On Wednesday, July 1st at 5:30 p.m. the City of Santa Barbara, California’s Front Country Trails Multi-Jurisdictional (FCTMJ) Task Force will hold the first public hearing since the Jesusita Fire. The agenda for this meeting, which will be held at City Hall, will include a review of trails affected by the Jesusita Fire and discussion on when they may be re-opened.  It is unknown if the Task Force will make a recommendation on re-opening the trails.  More information about the meeting agenda is available at the FCTMJ Task Force website.

Interested mountain bikers are encouraged to attend the FCTMJ Task Force meeting and offer their comments. The Multi-use Trails Coalition—an organization dedicated to maintaining equal and safe front country trail access for all trail users while promoting outreach and education efforts, and providing an independent voice for responsible mountain cycling and other trail use in the Santa Barbara community— will have representation at the meeting and the organization will post a meeting summary on their website.

Augusta, GA will host the 2010 International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) World Summit on May 5-8th. The summit is open to the public, and topics will include: destination and urban trail networks, land conservation and sustainable trails, youth outreach and new programs designed to grow local capacity for the 700+ clubs and patrols in IMBA’s global network. In addition to the business of seminars and networking, the summit will feature parties and stellar riding—including a catered tour of the Forks Area Trail System (FATS), an IMBA Epic.

“The Augusta summit will serve as an essential clearinghouse to advance information on everything to do with mountain biking and trail-based recreation,” states IMBA Executive Director Mike Van Abel. “We will bring leaders in trail design together with land managers, the bicycle industry and IMBA’s thriving grassroots clubs. These are the key influencers that shape the sport, and only an IMBA summit can connect them all in the same place, at the same time.” Attendees will receive plenty of educational materials, while connecting with mountain biking enthusiasts from around the globe.

For additional information about the 2010 IMBA World Summit, contact IMBA Events Manager Patti Bonnet. Sponsorship inquires should be directed to IMBA Development Director Rich Cook.

The Pennsylvania Senate’s current budget plan (Senate Bill 850, now in the House as Bill 1416) reduces the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) budget by about $19 million beyond the reductions Governor Edward G. Rendell proposed in February. If enacted, DCNR acting Secretary John Quigley said the Senate proposal will force the agency to close at least 35 state parks and 1,000 miles of state forest roads. The move would would significantly reduce access for anglers, hunters, hikers and bikers.

Quigley noted that the Senate’s proposal would be devastating to many rural areas that count on tourism dollars, and that it would harm DCNR efforts to preserve natural resources for present and future generations.

“In contrast, the Governor’s budget proposal reflects the difficult economy we now face and would still allow us to provide a quality outdoor experience for our citizens and visitors,” Quigley said, also noting that closing 35 state parks would turn away more than 3 million visitors and wipe out at least $57 million in visitor spending on products and services in nearby communities.

Take action by contacting your state legislators and letting them know that you support an equitable review off all state programs, and that state parks and forests are critical to the economic well being of the state and the health of its citizens.

The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) offers the following “starter letter” that you can personalize and send to your state legislators:

Please Fully Fund State Parks

Dear [Decision Maker],

As a mountain biker, I support strong funding for our state parks. Senate Bill 850 and House Bill 1416 could close between 35 and 50 state parks because of drastic cuts to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources budget.

The list of closures centers disproportionately on the central region of the state, where the state parks are vital to tourism and local businesses. For example, every park that the Wilderness 101 ultra endurance race passes through would be closed. The State Forest system itself would need to close 20 percent of their forest road inventory to meet the proposed budget.

While I appreciate that in these tough economic times we all need to tighten our belts, I believe the Senate’s plan cuts a disproportionate amount from the DCNR budget. The proposal cuts the state park budget by 14 percent and the state forest budget by 30.5 percent (a 17-percent reduction to DCNR overall).

Thank you for considering my comments. I hope you’ll fight for stronger DCNR funding that will allow parks to stay open.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Address]

Bikes Not Bombs, non-profit organization in the Boston area that works to expand alternative transportation and promote community development, will be holding their annual Bike-A-Thon and Green Roots Festival fundraisers on Sunday, June 7th, 2009.

The Bike-A-Thon offers 15, 25 or 62 mile bicycle rides that are fully supported with food, mechanics, maps, road markings, following vehicles, and more. Pre-registration is required for the Bike-A-Thon. The ride will end at the Green Roots Festival In the park in front of the Stony Brook T station, Boylston & Lamartine Streets, Jamaica Plain. The Green Roots Festival, which runs from 12:00–5:30p.m., is free and features live music, food, speakers, workshops on environmental issues, information booths by environmental groups, and children’s activities.

For full details visit www.bikesnotbombs.org.

The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) reports that California State Parks has announced a proposal to open a singletrack trail for mountain biking in Marin County, on the shoulders of Mt. Tamalpais. The agency plans to allow bicycle use on the four-mile Bill’s Trail segment, and is soliciting public comments on the project. The commentary period ends on June 26th, 2009.

Located within the Mt. Tamaplais watershed in Samuel Taylor State Park, Bill’s Trail winds through native ferns, wildflowers and hazelnut trees. It averages a reasonable 7-percent grade, and its six switchbacks provide riders with multiple views of the surrounding landscapes. While it is expected that bike access on Bill’s Trail will be limited to alternate days at first, the parks department states that this stipulation will be open to further review.

“I’m urging mountain bikers across the country to send comments in support of this project,” says IMBA Executive Director Mike Van Abel. “It’s hard to imagine a more important location than Marin, where mountain bikers have worked incredibly hard to regain access to the very trails that helped bring our sport into the world.”

IMBA has issued a call to action, asking mountain bikers to tell California State Parks that they support the decision to open Bill’s Trail to bicycles. Click here to go to IMBA’s webpage that has more information about this historic opportunity, including a convenient web-form for contacting decision makers and letting them know that you support opening Bill’s Trail to bicycles.

Congress is writing a bill that will define our national transportation system for the next six years, and now is the time to contact your Member of Congress and ask them to support bicycling and walking.

Representative Daniel Lipinski (D, IL) is circulating a “Dear Colleague” letter proposing that the upcoming Transportation Bill, which is currently being drafted by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (T&I), promotes and funds alternate transportation options.  Representative Lipinski is asking his colleagues in the House of Representatives to join him in a call for increased federal funding for bicycling and pedestrian programs.

You can make a difference by contacting your Representative’s office today and urging them to sign onto Congressman Lipinski’s policy letter.