United States Department of Justice

United States Attorney Scott N. Schools
Northern District of California

SAN FRANCISCO – United States Attorney Scott N. Schools announced that Steven N. Gravenites, 45, was convicted of possession of a bicycle in a wilderness area by a federal magistrate judge yesterday. The guilty verdict followed a bench trial before United States Magistrate Judge Bernard Zimmerman. This conviction is the result of citations originally issued by Park Rangers in the Point Reyes National Seashore on June 21, 2007.

Evidence at trial demonstrated that Steven N. Gravenites, from Bolinas in Marin County, possessed a bicycle during an illegal trail ride on June 21, 2007 in Point Reyes National Seashore. Mr. Gravenites admitted during the bench trial that he had previously been issued a citation for illegal trail riding in Marin County in 2001.

U.S. Attorney Scott N. Schools stated, “The United States Attorney’s Office will continue to prosecute these offenses as illegal mountain bike trail rides contribute to soil erosion, cause wildlife disturbance and interfere with the enjoyment of the park by hikers and others.”

According to a 2002 National Parks Conservation Association resource assessment, Point Reyes, designated a national seashore in the early 1960's, is a sanctuary for nearly 30 percent of the world’s marine mammal species and 45 percent of the bird species in all of North America. The park is home to 23 species on the federally endangered and threatened species list and 33 on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s species of concern list.

Wendy Thomas is the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney who prosecuted the case with the assistance of Derek Angell, law clerk for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and legal assistant Wilson Wong. The prosecution resulted from citations issued by Park Rangers Brian Lake, Rene Buehl, and Eric Peterson.

Further Information:             

Case #: 07-0714 MAG

A copy of this press release may be found on the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/can.

Electronic court filings and further procedural and docket information are available at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

Judges’ calendars with schedules for upcoming court hearings can be viewed on the court’s website at www.cand.uscourts.gov.

All press inquiries to the U.S. Attorney’s Office should be directed to Natalya LaBauve at (415) 436-7055 or by email at Natalya.LaBauve@usdoj.gov.