We took some time last week to make a very important stop to say ‘thanks’ to another Public Lands Initiative supporter.We visited Quality Bicycle Products (QBP) in Bloomington, MN.Located in the heart of some really cool cycling culture, QBP is also at the core of the bicycle advocacy movement.They walk the talk in every aspect of their business, and are undeniably, a phenomenal example of what every corporation should strive to be.
A ‘thank you’ hardly equals what QBP brings to the mountain bike community, but we offer it anyway.We appreciate the support in helping us to protect the places we play!
At 6,000 sq miles and over 3 million people, the Twin Cities is one large metro area. What some may not realize is that it’s not all concrete jungle – there are vast amounts of green spaces. And lucky for mountain bikers, there are some fine pockets of fabulous singletrack.
We traded in the country roads of Wisconsin for the (sub) urban streets of Minneapolis this past weekend. The visit started with the Thursday night group ride at Lebanon Hills. Organized by the Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists, this weekly ride is just one of the many events that this very successful club puts on. MORC, at 800+ members strong, is an important part of the mountain biking scene not just in the metro area, but statewide. They are a stellar example of what happens when a unified group moves in a positive direction.
The focus of the weekend was working at Carver Lake Park in Woodbury, a suburb on the east side of town. The park is new to mountain bike trails so, on Friday morning, we spent some time talking to the Parks crew about the most important aspects of sustainable trails. After a short presentation, we walked some freshly cut trail to illustrate the finer points of design, construction, and maintenance. They were all pretty excited about the idea of something new for the park.
After lunch we worked with Reed Smidt (Recreation Specialist for the City of Woodbury) to prepare for the Saturday afternoon field session. Reed is in a unique position; he is both the land manager and the mountain biker. This is good for obvious reasons, but it’s also very important because his knowledge can go a long way to educate his peers in both the professional and mountain bike world.
One of the greatest moments of the weekend was when Reed shared the amount of time it takes to build a trail. And we’re not talking just digging in the dirt. The new trail at Carver is two years in the making.
Like other trail systems, the process for creating trails at Carver started with some problem solving. Social trails were on the rise and the Woodbury Parks Director wanted a positive solution. As a mountain biker/land manager, Reed was approached and asked to develop a plan that included both design and construction, including equipment/ labor for a sustainable (and fun) trail system. In addition, Reed made provisions for educating staff, local trail users and area citizens about the benefits of natural surface routes. After securing a grant, the project is finally coming to fruition; the City of Woodbury has use of a Ditch Witch for the next month to construct part of the new trail network. They hope to have about 4 miles completed later this summer. The construction will be a blip on the radar compared to the time they spent preparing, but in the end it will lead to a sustainable resource for the entire community.
And now MORC has another success story to share about mountain biking in the Twin Cities.
Thanks to Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists, City of Woodbury and everyone who participated in the weekend. We appreciate your efforts in spending time with us!
We didn’t really know what to expect when it came to our visit in Viroqua. As Wisconsin neophytes and fresh off our summer break, we were eager to dig into our first foray to the Upper Midwest. By the end of the weekend we had discovered a great new place for trails, supported by an incredible community.
Viroqua is a town of 4,000 people located in the Driftless Region, an area that (way back when) the glaciers avoided, and thankfully left hills for us to ride trails through. Viroqua is also home to Vernon Trails, a non-profit dedicated to ‘Expanding Access and Building Community’. In an area that’s one of the poorest in the state, the people in this small town have big aspirations in building a trail system that makes life just a little bit better.
We can never emphasize the ‘community’ part enough when it comes to trail networks. And we always encourage the clubs we work with to look beyond the usual suspects. There is always a strong core of people in every area to make good trails, but it also takes the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker to make great trails.
It’s definitely happening in Viroqua.
The highlight of the visit was our Economic Development presentation. It was the most well attended event of the weekend and represented the broadest spectrum of the community. The list included: school superintendent, town council, economic development council, local tourism board, Congressional representative, life-long locals, local media, Vernon Trails members and concerned citizens. Every person in the room understood the value of a trail system and spoke confidently about its positive environmental, social, and economic impact.
