In this second part of an ongoing series on wilderness in America, MoJo columnist Franz Camenzind shines a light on efforts in Congress to roll back federal protection for wilderness. One of the main surprising instigators, he says, are mountain bikers masquerading as conservationists.

MOUNTAIN JOURNAL is public-interest journalism aimed at celebrating an unparalleled region and probing a question: Can America’s last, best and most iconic wild ecosystem be saved? How we make meaning of place and search for answers here has implications for every corner of the country.