Some IMBA news noting some of the events we participated in last month.
Henry Pastorelli
President, Romp
info@imba.com, IMBA Information
08/19/02 10:17AM
For Immediate Release August 19, 2002
Contact: Dan Vardamis, IMBA advocacy coordinator, dan@imba.com, (303) 545-9011
IMBA Launches Hot Spots Program to Improve Urban Trail Access An 11-day San Francisco Bay Area IMBA Hot Spots campaign in July focused on enhancing cycling opportunities throughout the region. Local advocates, IMBA staff and the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew held a series of meetings with land managers, performed trailwork clinics and hosted public events designed to involve more Bay Area mountain bikers in advocacy. Mountain biking was born in the Bay Area in the 1970s, but today off-road riding opportunities in the region – particularly on singletrack – remain tenuous. The situation in the Bay Area isn’t unique. As cities continue to expand and open space dwindles, it’s becoming more and more difficult for mountain bikers and other trail enthusiasts to find convenient, appealing places to enjoy the outdoors.
The solution is innovative trail management. To help improve urban trail opportunities, IMBA created the Hot Spots program.
Accomplishments from the San Francisco Bay Area Hot Spots campaign include:
– An IMBA Trailbuilding School at Joaquin Miller Park near Oakland taught environmentally sustainable trailbuilding techniques to land managers and trailbuilders.
– IMBA leaders met with staff leaders representing the East Bay Regional Park District and Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District to discuss ways to improve mountain biking trail opportunities.
– Local mountain bike organizations Responsible Organized Mountain Pedalers (San Jose), Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay (Oakland), Access for Bikes (Marin), Bicycle Trails Council of Marin and IMBA staff developed a plan to hire an expert to coordinate Bay Area advocacy efforts.
– Trailwork days in Joaquin Miller Park, Camp Tamarancho and El Corte de Madera Open Space Preserve helped create and maintain environmentally sustainable trails that are fun to ride or walk.
– An IMBA presentation at a Bay Area REI introduced people to the importance of getting involved in trail advocacy.
“We’re pleased with the momentum created by the San Francisco Hot Spots
campaign,” said IMBA executive director Tim Blumenthal. “Trail access won’t improve overnight. However, what the Hot Spots program can do is build positive relations and energy that can really enhance future urban trail opportunities.”
The IMBA Hot Spots program concentrates on a handful of cities each
year.
IMBA provides local mountain bike groups and land managers in these
cities
with Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew visits, educational materials and
other
resources. IMBA works with local advocates to create National Mountain
Bike
Patrol units and IMBA Sprockids Clubs. Special Hot Spots events
celebrate the
spirit of mountain biking and build support to improve trail access for
urban
residents.
The 2002 designated IMBA Hot Spots cities are San Francisco, Cleveland
and
New York City. The IMBA Hot Spots Program is made possible by generous
support from Clif Bar Inc.
To join one of the Bay Area IMBA clubs and get involved in mountain
bike
advocacy visit:
– Access 4 Bikes – http://www.access4bikes.com
– Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay – http://www.btceb.org
– Bicycle Trails Council Marin – http://www.btcmarin.org
– Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz – http://www.mbosc.org
– Responsible Organized Mountain Pedalers – http://www.romp.org
For more information email IMBA’s Hot Spots coordinator Dan Vardamis at
dan@imba.com or visit http://www.imba.com/hotspots
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