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April 8
Deschutes River Ride
Join ride leader Timothy Mathews for a group ride on the scenic Deschutes River Trail. Complete details, including RSVP, can be found here.
April 14, 6-8 PM
MtBike League Night
1969 NE 42nd Ave - Portland
Haven't seen the first round of Crankworx 2016 yet? Perfect. Don't! We will be watching the complete replay on the big screen.
From 6-7pm we will have the intro and first runs on in the background while we socialize and get warmed up.
For the second, and final, runs we will crank up the sound and let er rip!
NWTA members on non-members always welcome. Bring your IMBA/NWTA card for hapy hour pricing all night. Cheers!
April 26, 7-8pm
General Membership Meeting
1969 NE 42nd Ave - Portland
At this month's membership meeting, NWTA will host Jim Thornton from the USFS on Mt Hood, and Jeff Walton from
Jim Thornton will present on:
- Construction plans and work schedules for Surveyors Ridge and Cooks Meadows trails in the 44 Trail system on Mt Hood.
Jeff Walton will cover:
- Introduce Vernonia Springs Outdoor Events Park and potential services for NWTA members
- Vernonia Springs Short track series may 25th and June 1st
- IMBA Level 1 instructors training August 26th-28th
May's meeting: Bike Packing discussion
Please save the following 2016 NWTA event dates! Check out our calendar and Facebook pages for more details; we'll post information as we get closer to each event.
- May 14 -- Sandy Ridge Shuttle. Details and signup here!
- June 3-5 -- Stub Fest (National Trails Day). More details in this newsletter! Register here.
- July 23rd -- Falls Creek Campout
- Aug 19, 20, 21 -- St. Helens International Festival Of Trails (SHIFT)
- Sept 17th -- Sandy Ridge Shuttle
- Oct 1st -- Take A Kid MTB Day
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Scappoose Work Party
April 9th, 9:45AM Start
Gareth Cooper, is an 8 grade student at Rachel Carson Environmental Science School in Beaverton. He is volunteering with the Friends of Scappoose and Northwest Trail Alliance as part of his 8th grade Action Project.
Please come volunteer with him for a morning of work and fun doing some trail building on these great trails. There are a number of projects that need to be accomplished.
Complete details and RSVP can be found here.
Sandy Ridge Trail Projects
April 16 & May 21, 9:30 - 2PM
Both days will have a meetup time of 930AM at the Sandy Ridge Trailhead. We'll have a short meeting and move to the trail at 10AM.
Volunteers should bring boots, gloves, water/food, weather appropriate clothing, and their bike if they'd like to ride afterwards. Sandy Ridge Trail System info and directions can be found here.
STUB FEST JUNE 3-5 2016
We are looking for people who want to help plan, fund raise, and market the next event.
WEBSITE ADMIN
We are currently looking for a website admin team (1-2 people) to manage the day-to-day postings and updates on our website and social media sites. A separate team is creating a new website and will need volunteers to run it when it's finished.
Interested in helping?
Dan Powell
SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETER NEEDED
Are you a social media maven? Great at story telling, and creating excitement? If so, NWTA can use your help in marketing and promoting our events. NWTA has many talented leaders who are organizing events and trail projects, and we need help letting our membership (and the rest of the world) know what we're doing.
FUND RAISING COMMITTEE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Volunteers are needed for the Fund Raising Committee; especially volunteers to help submit applications for grants to fund a wide range of projects.
Grant writing is a simple process because we have all the information you need. We just need volunteers to help submit the applications.
This is a short-term commitment; March - April.
NWTA has big plans for 2016 and we need your help raising the funds for events and trail projects such as:
- A NEW mtb trail project (S. Stub Expansion, 8-10 miles of new trail)
- Take A Kid Mountain Biking
- Trail Patrol Program
- Stub Fest 2016
Funding for our projects is available, we just need to apply for it.
NWTA BIKE PATROL
NWTA Bike Patrol consists of dedicated volunteers partnering with land mangers, landowners and emergency personnel to assist, educate and inform all trail users in order to enhance their recreational experience.
Trail Patrol is open to ALL ages and skill levels of adult riders.
You are perfect fit for the Bike Patrol if you like to:
- Ride your bike
- Help other people
- Be involved in the management of your local trails
- Learn about outdoor first aid, trailside bike repair, off-road riding and trail-use education.
STUB STEWART BUILD DAYS
This is a recurring event and the first build day will start Sat, Oct 17, 2015, and repeat every other Saturday until state trails day (Saturday, June 4, 2016). See our calendar for details and updates (including cancellations)
RIDE LEADERS
Volunteer to go riding and share your passion with fellow mountain bikers! It's a rewarding volunteer role that is important to building community within NWTA.
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President's Message
by Kelsey Cardwell
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Well, that wraps up an inspiring women's history month! Last week, a record number of women showed up to our member meeting to hear from Jocelyn Gaudi, Komerabi Cycling Team, and Elaine Bothe, Wenzel Coaching. They shared tips for planning the next big adventure. Four days later, many of the same women joined us for the monthly women's group ride at Alsea Falls, the Team Dirtstomping grounds.
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Anyone is welcome to join us for our monthly member meetings, where you can connect with other riders and learn about opportunities to give back to your favorite activity. I especially look forward to meeting more women from the continuously growing community of women riders at our member meetings and at our monthly women's group rides (first Saturday of every month - put it in your calendar now!). Earlier this month, we also hosted Joshua Rebannack to present to various land managers, public partners and advocates about urban mountain biking, and what's possible here in Portland. Joshua is a trail expert from Minnesota, where there is 320 miles of urban trails. BikePortland.
