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Aug 20

IMBA Trip to Bay Area

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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