Michael Vandeman, 67, assaulted a mountain biker with a handsaw on a University of California-Berkeley fire road on April 18, 2010.

Vandeman is a radical environmentalist who believes that forests should be closed off to humans, especially mountain bikers. He cites studies that “prove” that mountain bikers damage the environment, and ignores studies that show that mountain bikers have no more of an impact than hikers, and that hikers often have more of an impact on the surrounding environment because they are more likely to leave the trail.

To gain an understanding of Mr. Vandeman, check out his websites:

• Wildlife Need Habitat Off-Limits to Humans
• A pictorial overview of “Wildlife Need Habitat Off-Limits to Humans.”
• Mike Vandeman’s Environmental Letters, Articles, and Book Reviews

According to Henry K. Lee’s article for the San Francisco Chronicle, “Tools used in Berkeley Hills bike rage case,” the handsaw incident is one of many assaults on mountain bikers. On June 19, 2009, Vandeman used a sharp tool to puncture a cyclist’s tire. Lee reported that Vandeman “angrily yelled at the victim regarding his bicycle ruining the trail and the environment.” Together with the handsaw assault, Vandeman faced charges of vandalism and assault.

Vandeman is well-known to mountain bikers from his attacks on many Internet forums and chat rooms. The Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance published “The Mike Vandeman Frequently Asked Questions.” It includes lots of fun and interesting information such as:

He hates mountain biking, and wants it banned. It conflicts with his desire to hike on trails he wants to himself. He doesn’t want you mountain biking past him when he’s hiking, and really gets pissed when it happens on a hiker only trail.

The alliance advises that ignoring Mike’s attacks is the best solution, but they recognize that “Some of his posts are so obviously out of whack you’ll just *have* to reply, if for no other reason, than to get it out of your system.”

Vandeman found one of my Examiner.com articles, “Mountain biking 101: How to get women into the sport,” and left the following comment:

Exactly the point! Journalism is not for “promoting” mountain biking. It is for presenting an unbiased look at events. For some reason (money?), Diane Ursu wants us to believe that mountain biking is a harmless, fun activity, when the truth is that it is a very environmentally destructive activity that is extremely dangerous for participants, wildlife, and other trail users. Serious injuries and even deaths are quite common!: home.pacbell.net/mjvande/mtb_dangerous.

According to the KTVU.com article, “Berkeley Man Charged in Handsaw Attack on Bicyclists,” from June 3, Vandeman’s bail has been set at $12,500.

KTVU further reports:

UC Berkeley police are still seeking information about other possible incidents involving Vandeman. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Police Department’s criminal investigation bureau at (510) 642-0472 or (510) 642-6760.