News Briefs

IMBA Trail News
Volume 16, Number 3
Summer 2003

Cactus Forest Still Closed

The celebrated Cactus Forest Trail in Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Arizona, remains closed to bicycle use. A recently completed environmental assessment proved mountain biking had no significant impacts, yet the trail remains off limits - a victim of classic government red tape. The NPS banned bicycling on the trail last June after more than 10 years of successful shared use. The closure was prompted by the threat of a lawsuit from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). PEER contends that the NPS didn't comply with necessary regulations when it opened the trail to bicycles. IMBA engaged the prominent Washington, D.C., law firm Hogan & Hartson to push for quick action to reopen the trail and keep other NPS trails open to mountain biking. A grant from Bikes Belong helped fund the effort. A three-year, multi-step review process has been shortened, but as this edition of ITN went to press, remaining approval steps will likely push the reopening until late summer. IMBA continues to lobby to reopen the trail and overcome complicated regulations that ban bicycling from appropriate NPS trails and dirt roads.

Write Congress to Save RTP

IMBA and the America Bikes Coalition need you to write your U.S. senators and representatives asking them to fund the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) at $143 million a year. RTP has helped communities build and repair thousands of miles of trails involving 5,500 projects in all 50 states. It is the largest federal source of dedicated dirt trail funding, and millions of mountain bicyclists benefit from the program-whether they realize it or not. In all, more than $300 million has been distributed to states since 1991. Congress is currently rewriting the nation's transportation laws and revisiting program funding levels. Your representatives need to hear about the hundreds of successful trail examples that RTP has built in its 10-year history. For the information you need to convey to your congressperson, go to www.imba.com.

Mount Tam Controversy

In Marin County, California, an environmental group is suing the California Department of Parks and Recreation because the agency plans to allow bicycling on certain trails in Mt. Tamalpais State Park (Mt Tam). The park intends to close heavily eroded fire roads and transfer bike use to existing trails. This would be the first time in more than 15 years that bikes are allowed on Mt. Tam's trails. The trails open to bikes would be at least four feet wide, have proper drainage, comply with Americans with Disabilities Act standards, and eliminate the visual impact of the old roads. The plaintiff, Tamalpais Conservation Club, alleges process violations and claims allowing bicycles on trails would inflict serious harm to other trail users and the environment. The Department of Parks and Recreation conducted a major environmental review and found no significant impacts from the proposed changes. The review included citations of a Wilson and Seney soils study (available at imba.com), which concluded that bicycling's contribution to trail erosion is similar to that of foot travel, and referenced positive bicycling management practices at nearby Annadel State Park.

Support Public Lands Day

IMBA-affiliated clubs are encouraged to schedule volunteer projects for National Public Lands Day and enter the IMBA/BOB Trailer Trailwork Challenge. This celebration of public land will be held Saturday, Sept. 20, 2003. Involving your group in National Public Lands Day will help solidify mountain bicycling's prominent position in the trails community. Register your volunteer trailbuilding or maintenance project at imba.com. IMBA will track mountain bikers' contributions to the nationwide effort and enter your group in a drawing for a BOB IBEX Suspension Trailer with trailwork tool racks ($500 retail). IMBA is proud to be a member of the coalition promoting National Public Lands Day. To learn more about events in your state visit: www.npld.com/background.htm or email Robb Hampton at .

Crews Complete 1000th Project

The Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew program reached a milestone on July 12, celebrating its 1,000th trail project. The landmark IMBA Trailbuilding School took place at the John Muir Trail in Wisconsin's Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest. After a day of learning leading-edge trailbuilding techniques, volunteers gathered at the trailhead for a celebration and cookout. Now in its seventh year, the program has trained 35,000 people in sustainable trailbuilding techniques and logged half a million miles of coast-to-coast travel in its official Subaru vehicles. "The Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew has worked wonders for America's trails," said IMBA executive director Tim Blumenthal. "Mountain bikers, hikers, equestrians and other trail users have all benefited from this innovative program." Since the program's inception in 1997, the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crews have led trail projects all in 50 U.S. states and 15 other countries, and have contributed to the design and construction of more than 5,000 miles of trail. For more information about the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew program and a complete list of project dates and locations, go to www.imba.com.