If you're not yet a member, now's a better time than ever to join. Our members support us in our efforts to educate, advocate and help people connect around mountain biking.
Ride on, Kelsey
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 Stub Fest is a family-friendly celebration, trail work day, and campout at beautiful L.L. Stub Stewart State Park. Join us for the Saturday trail project, or camp out all weekend so you can enjoy all the activities. Located only 34 miles west of Portland, Stub Stewart State Park is becoming a mountain bike destination for all levels of riders. HIGHLIGHTS - Trail Build Day
- Trail Building Class
- Group Rides for beginners, intermedate riders and on up
- Kids Skill Course and Games
- REI sponsored activities throughout the weekend
- Campout
TRAIL WORK Leave your mark on this gorgeous park by helping NWTA build and maintain the trails we love to ride. - Friday evening - attend an optional IMBA trail building class and learn some new skills.
- Saturday - join an army of volunteers to build trail, sculpt features and add mileage in the mountain bike specific part of the park.
FUN FOR EVERYONE - Kids can build up their cycling chops on our kids skills course and play fun games at the REI camp all day.
- Join us for group ride (for all skill levels) led by REI and NWTA volunteers.
- After doing trail work Saturday. we will celebrate with a raffle, food, and beer.
- Camping and REI ultimate s'mores station and more!
- Oh... and a mtb night ride
Stub Fest is a great time for all -- an opportunity to work hard while also celebrating the trail system that was built by NWTA volunteers in partnership with Oregon State Parks.
ADMISSION AND REGISTRATION Both the event and camping are FREE, thanks to the combined effort of our sponsors and volunteers. Please register here.
Additional sponsors:
Yakima, SmithCFI, The Bike Gallery, Associated Mortgage Brokers, Portland Design Works, Stan's NoTubes, Salesforce, Hopworks Urban Brewery, KEEN, Dakine, Western Bike Works, Lumberyard, Kool Pak, Acme Construction Supply, Oregon Enduro Series, Washington County Visitor Association, and Cliff Bar.
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Advocacy Alert: North Tualatin Mountains Natural Area
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If you're serious about advocacy, and want to help ensure the Tualatin Mountain Master Plan happens, please come to Council and testify. Your voice will matter. Metro Councilors need to know that off-road cyclists are supporting them. They are hearing from a small and persistent group to not adopt the plan in which we all have participated.
Metro Council Meeting to Adopt the Tualatin Mountain Master Plan:
Thursday, April 14, 2016, 2:00PM - 4:00 PM
Metro Regional Center - Council Chambers
600 NE Grand Ave, Portland
For an overview of the project from Metro, follow this link. |
| Northwest Trail Alliance Women's Group Ride at Tiger Mountain
by Inga Beck
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Finding suitable riding partners can be a daunting task. As a female rider, I've often found myself the only woman in the group. Fortunately, thanks to the internet and social media sites like Facebook, connecting with new riding friends has never been easier.
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 It's even more difficult when moving to a new town. Leaving behind great friends and riding partners can be depressing, but change can be a good thing as well. A new region means new trails to explore and opportunities for new riding adventures. Eager to connect with new friends, I reached out to our local mountain bike club (the Northwest Trail Alliance) and inquired about group rides-specifically all female group rides. Kelsey Cardwell is the current president of our local advocacy trail group; we quickly connected, then met up to work on a strategy on ways we can build up the women's MTB riding community. |
Map your ride (& upload it) for a chance of winning a Dakine hydro pack, and other Dakine swag. Simple process - create a ride on MTB Project and/or Trail Forks, and email the ride web link to Ted Dodd. Submissions will be evaluated on ride quality and content uploaded (description and supporting info).
The goal is to map local trails within 1.5 hour radius of Portland.
You are encouraged to enter more than one ride as each ride is a chance to win. Submissions are due by May 22, and winers will be announced at Stub Fest, June 4th.
First prize is a Dakine hydro pack, and second prize is a Dakine jersey or shorts!
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Ventura Park Pump Track In Northeast Portland Gets Some Much Needed Attention
by Adam Newman
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 As a co-founder and editor at Bermstyle.com, Jason Van Horn knows a thing or two about putting together a good line. In the past few months he's taken the lead in revitalizing the pump track at Ventura Park in Northeast Portland. Originally opened in 2012, the pump track wasn't seeing regular use, and was often damaged by standing water, Van Horn said. He and NWTA board member Inga Beck are experienced pro trail builders who worked as the IMBA Trail Care Crew in 1999, so they have shepherded projects like this before. Over the winter Van Horn, on behalf of the NWTA, contacted the Portland Parks and Recreation maintenance division about getting a fresh load of dirt at the site to work with. On April 2 and 3, he and a small team of volunteers used the NWTA Ditch Witch to re-shape the track to divert standing water and improve the line options. Shout out goes to Cole Pruitt, who is known for shaping trails like Thrillium and Cold Creek. The new layout is more open and simplified, he said, with 90 degree berms and transition lines for more experienced riders. While work on the site isn't finished, it is rideable now after the rain passes this week. |
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Thank You To Our Sponsors
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The Northwest Trail Alliance would like to thank our sponsors for their generous support. Without their help, it would be impossible for NWTA to accomplish our mission of creating and protecting mountain biking opportunities.
NWTA is still accepting sponsorships at all levels for 2016. If you are interested, or know a business that is, please
PLATINUM LEVEL SPONSORS
GOLD LEVEL SPONSORS
SILVER LEVEL SPONSORS
 
BRONZE LEVEL SPONSORS
   
 
 
 
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