IMBA Advocates Flood Capitol Hill

For Immediate Release
03-21-07
Contact: Drew Vankat, Policy Analyst

303-545-9011

More than 50 IMBA advocates converged on Washington, D.C. last week for the National Bike Summit, hosted by the League of American Bicyclists. The Summit is the premier annual cycling advocacy event in our nation's capital and IMBA is proud to have been a leading sponsor in 2007, thanks in part to a generous grant from Bikes Belong.

The Summit provided valuable resources for all genres of cycling advocates. Through three days of advocacy training, networking and lobbying, attendees gained knowledge and experiences that will provide invaluable help for local and state issues. IMBA attendees were provided with a special dirt-centric agenda, focusing on mountain bike advocacy, land preservation and economic development.

"We are extremely excited that so many mountain bike leaders from around the country joined us in D.C. This was a unique opportunity to gain further traction on some of the most pressing national issues facing our sport, and to leverage support for local and state issues," said IMBA Executive Director Mike Van Abel.

A slew of accomplished speakers, informative seminars and a surprise appearance by Floyd Landis were just some highlights of the Summit. In addition to IMBA-led concurrent sessions, Mountain Bike advocates also joined together for a memorable dinner Wednesday night.

Protecting Trails and Helping Trail Partners

On Thursday, IMBA delegates took part in nearly 200 meetings on Capitol Hill, sharing important access and partnership messages with congressional offices. Specifically, Summit attendees asked for bicycle-friendly land preservation and increased funding for the National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program (RTCA).

Please Fund RTCA at $12 Million

Last year, the highly effective field-based RTCA program, managed by the National Park Service, helped local communities and organizations build more than 1,300 miles of trail in 300 trails and greenways projects around the country. After a decade of stagnant funding, IMBA is asking that RTCA's $8.2 million budget be increased to $12 million for fiscal year 2008.

IMBA's campaign for RTCA is not limited to the National Bike Summit. A recent action alert on IMBA.com resulted in more than 200 mountain bikers sending messages to their congressional representatives in favor of increasing RTCA's budget. Additional information and updates will be posted on IMBA.com.

Please Support Bicycle-Friendly Land Preservation

Mountain bikers also lobbied Congress to pass three pending land protection bills: The Virginia Ridge and Valley Act, Oregon's Mount Hood Stewardship Legacy Act and Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness Act (not yet reintroduced). Thanks to the hard work of local IMBA advocates, these bills include bicycle-friendly provisions to protect important trails and natural resources.

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	IMBA Advocates Flood Capitol Hill For Immediate Release 03-21-07 Contact: Drew Vankat, Policy Analyst 303-545-9011 More than 50 IMBA advocates converged on Washington, D.C. last week for the National Bike Summit, hosted by the League of American Bicyclists. The Summit is the premier annual cycling advocacy event in our nation's capital and IMBA is proud to have been a leading sponsor in 2007, thanks in part to a generous grant from Bikes Belong. The Summit provided valuable resources for all genres of cycling advocates. Through three days of advocacy training, networking and lobbying, attendees gained knowledge and experiences that will provide invaluable help for local and state issues. IMBA attendees were provided with a special dirt-centric agenda, focusing on mountain bike advocacy, land preservation and economic development. "We are extremely excited that so many mountain bike leaders from around the country joined us in D.C. This was a unique opportunity to gain further traction on some of the most pressing national issues facing our sport, and to leverage support for local and state issues," said IMBA Executive Director Mike Van Abel. A slew of accomplished speakers, informative seminars and a surprise appearance by Floyd Landis were just some highlights of the Summit. In addition to IMBA-led concurrent sessions, Mountain Bike advocates also joined together for a memorable dinner Wednesday night. Protecting Trails and Helping Trail Partners On Thursday, IMBA delegates took part in nearly 200 meetings on Capitol Hill, sharing important access and partnership messages with congressional offices. Specifically, Summit attendees asked for bicycle-friendly land preservation and increased funding for the National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program (RTCA). Please Fund RTCA at $12 Million Last year, the highly effective field-based RTCA program, managed by the National Park Service, helped local communities and organizations build more than 1,300 miles of trail in 300 trails and greenways projects around the country. After a decade of stagnant funding, IMBA is asking that RTCA's $8.2 million budget be increased to $12 million for fiscal year 2008. IMBA's campaign for RTCA is not limited to the National Bike Summit. A recent action alert on IMBA.com resulted in more than 200 mountain bikers sending messages to their congressional representatives in favor of increasing RTCA's budget. Additional information and updates will be posted on IMBA.com. Please Support Bicycle-Friendly Land Preservation Mountain bikers also lobbied Congress to pass three pending land protection bills: The Virginia Ridge and Valley Act, Oregon's Mount Hood Stewardship Legacy Act and Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness Act (not yet reintroduced). Thanks to the hard work of local IMBA advocates, these bills include bicycle-friendly provisions to protect important trails and natural resources.


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