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May 31, 6-8pm
General Membership Meeting
Curious about bikepacking but turned off by the time and expense needed for the epic adventures you've seen in magazines? Turns out you're not the only one. At our May meeting, NWTA members will share their experiences and tips on how you can enjoy your favorite singletrack and camp out for a night with minimal expense, have time to enjoy the scenery, and still be back in time for work on Monday. There will be packing tips, location advice and some trail wisdom about how to have a comfortable and fun experience.
1969 NE 42nd Ave - Portland
May's meeting: Bike Packing discussion
MtBike League Night
MtBike League season is over. Stay tuned for the start-up next fall.
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.
Please note the Coldwater Lake event has been cancelled.
- 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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2nd Annual Hagg Lake Trail Volunteer Work Day
May 14, 9AM
Come join Northwest Trail Alliance at Hagg Lake to work on single track! Complete details here.
To RVSP, or if you have questions please contact Lee Duncan.
Sandy Ridge Trail Project
May 21, 9:30 - 2PM
Please join the Northwest Trail Alliance (NWTA), the Bureau of Land management (BLM), and the International Mountain Bicycling Association for a Sandy Ridge Trail System (SRTS) trail maintenance and build day. Complete details can be found here.
Hope to see you there!
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.
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
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 beginning on Oct 17, 2015, and then repeating every other Saturday until state trails day (Saturday, June 4, 2016). See our calendar for details and updates (including cancellations)
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President's Message
by Kelsey Cardwell
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Local mountain bikers are well-known and appreciated by many for how much we give back. For good reasons, we don't take our trails for granted, and collectively, we put in thousands of volunteer hours each year. Behind the scenes there are a few heroes who each put in hundreds of hours, sometimes in a single month. They look out for opportunities to engage in public processes, they develop relationships with land managers and politicians, and they are always on the lookout for grant opportunities to fund new trail systems. I'm barely scratching the surface describing their volunteer commitments to make sure we will always have a place to ride.
This past membership meeting and this month's newsletter focuses on a few of these trail heroes. As a reminder, please make sure your membership is up to date. Every membership makes these heroes' jobs a little easier by increasing our numbers, our political power and our ability to financially protect and support trail projects.
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This month, NWTA would like to recognize a few of our volunteers for their truly "above and beyond" hard work, dedication, and accomplishments in advocating for the sport we all love.
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| | Tom Slovak, Andy Jansky, and Joe Rykowski (left to right) |
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What motivates me to go to endless meetings, run into brick walls of "no," and see no action for several decades? The knowledge that we can change it, and have the power to shape the future of mountain biking in Portland. We have proven this to be true in the last few years by being instrumental in getting the Off Road Cycling Master Plan funded by the City Council, and getting the Mayor to state that mountain biking is both a legitimate sport in Portland, and should be integrated into the Parks system. Additionally, this achievement was followed by working successfully with Metro to become a community partner to ensure the adoption of the North Tualatin Mountains Plan. This effort, led by Metro, included the first real open and honest public process addressing how to integrate sustainable mountain biking trails into a natural area in the Portland metro area.
I have been riding in Portland since before bikes were banned from all the trails (for no apparent reason), and actively working on advocacy for 5 years with a strong advocacy team (many of whom are listed in this article). My advice for advocates: be as good a listener as a talker; nobody wants to hear your opinion unless you listen to theirs. It is easy to divide into sides and fight about opinions, but it is much harder to work toward agreement and build relationships. I think NWTA is leading the way through active and open dialogue followed by real action and relationship building.
We have made tremendous progress recently. We still need everyone to continue to advocate for the sport we are passionate about, though. This could be as simple as taking a friend on an easy mountain bike ride and showing them a positive experience. It could be getting your employer to donate to NWTA. It could be volunteering to run an NWTA event to get people on bikes, or it could be running for a local elected office. One thing it won't be is doing nothing - because, if you do nothing, that is what you will get. The group featured here don't want to be in this article next year, so call or email us, there is always room, no experience necessary, just willingness and energy.
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I've been volunteering for about ten years, doing various things from trail work to Sunday Parkways events.