Help NEMBA Buy New Trails

Heads up riders outside New England: IMBA will match the next $3,000 in non-New England donations that support the New England Mountain Bike Association's (NEMBA) campaign to buy 47 acres at the headwaters of the Upper Charles River in Milford, Massachusetts. Known locally as "Vietnam," this parcel is a favorite riding location for Bay State mountain bikers and is under imminent threat from development. NEMBA has raised more than $165,000 to date, but they need nationwide help to collect the $210,000 purchase price by Oct. 31, 2003. To support this important land acquisition, please visit www.nemba.org or call 800-576-3622. Remember, if you live outside New England IMBA will double your gift!

IMBA Epics Seek Riders

Two outstanding IMBA Epic Celebrations are scheduled this fall. The Nanamocomuck Trail IMBA Epic celebration takes place outside North Conway, New Hampshire, Sept. 6-7, promising outstanding fall colors and technical singletrack in the White Mountains. Meanwhile, the rain-delayed Epic celebration at Henry Coe State Park in central California has been rescheduled for Sept. 20-21. Epic celebrations are weekend-long opportunities to bring mountain bikers together to honor our sport and great riding. The first day we focus on trailwork, the second on riding and enjoying the fruits of our labor. The events are free for IMBA members but space is limited. Please register online today at imba.com. The 2003 IMBA Epic Rides program is sponsored by Bike Magazine and Santa Cruz Bicycles.

New IMBA Board Members

Three experienced, talented cycling community leaders recently joined IMBA's board of directors. Steve Flagg is founder and co-owner of Quality Bicycle Products in Bloomington, Minnesota. QBP, which Flagg started in 1981, is the largest parts and accessories distributor in the cycling industry. Flagg and QBP have been consistent, generous supporters of bicycle advocacy-both on-and off road. Krisztina Holly of Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a long-time mountain bike advocate, leader and past president of the New England Mountain Bike Association. She has also served as IMBA's Massachusetts state representative. Holly, a well-known software developer and author, is executive director of the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Woody Keen of Cedar Mountain, North Carolina, has been a leading mountain bike advocate for more than a decade. Keen and his wife JoJo were instrumental in creating the top-notch mountain bike trail system in the Dupont (North Carolina) State Forest, where he continues to serve as the volunteer trails coordinator. Keen is co-owner of a growing trailbuilding company, Trail Dynamics. He has a special interest in creating sustainable freeriding opportunities.

