Silverton, Colorado: The Little Town That Could
It’s complicated. (And we LOVE it.)
IMBA is more than just a trail construction company, more than just the IMBA Local program, and more than just a national mountain bike trails advocacy nonprofit. Creating and maintaining great trails requires more than fundraising and putting shovels to the dirt: it depends on strong, reliable, and consistent advocacy; deep, experienced knowledge of sustainable trail design from vision to construction to education and trail stewardship; and it requires support for the local trail champions leading progress in your communities.
IMBA is Trail Solutions: the international leader in developing singletrack trails and bike-optimized facilities, with experience in over 750 projects in North America, South America, Australia, Europe, and Asia. IMBA is IMBA Local, supporting more than 200 local nonprofits who are the stewards and champions of trails in all 50 states. IMBA is Government Affairs and Advocacy, with decades of advocacy at the federal level, uplifting the voices of thousands of mountain bikers every year in national, statewide, and local policy, lawmaking, and civic engagement.
It’s complicated, and necessary. The results of being a global leader in all facets of trail stewardship?
- Diverse, sustainable trail systems your communities will enjoy for years into the future
- Deep, consistent relationships with federal land management agencies and their staff
- Regular engagement with federal and state lawmakers and their offices, and
- A bipartisan supporter and member base that expects the most up-to-date information with a clear translation on how federal and state policy may impact and matter to mountain bikers and trail users.
Balancing Urgency and the Long Game
In the first six months of 2025, email and social media exploded with urgent calls to action to take advocacy action: “write your lawmakers about a proposed policy change, executive order, or bill draft that could threaten outdoor recreation, public lands, and trails, and do it now.” 2025 has been overwhelming with the threats to public lands and waters putting some of our favorite trails in the cross-hairs of potential land sales. 2025 has also been awe-inspiring. IMBA took part, alongside hundreds of other outdoor recreation nonprofits, in writing powerful letters to lobbyists and legislators; and helped thousands of advocates identify their own connection to what’s happening at the federal level and take action to share their perspectives with lawmakers across the country. As a result, we, collectively, are helping shape impactful laws and policies.
Because of the deep, decades long relationships IMBA has with lawmakers and federal land management agency staff; because of the bipartisan nature of our membership; and because of our commitment to our partners’ and on-the-ground projects, IMBA works to analyze all available details about proposed changes and how they could impact the mountain biking community before we put out urgent calls to action.
There are times when we are focused on leveraging relationships on Capitol Hill, driving ongoing discourse with trusted federal and state lawmakers in lieu of sending engaging mountain bike advocates. IMBA’s partnerships with Outdoor Alliance and its member organizations allow us to collectively strategize our approaches and decide when it is the time for urgent advocacy action, and when it is the time for investing in real-time conversations with lawmakers and land management agency partners.
Advocates Seek Action
We also realize that advocates are action-oriented. It is deeply satisfying to take part in the democratic process, and we honor our duty to help our advocates continue to engage in all action that matters to mountain bikers and trail users. As IMBA continues to analyze legislation, we will consider what we like about the bill, what we are intrigued by or curious about, what questions we have, and what concerns we have. We will share all those points with you as draft legislation continues its path, providing a clear and firm focus on trails and what matters to mountain bikers.
As we analyze, and in this dynamic time as we move into the second half of 2025, here are additional actions you can take today to influence your lawmakers, to help IMBA uplift the voices of mountain bikers and trail advocates, and to guide the directions IMBA takes at the federal level.
Stop the sale. Save our trails.
Due in large part to the advocacy actions of mountain bikers and the broad outdoor recreation community, lawmakers announced the strings-attached removal of public land sales from the Senate reconciliation bill. We are tentatively joyful, and also wary and watching. If you haven’t already, take a look at the action alert we sent on June 18th and tell your senators to keep public land sales out of the reconciliation process. If it has been more than a week since you took action on this issue, we recommend doing so again.
Stop the sale. Save our trails.
Update: The Senate passed it's version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on Tuesday, July 1st. Thanks to advocacy efforts of mountain bikers and the broader outdoor recreation community, including motorized, hunters and anglers, public land sales were removed from the bill. Huge congratulations on this advocacy Success!
Update: On July 4th, 2025, President Trump signed his One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law. There remain problematic components of the bill related to logging and extraction that are not good for trails or outdoor recreation. IMBA will remain vigilant, analyzing the proper utilization of NEPA and public input procedures. For help with advocacy or responding to threats to trails in your area, use the Action Cultivator Tool.
Thank Your Representatives
In May, public land sales were removed from the reconciliation bill in the House. Thank you's are an effective advocacy tool. Thank your Representatives for removing public land sales from the reconciliation bills. Customize your message to share a story about the trails in your area protected by the removal of public land sales from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and clarify that you want protections for outdoor recreation, protections for public lands, and adherence to NEPA and proper procedure.
How Are Federal Cuts Impacting You?
Federal land management agencies like the USFS, BLM, and NPS have laid off concerning percentages of their staff, creating significant gaps in trail maintenance, permitting, and visitor services: issues that directly impact mountain bikers and other outdoor users. These agency employees have long been essential partners in trail stewardship, and their absence puts both trail access and landscape health at risk. IMBA continues to seek location-specific examples of how these cuts are affecting local trails to better tailor its advocacy and support efforts. As more responsibilities fall to volunteer organizations, IMBA urges communities to stay engaged, share updates, and step up where possible to keep trails safe, accessible, and sustainable.
Tell IMBA How Cuts to Agencies Are Impacting You
Support the Legacy Restoration Fund
On May 1, 2025, Senators Steve Daines and Angus King introduced the bipartisan America the Beautiful Act to reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund, a program that has funded nearly $1.9 billion annually to address long-overdue repairs on public lands. This funding has improved trails, roads, water systems, and visitor facilities across the country, with notable benefits for mountain bikers and other outdoor enthusiasts. Without renewal, the Fund will expire this year, halting critical maintenance and safety improvements on recreation infrastructure. Continued investment is essential for safe, accessible, and sustainable outdoor experiences now and into the future. Share your support for the Legacy Restoration Fund and the America the Beautiful Act.
Support the Legacy Restoration Fund
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