News Briefs

IMBA Trail News
Volume 15, Number 5
Winter 2002

California Wilderness Update

IMBA activists continue to work to shape a California Wilderness bill that mountain bicyclists can support. U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced a 2.5-million acre bill last June. At press time, IMBA is able to support 57 percent of the areas proposed by Senator Boxer for new Wilderness protection. Twenty-one percent of the proposed areas directly overlap significant mountain biking opportunities. IMBA wants all of these areas preserved, but not as designated Wilderness because that would ban all existing bike use. The balance of the proposed areas fall into two categories: IMBA requests boundary adjustments for some and we don't have sufficient knowledge of precise boundaries yet to properly evaluate others. California's other U.S. Senator, Dianne Feinstein, may influence the bill when it is reintroduced to Congress - probably early in 2003. IMBA recommends that bicyclists write to the senator to express support for much of the bill while calling for her help in enacting alternative protection measures for the areas where Senator Boxer's bill conflicts with significant mountain biking. Write Senator Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510. For more information visit: www.imba.com/resources/wilderness

Sjoquist: Advocate of the Year

Gary Sjoquist from Quality Bicycle Products (QBP) received Bicycle Retailer and Industry News' "Advocate of the Year" award Oct. 6 during Interbike, in Las Vegas, Nevada. As the director of membership for the Bikes Belong Coalition, Gary recruited more than 400 new dealer members to the coalition in 2002. Bikes Belong leverages federal funds to make communities more bicycle friendly, and provides grants to bicycling advocacy organizations. IMBA received a grant from the coalition earlier this year. Gary also coordinated the Pro Bike annual conference and the National Bike Summit in '02. At QBP, Sjoquist serves as the company's advocacy director.

NORBA Grants Return

Ten bicycle groups have been awarded 2002 NORBA/IMBA Trail Tune-Up Grants. The $500 grants - made possible by contributions from National Off Road Bicycle Association (NORBA) individual members - support projects that preserve and improve trails used for mountain bike competition, training and recreational riding. The 2002 NORBA/IMBA Trail Tune-Up grant winners are: Southern Off Road Bicycle Association (SORBA), Conyers, GA; Shenandoah Mountain 100 Mile Backcountry Mountain Bike Race, Harrisonburg, VA; Reno Wheelmen, Reno, NV; Central Coast Concerned Mountain Bikers, San Luis Obispo, CA; CNY Dirt, Syracuse, NY; North Woods/Rock Solid Events, Ancram, NY; Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association, Cable, WI; Charleston Off Road Bicycle Association, Charleston, SC; Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers, Birmingham, AL; and the Austin Ridge Riders, Austin, TX. Funding for the Trail Tune-Up program comes from NORBA members who contribute to a land access fund when they purchase or renew their NORBA racing licenses.

New Crew Coordinator

Avery Stonich recently joined IMBA's staff as the new Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew Coordinator. She will organize the crews' schedules as they travel around North America teaching trailbuilding techniques. A graduate of the University of Colorado with a degree in environmental conservation, Avery worked for an award-winning environmental consulting firm, ECOS Communications, for nine years as a project manager, copywriter, editor and computer graphics artist. She was one of Boulder County's first mountain bike patrollers, and has ridden all over Colorado. Avery and her husband spent a full year traveling around the world, with stops in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Cambodia, India, Vietnam, Nepal, Egypt, Turkey, Italy, France and the U.K. You can email Avery at or call 303-545-9011.

Assessment Clears Cactus Forest

In October, the National Park Service proposed to re-open the 2.5-mile Cactus Forest Trail in Saguaro National Park. This was the key finding of a 63-page Environmental Assessment of the effects of bicycling on this Tucson, Arizona trail. The document stands as one of the agency's most thorough and formal examinations of mountain biking to date. It finds that bicycling would cause minor or moderate impacts, similar to the currently allowed uses, hiking and horseback riding. The document also recognizes the significant contributions of local cycling clubs conducting volunteer trailwork. It notes that this routine maintenance mitigates the impact of all trail users. In April of this year, Saguaro National Park closed the Cactus Forest Trail in response to a letter filed by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). PEER contended that the agency had not followed its own, stringent regulations when it opened the trail to bicycling in 1993.

