FOX/IMBA Hero: Mark Flint

IMBA Trail News
Volume 19, Number 2
Summer 2006

Tucson, Arizona mountain bike advocate Mark Flint has been a leader in volunteer trail service since the early 1990's. Mark is a founding board member of the Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists and was a member of the team that drafted the Bureau of Land Management National Mountain Bike Strategic Action Plan in 2002. Mark also pitched in to help reopen the Cactus Forest Trail in Saguaro National Park following a controversial closure in 2002, and he remains a key advocate for expanding access to national park lands. Mark's latest project is helping build a 25-mile segment of the Arizona Trail in the Tucson area. Providing a cross-state route for non-motorized users, the 800-mile Arizona Trail is more than 90 percent finished and is emerging as a global shared-use success story. With a goal of completing the Tucson segment - known as the Cienega Corridor - in three years, Mark and his friends have their hands full. The group has already completed 30 trailwork days on the route in the first two seasons, and has another 20 scheduled for the 2006-07 season. The events have been so successful they have had to limit the number of volunteers. "Constructing the Cienega Corridor segment has been especially satisfying because of the enthusiasm of the volunteers and the broad community support," said Mark. "Hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers are going to enjoy an exceptionally scenic route that incorporates many of the design principles espoused by IMBA, with particular emphasis on sustainability. We're looking forward to completing it." Project leaders realized that a job of this magnitude would require careful planning and organization, and need the full support of the community. They formulated a written work plan and marketing plan that may be useful to other groups tackling big projects. Copies are available by contacting Flint at markflint@earthlink.net. Visit aztrail-build.org to learn more about the project. Check page 7 of this issue for a few of Mark's time-tested strategies for successful trailwork events.