorcyclists and the hikers and the bikers don’t get along too well together,” Von Phul said. “But access in general is in danger. The more voices that can sing this chorus the better off we’re going to be.”

Although Peavine is now the focus of the coalition’s attention, Adams said the group will work to protect access elsewhere along the Sierra front and in places such as the hills around Spanish Springs.