Kelley Joins Hall of Fame

Long-time IMBA board member Michael Kelley was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame Oct. 6 during the Interbike trade show in Las Vegas. Kelley, who served on IMBA's board from our organization's 1988 inception until 2000, was honored along with Shimano leader Brian Skinner, 24-hour race pioneer Laird Knight, Dirt Rag founders Maurice and Elaine Tierney, Kona Bikes president Jacob Heilbron, and multi-talented racer Mike Kloser. Kelley, who lives in Berkeley, California, served for many years as an IMBA vice president. He continues to be a board member of the Bay Area Ridge Trail. He's also a leading proponent of diversity in the cycling community and an advisor to Northern California mountain bike advocacy groups. Known everywhere for his warm personality, kindness and passion for riding, Michael joins a select group of fewer than 100 people who have been elected to the Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Michael!

Attend the National Bike Summit

The third annual National Bike Summit will be held in Washington, D.C., March 5 to 7, 2003, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Mountain bicyclists are encouraged to attend and be part of this focused effort by the national bike community to lobby Congress on critical bike advocacy issues. With the reauthorization of the federal transportation bill being considered by Congress in 2003, it is imperative that mountain bicyclists support the Recreational Trails and Transportation Enhancements programs and protect the approximately $600 million annually appropriated to bike path, bike lane and dirt trail projects. The three-day Bike Summit blends educational seminars, advocacy training, lobbying Congress and culminates with a bike ride with the Congressional Bike Caucus. IMBA is a proud sponsor of the National Bike Summit hosted annually by the League of American Bicyclists. For more information, contact the League of American Bicyclists at 202-822-1333, .

Koobi Grants Awarded

Four bicycle groups will receive cash awards as winners in the second round of 2002 IMBA/Koobi Club Assistance Grants. The $500 grants support projects that preserve and enhance trail opportunities for mountain bikers. Second-round winners are: Central Ohio Mountain Biking Organization, Columbus, Ohio; Calendon Cycling Club, Brampton, Ontario; North Carolina Outward Bound School, Asheville, North Carolina; and Laramie Bicycling Network, Laramie, Wyoming. Colorado Springs-based Koobi is an innovative maker of high-performance bicycle saddles. The Koobi Freedom Foundation was established this past year to fund various trail advocacy projects. Koobi and IMBA will award eight more grants in 2003. The application deadline for the next round is March 1, 2003. All IMBA-affiliated clubs are invited to apply. For more information please visit www.imba.com.