In general, I'm proud to have put efforts into building relationships with different land managers, for a variety of cyclists, from cross country to downhill disciplines.
My advice for anyone interested in advocating for mountain biking is to get involved in what's going on locally for you. For me, the term "local" for off-road cycling means -- "what would be a normal MTB destination for you to ride?" Those areas make up your MTB neighborhood.
Next steps would be to go to public meetings, understand the process, get informed, speak up, get to know other trail user groups, and treat them with respect.
The most important advocacy issues facing MTBikers in the northwest are retaining access to shared trail systems, and getting access to trail systems that are currently open to other user groups but not to off road cyclists. There are so many opportunities to coexist on trails with other user groups... and cyclists are great allies for routinely necessary trail maintenance.
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Since moving from Salem to the Hillsboro area in 2007, I've been volunteering with NWTA as a lead trail builder mainly at L.L. Stub Stewart State Park - organizing work party events, wrangling tools, maybe writing a grant or two. My involvement as a mountain biking trail builder in Oregon goes back to Black Rock Mountain Bike Area (BRMBA) in 2004 - that's where I picked up a passion for digging in the dirt with like minded friends to help make something to be enjoyed by a larger community of riders. "Do more. Whine less."
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Joe Rykowski (3/2016)
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Way back during Blackrock times, I remember thinking about how much work it was moving dirt with hand tools, and the amount of effort it took to organize a large enough work party to accomplish a task in a reasonable amount of time. Machines ... we needed machines! Fast forward to 2016, and what I helped accomplish with support from NW Trail Alliance organizers, and through applying for multiple Recreation Trail Program (RTP) Federal funding grants -- we now own and manage over $200,000 in professional trail construction equipment. This equipment allows skilled operators to create single track trails that are indistinguishable from hand-built trail, and can be accomplished in a much quicker timeframe without need for large work parties. Don't get me wrong, sharing in the sweat equity with many others is fun, and there's definitely a place for hand crews... but when it comes to getting the job done with the least effort, I love working solo in the woods with a trail construction machine - I love the smell of diesel and grease in the morning! There's a lot to building trail on public land... and that's part of the challenge I enjoy, as well. Working with partners (willing partners) to plan how to engage with volunteer organizations for building out the infrastructure and maintaining it. We don't just go out there and start digging! There's a lot of work most people don't appreciate - from the public input meetings, to the ink on paper for adopt-a-trail agreements, and THEN boots on the ground moving dirt (and rocks and roots and ferns), sculpting a functional work of art in the trees. Advice I'd give to other people looking to build trail... Don't give up. Follow your heart. Do what you love. Be a SUPPORTING partner with the land management agencies.. we shouldn't be whining that we want them to do something, we should be asking how we can help accomplishing something together... I think Portland riders have fought a long hard battle for Forest Park that already had an established base of users (dog walkers and hikers) with an elitist group of neighboring private property owners. Don't give up on that, but I'd spend majority of your efforts looking for partners that are WILLING to engage. What's on the radar? Portland's Gateway Green project, Metro's North Tualatin Mountains, Metro's Chehalem Ridge park ... When they are ready to dig on these, then we'll bring the machines and the people and the PASSION to create trails that allow people to enjoy nature on bike, on foot, and with their furry companions. We build. We ride. We care. |
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| | Tom Archer |
Tom began working with the predecessor to NWTA back in 2007. At that time membership was at approximately 100 people. His early efforts focused on expanding our reach through helping to orchestrate NWTA becoming an IMBA chapter, and expanding the board. Since that time, and through the efforts of folks like Andy Crump and Brian Baumann, NWTA membership has gone from approx. 100 to over a 1000.
As to advocacy accomplishments, it's been a long road, according to Tom. Our biggest accomplishments have been in expanding our reach; we've established credibility, and forged relationships with Metro and the City of Portland. Although it's been a long road, we're starting to see our efforts pay off; or, as Tom puts it "we have a seat at the table now." Tom's advice for anyone interested in getting involved in MTB advocacy is to: - do something that utilizes your top skills;
- get involved at the neighborhood level - get involved with your neighborhood association;
- keep abreast of the issues affecting mountain bikers so you can get involved early.
