The luncheon is a fundraiser for parks and is hosted by the Legacy Parks Foundation, a group who along with Knoxville Parks and Recreation, works closely with Hann and the AMBC.

Hann and the AMBC have put thousands of hours into building trails throughout the city, primarily in South Knoxville. In the last two years, they have built

an estimated ten miles of unpaved trails between projects at Ijams Nature Center, William Hastie Park, and Fort Dickerson Park.

Governor Bill Haslam presented the award to Hann at the Legacy Luncheon today, which was held on the River Bluff property in South Knoxville.

The Four Star Individual Service Award came from the Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association, a group that partners with recreation departments throughout the state each year and names award recipients such as Hann.

In his remarks, Governor Haslam pointed out that Hann had even donated an easement of his personal property toward a trail that will soon connect Ijams Nature Center to William Hastie Park.

Joe Walsh, Director of Knoxville Parks and Recreation, said both Hann and the AMBC had exceeded his hopes of a volunteer group over the last two years.

“We nominated Brian and the AMBC because of their dedication to building trails”even through snowy and rainy weather”have completely transformed the identity of these parks,” said Walsh. “Thanks to their work, people now have access to reach amenities like the water’s edge of the Fort Dickerson Quarry, which previously could only be viewed from an overlook seven stories above the water.”

Though a club comprised of mountain biking enthusiasts built these trails, Walsh says they are multi-use and open to hikers as well.

The AMBC continues to maintain the trails they have built, and have also adopted pre-existing trails such as the one in Sharp’s Ridge Park.

Earlier this year, the AMBC was recognized by the Metropolitan Planning Commission with an MPC Excellence Award in the Special Use category. Ijams Nature Center also honored them with the 2011 Ijams Spirit Award.

Visit http://www.ambc-sorba.org/ to learn more about the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club. For maps and information on the new trails in Knoxville built by the AMBC, please visit http://www.cityofknoxville.org/greenways.

According to an article on the Brentwood Homepage, an on-line news publication, Marcella Vivrette Smith Park will see the construction of a new mountain bike trail.   With the park consisting of only 320 acres no one currently knows how many miles of mountain bike accessible trail will be constructed at the site, but any new mountain bike trails are certainly welcome in the Middle Tennessee Area.

Source: Brentwood Homepage – Mountain bikers, clubs anxious for Smith Park trail

Enterprise South Nature Park (link to ESNP website)

Hamilton County Mayor Coppinger speaks at the ESNP trail opening.

While they have been open to the public for a few months, SORBA-Chattanooga recently held an official ribbon cutting ceremony for the Enterprise South Nature Park Trails.  The ceremony for this 10 mile network, consisting of several loops, log rides,  a pump track, and eventually dirt jumps, was attended by Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger who said a few word at the event.

The Enterprise South Trails were laid out and constructed entirely by SORBA-Chattanooga.  Hamilton County leased the machinery needed to help complete construction of the trails with the remaining costs being paid for with funds raised by SORBA-Chattanooga, including grants from Volkswagen of North America and the Lyndhurst Foundation.  All of the hand labor was completed by SORBA-Chattanooga members.

White Oak Mountain Trails (Biology Trails) (link to WOM website)

Recent map of the White Oak Mountain Trail (Biology Trail).

The White Oak Mountain Trails (Biology Trail) project was undertaken by the Friends of White Oak Mountain, with the goal of rerouting and constructing the former Biology Trail at Southern Adventist University into a sustainable trail system open to foot and mountain bike traffic.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on April 17th, officially opening the redesigned 10 mile network.

The trail head parking lot is located on Morningside Drive, Collegedale, Tennessee.  The trailhead parking lot is just past University Apartments.  Park in the lot behind the Outdoor Leadership Headquarters.   Please be advised to obey all traffic speed limits in Collegedale, especially those on campus, as members of the local and campus law enforcement as traveling just a few miles over the limit may result in a ticket. Also, this trail is located on a religious based campus who is sharing their trails with the public, please respect their beliefs, no alcohol on campus!