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	News Briefs IMBA Trail News Volume 16, Number 3 Summer 2003 Cactus Forest Still Closed The celebrated Cactus Forest Trail in Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Arizona, remains closed to bicycle use. A recently completed environmental assessment proved mountain biking had no significant impacts, yet the trail remains off limits - a victim of classic government red tape. The NPS banned bicycling on the trail last June after more than 10 years of successful shared use. The closure was prompted by the threat of a lawsuit from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). PEER contends that the NPS didn't comply with necessary regulations when it opened the trail to bicycles. IMBA engaged the prominent Washington, D.C., law firm Hogan & Hartson to push for quick action to reopen the trail and keep other NPS trails open to mountain biking. A grant from Bikes Belong helped fund the effort. A three-year, multi-step review process has been shortened, but as this edition of ITN went to press, remaining approval steps will likely push the reopening until late summer. IMBA continues to lobby to reopen the trail and overcome complicated regulations that ban bicycling from appropriate NPS trails and dirt roads. Write Congress to Save RTP IMBA and the America Bikes Coalition need you to write your U.S. senators and representatives asking them to fund the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) at $143 million a year. RTP has helped communities build and repair thousands of miles of trails involving 5,500 projects in all 50 states. It is the largest federal source of dedicated dirt trail funding, and millions of mountain bicyclists benefit from the program-whether they realize it or not. In all, more than $300 million has been distributed to states since 1991. Congress is currently rewriting the nation's transportation laws and revisiting program funding levels. Your representatives need to hear about the hundreds of successful trail examples that RTP has built in its 10-year history. For the information you need to convey to your congressperson, go to www.imba.com. Mount Tam Controversy In Marin County, California, an environmental group is suing the California Department of Parks and Recreation because the agency plans to allow bicycling on certain trails in Mt. Tamalpais State Park (Mt Tam). The park intends to close heavily eroded fire roads and transfer bike use to existing trails. This would be the first time in more than 15 years that bikes are allowed on Mt. Tam's trails. The trails open to bikes would be at least four feet wide, have proper drainage, comply with Americans with Disabilities Act standards, and eliminate the visual impact of the old roads. The plaintiff, Tamalpais Conservation Club, alleges process violations and claims allowing bicycles on trails would inflict serious harm to other trail users and the environment. The Department of Parks and Recreation conducted a major environmental review and found no significant impacts from the proposed changes. The review included citations of a Wilson and Seney soils study (available at imba.com), which concluded that bicycling's contribution to trail erosion is similar to that of foot travel, and referenced positive bicycling management practices at nearby Annadel State Park. Support Public Lands Day IMBA-affiliated clubs are encouraged to schedule volunteer projects for National Public Lands Day and enter the IMBA/BOB Trailer Trailwork Challenge. This celebration of public land will be held Saturday, Sept. 20, 2003. Involving your group in National Public Lands Day will help solidify mountain bicycling's prominent position in the trails community. Register your volunteer trailbuilding or maintenance project at imba.com. IMBA will track mountain bikers' contributions to the nationwide effort and enter your group in a drawing for a BOB IBEX Suspension Trailer with trailwork tool racks ($500 retail). IMBA is proud to be a member of the coalition promoting National Public Lands Day. To learn more about events in your state visit: www.npld.com/background.htm or email Robb Hampton at . Crews Complete 1000th Project The Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew program reached a milestone on July 12, celebrating its 1,000th trail project. The landmark IMBA Trailbuilding School took place at the John Muir Trail in Wisconsin's Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest. After a day of learning leading-edge trailbuilding techniques, volunteers gathered at the trailhead for a celebration and cookout. Now in its seventh year, the program has trained 35,000 people in sustainable trailbuilding techniques and logged half a million miles of coast-to-coast travel in its official Subaru vehicles. "The Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew has worked wonders for America's trails," said IMBA executive director Tim Blumenthal. "Mountain bikers, hikers, equestrians and other trail users have all benefited from this innovative program." Since the program's inception in 1997, the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crews have led trail projects all in 50 U.S. states and 15 other countries, and have contributed to the design and construction of more than 5,000 miles of trail. For more information about the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew program and a complete list of project dates and locations, go to www.imba.com. Help NEMBA Buy New Trails Heads up riders outside New England: IMBA will match the next $3,000 in non-New England donations that support the New England Mountain Bike Association's (NEMBA) campaign to buy 47 acres at the headwaters of the Upper Charles River in Milford, Massachusetts. Known locally as "Vietnam," this parcel is a favorite riding location for Bay State mountain bikers and is under imminent threat from development. NEMBA has raised more than $165,000 to date, but they need nationwide help to collect the $210,000 purchase price by Oct. 31, 2003. To support this important land acquisition, please visit www.nemba.org or call 800-576-3622. Remember, if you live outside New England IMBA will double your gift! IMBA Epics Seek Riders Two outstanding IMBA Epic Celebrations are scheduled this fall. The Nanamocomuck Trail IMBA Epic celebration takes place outside North Conway, New Hampshire, Sept. 6-7, promising outstanding fall colors and technical singletrack in the White Mountains. Meanwhile, the rain-delayed Epic celebration at Henry Coe State Park in central California has been rescheduled for Sept. 20-21. Epic celebrations are weekend-long opportunities to bring mountain bikers together to honor our sport and great riding. The first day we focus on trailwork, the second on riding and enjoying the fruits of our labor. The events are free for IMBA members but space is limited. Please register online today at imba.com. The 2003 IMBA Epic Rides program is sponsored by Bike Magazine and Santa Cruz Bicycles. New IMBA Board Members Three experienced, talented cycling community leaders recently joined IMBA's board of directors. Steve Flagg is founder and co-owner of Quality Bicycle Products in Bloomington, Minnesota. QBP, which Flagg started in 1981, is the largest parts and accessories distributor in the cycling industry. Flagg and QBP have been consistent, generous supporters of bicycle advocacy-both on-and off road. Krisztina Holly of Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a long-time mountain bike advocate, leader and past president of the New England Mountain Bike Association. She has also served as IMBA's Massachusetts state representative. Holly, a well-known software developer and author, is executive director of the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Woody Keen of Cedar Mountain, North Carolina, has been a leading mountain bike advocate for more than a decade. Keen and his wife JoJo were instrumental in creating the top-notch mountain bike trail system in the Dupont (North Carolina) State Forest, where he continues to serve as the volunteer trails coordinator. Keen is co-owner of a growing trailbuilding company, Trail Dynamics. He has a special interest in creating sustainable freeriding opportunities.


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