Tom thinks that our community is best served by continuing to show how mountain bikers are a highly energetic and active user group. Land managers are looking for good partners in stewardship of public lands, and our group can serve that role.
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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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Metro Chehalem Ridge Update and Advocacy Alert
by Chuck Fondse
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The initial Stakeholders Advisory Committee (SAC) was held on March 11, 2016. Metro hosted a tour of the property before the meeting and I was impressed with the work they've been doing towards restoration of this property to pre-timbering, pre-farming conditions. In all of the conversations I heard, the primary concern is for restoring nature. Other uses, such as recreational use, were presented as being secondary, and needing to fit into their "science" for the restoration and preservation of habitat.
Metro staff are doing a very good job of listening to citizens in and around the Chehalem Ridge area, such as the Latino community, the local ranchers/farmers, Pacific University, and the school districts. They are keenly aware of its potential use for all those people. Mountain biking, at this time, does not appear to be a priority for any of those groups.
My conviction is that single track mountain biking at Chehalm Ridge can, and will happen if we make ourselves known by participating in the process. It is up to us. We have an opportunity to ask our individual councilors and Metro staff to honor the wording in their own plan, the "Parks and Nature Systems Plan" (200 + pages) It states:
Access considerations: Chehalem Ridge Natural Area could offer recreational uses that are limited or unavailable elsewhere, such as mountain biking or horseback riding. A planning process is underway for access opportunities, drawing on extensive outreach to partners and community members.
Other portions of Metro's holdings in the area are better suited to habitat preserves. (page 104) Note that the mention of mountain biking is not a promise, but a "could." In the SAC meeting, biking was mentioned -- it appeared, though, as if it was attached to the use of old logging roads. I proposed that NWTA would like to build trails. This was received with questions about legal ramifications. It was also noted that there are major mountain biking trails within vicinity like Stub Stewart and Wilson River. The staff utilized the state's SCORP document but the outcome was an emphasis on equestrian opportunities.
SO, FOLKS -- if we want single track mountain biking at Chehalem ridge, we need to make our presence known. Here are our current opportunities:
Join Metro on May 11 (Spanish), or May 17 (English) from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Forest Grove High School, 1401 Nichols Lane, Forest Grove, OR 97116, for a presentation and opportunity to share your ideas with the Chehalem Ridge Nature Park planning team. Come out with your neighbors, friends and family (kids welcome), have a slice of pie and cup of coffee on us, and shape the future of the next nature park near you.
Metro is also accepting input on the Chehalem Ridge Master Plan online. The survey will be open until May 25th. Survey here.
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Hagg Lake Work Day Recap
by Lee Duncan
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Trail Love for Hagg Lake was on display Saturday, 4/2/2016, where 15 volunteers put in some hard work to help alleviate some muddy spots on the trail.
Hagg Lake boasts 12 miles of single track, but the trail is inaccessible because of mud for much of the winter, and we are working to fix that!
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 Bruce Gudmundsson, the Northwest Trail Alliance Trail Steward for Hagg Lake, is IMBA-trained. Here he's passing down some knowledge on how to out-slope a section of trail. |
 Here Reid Sberg loads gravel donated by Washington County using Northwest Trail Alliance equipment. |
 Here's Al Cabera, who also helped prepare our after-work food, helps Reid shuttle gravel to our work site while volunteers stage themselves for the tasks at hand, with Hagg Lake in the background! |
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All in all, we were all lucky to be out giving love to our trails on such a nice day, with such great company!
Thanks to all our sponsors: Northwest Trail Alliance, Hopworks Urban Brewery (for after-ride beer!), and Washington County Parks and Recreation department, specifically Jacob Snell (the lead Ranger at Hagg).
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National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) Looking
to Form Oregon Chapter:
Director Needed!
by Ed Fischer
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I sure wish they had that when I was in High School!
