New York Trail Managers Learn From IMBA
 Nearly 50 land managers joined the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew at Allegany State Park in western New York for an IMBA Trailbuilding School. |
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 Another group of land management professionials participated in an IMBA Trailbuilding School at Green Lake State Park in central New York. |
For Immediate Release
04-29-05
Contact: Aaryn Kay, Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew coordinator
303-545-9011
Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew trains 200 trail professionals.
Trail experts from the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) shared trail advice with land managers throughout New York this year. The outreach was organized in partnership with the New York Office of Historical Preservation, Recreation and Parks http://nysparks.state.ny.us/ . With four regional trainings, the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew worked with more than 200 state and local land managers.
Recognized around the world as innovative problem solvers, the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew has been helping improve shared-use trails since 1997. Two full-time, professional teams of trail experts travel North America year-round, leading IMBA Trailbuilding Schools, meeting with government officials and land managers, and working with IMBA-affiliated groups to improve mountain biking opportunities. The Crews travel in Subaru Outbacks provided by Subaru of America - the company that has been IMBA's leading sponsor since 1997.
The Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crews have led trail projects in all 50 states and 15 foreign countries, teaching trail enthusiasts how to build trails that last and require minimal maintenance. This helps reduce trail damage, protects the environment, and enhances visitor enjoyment.
Mike Van Abel, IMBA's Executive Director, had this to say: "The Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew is our flagship education program and does much more than open trails for mountain bike riding. It has helped debunk the myth that mountain bicycling has adverse environmental impacts. The on-the-ground education and hands-on training of the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crews has demonstrated over and over that proper trail design will achieve environmental sustainability, while also mitigating recreation visitor conflicts to make for an enjoyable recreation experience."
New York has a long history of trail-based recreation. With a growing population and an increasing mix of users, trails are suffering from erosion and user-conflict issues. To address these issues, the IMBA training sessions focused on new trail design, retrofitting existing trails for sustainability, successful visitor management strategies and enhancing the trail visitor experience.
Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew leaders Mark Schmidt and Lora Woolner taught one-day IMBA Trailbuilding Schools at Allegany State Park and Green Lake State Park , in May 2004. IMBA's Chris Bernhardt and Jill Van Winkle led sessions at Grafton Lakes State Park in July 2004 and the final training at Long Island's Bethpage State Park in April, 2005.
