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Action Alert: Attend the Forest Park Singletrack Cycling Advisory Committee Open House (Tue 4/20) and speak up for increased trail access!
 On Tuesday, April 20 (5:30-7:30 PM), mountain bikers and other park users will get a unique opportunity to voice in on the recommendations drafted by the Forest Park Singletrack Cycling Advisory Committee. Representatives of Northwest Trail Alliance and other cycling advocates are pushing for a balanced plan that increases singletrack trail riding opportunities, provides a satisfying riding experience for all levels of riders, reduces bike traffic through the Thurman Gate entrance, and reduces the overall potential for conflicts between cyclists and other park users.
Unfortunately, the current recommendations of the committee - as discussed at last night's committee meeting - do not include any form of increased trail sharing of existing hiker-only singletrack trails (NWTA representatives strongly lobbied for cyclists' access to Maple Trail or Ridge Trail on select days) and, as such, the recommendations seem to preclude any short-term improvement of trail riding opportunities in Forest Park.
In a blog article that was posted earlier today on BikePortland.org, NWTA President and committee member Tom Archer is urging community members to "indicate that you support
providing short-term increases in access, along with a comprehensive
plan to provide single track riding opportunities within the park." In the article, Archer further states that NWTA wants to see short-term steps that will expand trail riding
opportunities. He cites a
promise made by Parks Commissioner Nick Fish at the outset of the
committee process to expand access to single track by this summer.
If you enjoy riding in Forest Park and care about more singletrack riding opportunities in the short term AND the long term, we want you to show up at the Open House and give your input on the current recommendations. This is the time to get your voice heard!
The Open House will take place at the Holiday Inn Express, 2333 NW Vaughn, in NW Portland. NWTA trail advocates and supporters plan to meet at the parking lot of Fat Tire Farm (2714 NW Thurman) at 5:45 pm, and leave there at 6:00 pm to ride
together to the Open House. More details about the Open House are posted here.
Note: Portland Parks & Recreation plans to collect only written comments, so no need to prepare oral testimonies. If you can't make it to the Open House, there will still be an opportunity to submit comments electronically, starting the evening of the Open House. We'll post more details about this option on our web site, whenever they become available. |
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Get Ready for the Portland Trail Fest!
Northwest Trail Alliance and IMBA will kick off the 2010 trail riding
& trail care season in earnest with the inaugural edition of the
PORTLAND TRAIL FEST,
a four-day-long celebration of trails, knobby tires, and the planet
(yes, April 22 is Earth Day!) We enthusiastically invite you to
join us for the festivities! This new event - slated to become our
annual signature spring event
- will provide a great opportunity to connect with fellow riders, get
your hands dirty working the trail (and earn some surplus trail karma),
and
get out there with new and old friends alike to ride some awesome
trails.
On Thursday (4/22), we'll kick off things with a not-to-be-missed, Portland-style party at Chris King headquarters
in NW Portland. Local bike celebrity and cyclist-of-all-trades Joe
"Metal Cowboy" Kurmaskie will be our emcee for the evening and IMBA
Executive Director Mike Van Abel will provide the evening's keynote on
"the current state of affairs and the future of mountain biking across
the globe and in our backyard." Other speakers include pro-rider Kirt
Voreis who will talk about "the Bend model." But, first and foremost,
this event will be an opportunity for you to mingle and socialize with
fellow riders and trail stewards, and meet some of the great folks who
manage and care for the trails we ride. All with a tasty cup of Hopworks Urban Brewing organic beer in hand. Bike parking provided courtesy of BikeRacker. [Doors: 6:30pm / Keynote & Speeches: 7:00pm / Social Time: 8:00pm-9:30pm]
On Friday (4/23), we will focus on trail advocacy and policy issues, featuring NWTA/IMBA meetings with local agencies and a leisurely PDX Advocacy Ride with Mike Van Abel at Powell Butte, followed by a social. Both the ride and
the social are open to members and non-members alike. [More details]
On Saturday (4/24), we shift our focus to trail care and to the new Sandy Ridge Trail Sytem, located
on BLM land just east of Sandy. This new, MTB-specific trail system was
designed and built with the help of IMBA and Northwest Trail Alliance
has stepped up as the BLM's volunteer/stewardship partner for these
trails. We will host a trail care party from 9 am through 1 pm, followed by a discovery ride of the new trails in the area. Make sure to check out this videoto get an idea of how fun a trail this is!