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	News Briefs IMBA Trail News Volume 15, Number 5 Winter 2002 California Wilderness Update IMBA activists continue to work to shape a California Wilderness bill that mountain bicyclists can support. U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced a 2.5-million acre bill last June. At press time, IMBA is able to support 57 percent of the areas proposed by Senator Boxer for new Wilderness protection. Twenty-one percent of the proposed areas directly overlap significant mountain biking opportunities. IMBA wants all of these areas preserved, but not as designated Wilderness because that would ban all existing bike use. The balance of the proposed areas fall into two categories: IMBA requests boundary adjustments for some and we don't have sufficient knowledge of precise boundaries yet to properly evaluate others. California's other U.S. Senator, Dianne Feinstein, may influence the bill when it is reintroduced to Congress - probably early in 2003. IMBA recommends that bicyclists write to the senator to express support for much of the bill while calling for her help in enacting alternative protection measures for the areas where Senator Boxer's bill conflicts with significant mountain biking. Write Senator Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510. For more information visit: www.imba.com/resources/wilderness Sjoquist: Advocate of the Year Gary Sjoquist from Quality Bicycle Products (QBP) received Bicycle Retailer and Industry News' "Advocate of the Year" award Oct. 6 during Interbike, in Las Vegas, Nevada. As the director of membership for the Bikes Belong Coalition, Gary recruited more than 400 new dealer members to the coalition in 2002. Bikes Belong leverages federal funds to make communities more bicycle friendly, and provides grants to bicycling advocacy organizations. IMBA received a grant from the coalition earlier this year. Gary also coordinated the Pro Bike annual conference and the National Bike Summit in '02. At QBP, Sjoquist serves as the company's advocacy director. NORBA Grants Return Ten bicycle groups have been awarded 2002 NORBA/IMBA Trail Tune-Up Grants. The $500 grants - made possible by contributions from National Off Road Bicycle Association (NORBA) individual members - support projects that preserve and improve trails used for mountain bike competition, training and recreational riding. The 2002 NORBA/IMBA Trail Tune-Up grant winners are: Southern Off Road Bicycle Association (SORBA), Conyers, GA; Shenandoah Mountain 100 Mile Backcountry Mountain Bike Race, Harrisonburg, VA; Reno Wheelmen, Reno, NV; Central Coast Concerned Mountain Bikers, San Luis Obispo, CA; CNY Dirt, Syracuse, NY; North Woods/Rock Solid Events, Ancram, NY; Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association, Cable, WI; Charleston Off Road Bicycle Association, Charleston, SC; Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers, Birmingham, AL; and the Austin Ridge Riders, Austin, TX. Funding for the Trail Tune-Up program comes from NORBA members who contribute to a land access fund when they purchase or renew their NORBA racing licenses. New Crew Coordinator Avery Stonich recently joined IMBA's staff as the new Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew Coordinator. She will organize the crews' schedules as they travel around North America teaching trailbuilding techniques. A graduate of the University of Colorado with a degree in environmental conservation, Avery worked for an award-winning environmental consulting firm, ECOS Communications, for nine years as a project manager, copywriter, editor and computer graphics artist. She was one of Boulder County's first mountain bike patrollers, and has ridden all over Colorado. Avery and her husband spent a full year traveling around the world, with stops in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Cambodia, India, Vietnam, Nepal, Egypt, Turkey, Italy, France and the U.K. You can email Avery at or call 303-545-9011. Assessment Clears Cactus Forest In October, the National Park Service proposed to re-open the 2.5-mile Cactus Forest Trail in Saguaro National Park. This was the key finding of a 63-page Environmental Assessment of the effects of bicycling on this Tucson, Arizona trail. The document stands as one of the agency's most thorough and formal examinations of mountain biking to date. It finds that bicycling would cause minor or moderate impacts, similar to the currently allowed uses, hiking and horseback riding. The document also recognizes the significant contributions of local cycling clubs conducting volunteer trailwork. It notes that this routine maintenance mitigates the impact of all trail users. In April of this year, Saguaro National Park closed the Cactus Forest Trail in response to a letter filed by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). PEER contended that the agency had not followed its own, stringent regulations when it opened the trail to bicycling in 1993. Kelley Joins Hall of Fame Long-time IMBA board member Michael Kelley was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame Oct. 6 during the Interbike trade show in Las Vegas. Kelley, who served on IMBA's board from our organization's 1988 inception until 2000, was honored along with Shimano leader Brian Skinner, 24-hour race pioneer Laird Knight, Dirt Rag founders Maurice and Elaine Tierney, Kona Bikes president Jacob Heilbron, and multi-talented racer Mike Kloser. Kelley, who lives in Berkeley, California, served for many years as an IMBA vice president. He continues to be a board member of the Bay Area Ridge Trail. He's also a leading proponent of diversity in the cycling community and an advisor to Northern California mountain bike advocacy groups. Known everywhere for his warm personality, kindness and passion for riding, Michael joins a select group of fewer than 100 people who have been elected to the Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Michael! Attend the National Bike Summit The third annual National Bike Summit will be held in Washington, D.C., March 5 to 7, 2003, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Mountain bicyclists are encouraged to attend and be part of this focused effort by the national bike community to lobby Congress on critical bike advocacy issues. With the reauthorization of the federal transportation bill being considered by Congress in 2003, it is imperative that mountain bicyclists support the Recreational Trails and Transportation Enhancements programs and protect the approximately $600 million annually appropriated to bike path, bike lane and dirt trail projects. The three-day Bike Summit blends educational seminars, advocacy training, lobbying Congress and culminates with a bike ride with the Congressional Bike Caucus. IMBA is a proud sponsor of the National Bike Summit hosted annually by the League of American Bicyclists. For more information, contact the League of American Bicyclists at 202-822-1333, . Koobi Grants Awarded Four bicycle groups will receive cash awards as winners in the second round of 2002 IMBA/Koobi Club Assistance Grants. The $500 grants support projects that preserve and enhance trail opportunities for mountain bikers. Second-round winners are: Central Ohio Mountain Biking Organization, Columbus, Ohio; Calendon Cycling Club, Brampton, Ontario; North Carolina Outward Bound School, Asheville, North Carolina; and Laramie Bicycling Network, Laramie, Wyoming. Colorado Springs-based Koobi is an innovative maker of high-performance bicycle saddles. The Koobi Freedom Foundation was established this past year to fund various trail advocacy projects. Koobi and IMBA will award eight more grants in 2003. The application deadline for the next round is March 1, 2003. All IMBA-affiliated clubs are invited to apply. For more information please visit www.imba.com.


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