The energy in the room spilled over into Saturday when we built a 500 ft connector from Hubbard Hills out to the local county road. It was just another piece of the puzzle in connecting the newly developed town trails with a beautiful county park, just a few miles away. The ultimate goal is to provide a route that’s a little more direct and entirely on dirt. On Sunday, we rode the new singletrack while pedaling out to Sidie Hollow County Park. There, we enjoyed the fruits of many hours of Vernon Trails labor. Their flowy, fun trail network is a result of lots of love and many hours of sweat equity. It’s a tremendous resource for the entire community.
Keep Viroqua and Vernon Trails on the radar. Sooner than later, you’ll be making plans to visit this part of Wisconsin.
Thanks to Vernon Trails, Viroqua Heritage Inn, local volunteers, and everyone in the Viroqua area for welcoming us to your part of the world!
BIG THANKS to Pete and Alycann Taylor of Bluedog Cycles for their effort in having the Trail Care Crew. Thanks for taking care of us!
The Trail Care Crew West worked in Flagstaff, Ariz. last weekend. While the weekend went swimmingly and we were able to accomplish an almost complete reroute of a fall-line section of trail on the Schultz Creek trail, we learned lots about Forest Service trail classifications. The National Trail Classification System (TCS) is a guideline system for trail classification, design and implementation on all 133,000 miles of National Forest System trails.
The new trail that we built with the Forest Service had to correspond to a Class 3 trail classification. Class 3 meant that the trail tread had to measure no less than 36 inches. That the trail ceiling (height) and corridor (width) also had specific measurements.
We of course knew that the Forest Service had specific trail classifications, but the closest that we had come to them was through the Service’s handy manual that you might have seen (a small, booklet-type flip pad with trail specifications). It was helpful and eye-opening to partner with the Coconino National Forest’s trail planners on the project design for our trailbuilding school field session.
For anyone building trails on Forest Service land, it’s imperative to understand the classification system. Building sustainable trails means working with the land management agencies to meet their guidelines so that the trails may last for as long as possible.
In related news about Flagstaff, we also attended an awesome meeting with Coconino County Parks and Recreation, on their plans to build a bike park at Fort Tuthill County Park. Stay tuned to the Flagstaff Biking Organization’s website for news about that!
Here are some pictures from our trailbuilding day - check out that rock work!
Posted in Advocacy on July 19th, 2010
by steveandmorgan
This fall (Oct. 1-3), IMBA and the U.S. Forest Service will host the Tahoe Trails Conference at South Lake Tahoe’s Montbleu Resort and Casino. The event, which is open to all members of the mountain bike community, will create a valuable opportunity for collaboration between riders, land managers and the bike industry. The goal is to ensure the future of sustainable and enjoyable trails in the Lake Tahoe Basin, and beyond.
Tahoe Rides!
“I’m looking forward to this opportunity to share information, improve understanding and keep open the lines of communication open,” says IMBA’s Tom Ward. “This is a critical juncture for relations between people who are passionate about riding their mountain bikes in the forest, and those charged with protecting the incredible resources in the Lake Tahoe Basin. We will focus on this area, but I have no doubt that these discussions will be relevant to mountain bikers and land managers in other regions.”
Registration for the Tahoe Trails Conference will open on IMBA’s home page around August, and costs will be kept to a minimum! If you or someone you know would benefit from attending but can’t muster the dough, don’t fret! A limited number of scholarships will be made available, with the goal of attracting as many leaders from the local mountain bike community as possible.
Look to accomplish the following goals at the conference:
Create a sense of environmental stewardship and ownership for the trails in the Lake Tahoe Basin.
Enhance riders’ awareness of Lake Tahoe’s sensitive environment.
Develop understanding of design and engineering elements that go into creating enjoyable and sustainable trails.
Create understanding of what is needed to develop a strong and effective mountain bike community.
Facilitate networking among land managers and activists in the mountain bike community.
Conference outcomes:
The creation of an informed mountain bike community that takes pride and ownership of the trails in the Lake Tahoe Basin.
Encourage trailbuilders to partner with land managers on the planning, construction and maintenance of trails.
Promote better understanding of the trail experiences riders desire.
Foster long-term protection of the environment in the Lake Tahoe Basin.
Ensure long-term protection and expansion of mountain biking opportunities.
In addition to informational sessions and presentations the conference will feature group rides, networking opportunities and planned social gatherings.
Keep your eyes peeled to imba.com for registration info.