On Sunday (4/25), we will wrap up the Portland Trail Fest with our "Rides of Spring",
a fun-filled day of riding at LL Stub Stewart State Park (beginner ride)
and Wilson River Trail (intermediate ride). On Sunday, Northwest
Trail Alliance will also have a presence at the Bear Springs Trap XC Mountain Bike Classic
that day, so if you are into bike racing and like to experience what
many consider the greatest XC MTB course in Oregon, we sure hope to see
you out there!
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Lift-accessed Freeriding Coming to Timberline
Timberline Ski Resort is working with Gravity Logic, the consulting firm that created Whistler Mountain's world famous Mountain Bike Parkto create a similar mountain bike area on Mt. Hood. Scheduled to open in the summer of 2011, the downhill trails will
be fully lift-serviced and presumably feature man-made structures. The initial project scoping has begun and Timberline is actively
seeking comments. "We see mountain biking as an integral part of our
year-round recreation plan, and will treat this project as one of the
primary pillars of our company's future," announces the project's Web site. Timberline hopes the creation of a mountain bike
park will help curb unauthorized trail building in the nearby forest: "By creating an amazing venue for mountain biking within
our managed boundary, our hope is that it will lessen the impact of the
sport in other areas of the forest." Stay tuned for more details on this exciting project and don't forget to lend your support and ideas. |
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Northwest Trail Alliance's Presence at the Portland Bike Show a Huge Success.
 Last week's inaugural edition of the Pedal Nation Bicycle Show provided another great opportunity for Northwest Trail Alliance to reach out to the Portland bike community and connect with off-road cyclists, both new and aspiring riders, as well as longtime fat tire enthusiasts.
NWTA volunteers who staffed our booth chatted with hundreds of show
visitors about our renewed advocacy activities - including our efforts to provide additional singletrack trail riding opportunities in Forest Park - and about our new Trail Development Partnership Program. A key element of that program is our aspiration to acquire a ST240 single track trailbuilding machine, which was
prominently on display at the NWTA booth.
The NWTA Skills Course was another prominent feature of the show and again provided some fun entertainment for young and older riders alike. And the kicker: the NWTA booth
was facing the bike skills area, so
we had front row seating watching the kids pulling flips and other
amazing tricks over the big box jump, as well as watching the dual stunt
competition.
A shout out to our volunteers: Craig Adams, Josh Harvey, Michael Whitesel, Mischa Van Buuren, Kevin Bailey, Kevin Hicks, Dorcas Safly, Bill Wilems, Julie Kramer, Shane Gould, Marc Altman, Tom Archer, Tom Slovak, Shauna McCuaig, Amy Singmaster, Joe Rykowski and our amazing IMBA rep, Anna Laxague!
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Upcoming Events: Mark Your Calendar
Sat April 17 (9 am-1pm) - Gateway Green Clean Up Day with SOLV
This one-day event at the future site of Gateway Green is a
SOLV-IT event and a partnership with neighborhood groups. The
goal is to clean the area, get exposure, and to introduce people to the
site. We will be meeting at the Gateway Transit Center and then
walking and biking to the clean up site at Gateway Green. Participants must be 16 years of age.
Sun
April 18 (9am - 2pm) - L.L. Stub State Park Work Party
We'll be focusing on the
south trail loop (and digging north to eventually link in with north
upper loop). Besides the member points you'll earn towards NWTA
end of year
raffle (and all the good trail karma too!), we'll also be doing a raffle
at the build day
just for those attending this volunteer event. There will also be a
social gathering of trail volunteers back at a campsite in the park
(and you are more than welcome to bring a bike to go ride if you've got
the energy after building).
Wed April 21 (5:30pm - 8:30pm) - Wednesday Night Forest Park Ride
The weekly tradition continues. We typically ride 15 to 25 Miles on the Forest Park firelanes, break into two
groups, then meet for post ride-brews & food at Cracker Jack's pub. All levels welcome, no one left behind. Non-Members welcome.
Thu April
22 through Sun April 25 - Portland Trail Fest
Kick off the 2010 riding & trail care season in earnest at our new signature spring event!
Sat May 1 (9am - 12pm) - Forest Park Trail Decommissioning & Restoration Work Party
Join us for a work party, jointly organized by Portland Parks &
Recreation and Northwest Trail Alliance, aimed at further
decommissioning the rogue trail that was discovered earlier this year
(in the North Management Unit of the Park), and to help with some
initial restoration work in the area.
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