It'd be nice to have more trails everywhere, but that's not possible, so STA study areas and figure out where they might fit, like fitting within FNBP's plans and goals.  When we outlaw cars on the road because there are sometimes moose on the road, yours and Rick's point of view might make sense.  Till that day, we mitigate the hazards with bells, spray, education, maintenance, and so on.  It's not a well-written or well-thought out column, it's an obviously-biased column due to this quote: 
"It wasn't until after the parks and recreation commission had approved the idea that anyone thought to ask the Anchorage Watershed and Natural Resources Advisory Commission what it thought about the trail proposal. In this case, the meddlesome "anyone" was me. I'm a duly appointed member of the commission."
From a journalistic point of view, it's terrible.  Rick wants to stonewall any attempt to add trails and based on his previous articles of misinformation, he is most certainly biased.