That's what most fellow mountain bikers tell us when they discover there's such a thing as a High School Mountain Biking League! The conversation is usually initiated when I mention our local student mountain bike team, The Lacamas Freedom Riders, which I've helped direct and coach for the past five years. Our southwest Washington based team represents, and operates, under the guidelines of NICA, The National Interscholastic Cycling Association. We are the first ever " Indie Club" representing NICA where there's been no league.
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 Founded in 2009, the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) develops interscholastic mountain biking programs for student-athletes across the United States. NICA provides leadership, services and governance for local leagues to produce quality mountain bike events, and supports every student-athlete in the development of strong body, strong mind and strong character through their efforts on the bike.
Currently, there are 19 NICA leagues across the nation including the Western US, Nor Cal, So Cal, Colorado, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and an Independent League in Washington -- the Washington Student Cycling League. Not sure if you noticed, but there is one key state that's missing on this list, OREGON, which is why I am here writing to you!
The most crucial thing we need is a passionate, committed and qualified individual(s) to direct an Oregon League. We are on a quest to draw interest for a Student Cycling League in Oregon. If you feel the same way, then join us by spreading this message! Operating as an independent team under NICA, it is our goal to bring awareness of the opportunities the league provides. We believe strongly in the mission to introduce young people to the sport of mountain biking, which we hope will lead to a healthy lifetime of cycling, and teaching our youth about the importance of stewardship and advocacy so that they may continue to carry that torch for generations to come. NICA is truly sweeping the nation and the interest and demand for an Oregon league is stronger than ever. The time is now. Currently we have been in talks among key Oregon stakeholders and NICA officials to begin the bidding process for an Oregon League. In order to bring this dream to a reality, the most crucial thing we needed is to find a passionate, committed and qualified individual(s) who can direct an Oregon League. There are a tremendous number of individuals in support who are available, and willing to participate in committees and assist in supporting roles, however, we need someone who can commit to leading this effort at the director level to get this league off and running. If you have any interest, or know of anyone that may be passionate about this subject, please have them contact me at ed@camasbikes.com, and I will get you tied into the current chat group working towards getting an Oregon League launched and getting more kids on bikes!! Thanks, Ed Fischer Lacamas Freedom Riders |
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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IMBA Hosting Member Survey
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IMBA is asking its members to share their voices on its strategic, 5-year plan that runs through 2020. It is working with a professional, third party provider to conduct a survey of its members from May 3-17. To participate, you must be a current member on or before April 30 and have a valid e-mail address on file.
To sweeten the offer, IMBA will raffle a Trek Procaliber 9.7 SL, with a retail value of $3,500, to survey participants who complete the survey. Also, because it's IMBA's Spring Membership Drive if you renew your membership by the deadline to participate in the survey you will also be entered to win a $600 gift card to Jenson USA, a light kit from Cygolite, CST Tires, a one-year supply of CLIF Bars, or even a race entry to Epic Rides' Grand Junction Off-Road. If you're an IMBA member, check your email or visit imba.com.
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Off-Road Cycling Master Plan Considers Equity
by Adam Newman
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While it might seem that only off-road cyclists would be concerned with an off-road cycling plan, all the members of the Portland community should be considered in the planning process. That was the takeaway from the project advisory committee meeting for the Off-Road Cycling Master Plan on Thursday, April 28.
Desiree Williams-Rajee, of the city's Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, was on hand to educate members of the committee on equity and the importance of reaching out to and involving all relevant stakeholders in the project, especially those who will be widely impacted but have traditionally little influence on planning decisions. As part of the city's 2035 Comprehensive Plan, all infrastructure planning decisions must be made with consideration to promote equity for all citizens. The city must include communities of color, low-income and other groups that have traditionally been underrepresented in government or discriminated against. The committee began to brainstorm stakeholders and set aside special consideration for those who do not have the luxury of being part of the planning process. In the future the committee will be making it a priority to reach out to these communities. The overall planning process is still in the discovery phase, and will be followed by an analysis phase. The full project should take the remainder of 2016 to complete. The next meeting is scheduled for May 26 from 4 to 6 p.m. The public is welcome to observe and make comments at the end, time permitting. Learn more about the Off-Road Cycling Master Plan here.
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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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