The Tennessee Mountain Biking Alliance passes on this important information from the National Trails Association.  We note that many parks that contain mountain bike accessible trails benefit from RTP Grant Funding.  Further, this funding is NOT an earmark.  Instead the funds originate from off road sources.

“The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) provides funds to the States to develop and maintain recreational trails and trail-related facilities for both nonmotorized and motorized recreational trail uses. The RTP is an assistance program of the Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Federal transportation funds benefit recreation including hiking, bicycling, in-line skating, equestrian use, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, off-road motorcycling, all-terrain vehicle riding, four-wheel driving, or using other off-road motorized vehicles.

The RTP funds come from the Federal Highway Trust Fund, and represent a portion of the motor fuel excise tax collected from nonhighway recreational fuel use: fuel used for off-highway recreation by snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, off-highway motorcycles, and off-highway light trucks.

The RTP funds are distributed to the States by legislative formula: half of the funds are distributed equally among all States, and half are distributed in proportion to the estimated amount of nonhighway recreational fuel use in each State.

Source: FHWA – Recreational Trails Program website

The National Trails press release in its entirety is listed below:

As a member of the Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT), American Trails urges organizations of every size and interest to become a Supporter of the Recreational Trails Program (RTP). Every state and every trail activity benefits from the Recreational Trails Program, and we need your support!

Supporting reauthorization of the Recreational Trails Program

Urgent action needed to fund Recreational Trails Program!

A bi-partisan “Dear Colleague” letter is being circulated by Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI) and Rep. Mike Michaud (D-ME) to ask Members of the House of Representatives to include funding for the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) in the upcoming Transportation Reauthorization Bill which is now being written by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. We need your help to encourage your Member of the U.S. House of Representatives to sign the “Dear Colleague” letter.

Urgent action is needed by April 14, 2011: Please ask your Member of the U.S. House of Representatives to sign on to Rep. Petri’s and Michaud’s “Dear Colleague” letter supporting the continuation of the RTP in the upcoming surface transportation bill, by April 14, 2011, when the letter will close. Here’s how to find your Representative…

Our basic message is that the RTP is a very effective, user-pay/user-benefit program and a proven success story. It serves as the foundation for state trail programs across the country, leverages hundreds of millions of dollars of additional support for trails, encourages productive cooperation among trail users, and facilitates healthy outdoor recreation and associated, badly needed economic activity in countless communities. The program has broad-base support— as evidenced by the 471 groups and agencies that are supporting the RTP. And, if you can, please add your own compelling arguments based on your experience with the RTP..

Here are two resources you can provide your Representative:

• An RTP Information Sheet in pdf format
• A list of the 471 groups and agencies who are supporting the RTP

Here are additional ways YOU can support reauthorization of the Recreational Trails Program:

CRT has created a Council of Advisors comprised of organizations that support RTP’s continuation. Advisors add their names to letters to key Members of Congress, to the Administration, and to others. In addition, Advisors reach out to other organizations to ask them to sign-on and to help in a variety of ways.

We would like to suggest several important ways that you can help secure the future of RTP funding for trails:

1. Sign on as a member of the Recreational Trails Program Council of Advisors.
2. Ask any organization or agency you know to sign on as a member of the RTP Council of Advisors.
3. Contact your Members of Congress – Senators and Representatives alike! Invite them to an RTP-funded trail ground-breaking, to a volunteer work day, or to a National Trails Day celebration. Tell the media about these events too, and then send news clips to your Congressional offices. Tell them about your success stories and about the myriad of people of all ages and abilities that love and use these trails!
4. Ask other friends of trails to contact their Members of Congress about RTP.

 

Time is very short. The deadline for your Representative to sign on to Rep. Petri’s and Michaud’s “Dear Colleague” letter is Thursday, April 14th.

Please pass this message on through your networks!

Thank you, in advance, for your support and swift action!
Pam Gluck, Executive Director
American Trails

 

Thanks to generous, ongoing support from Subaru of America, IMBA’s professional Trail Care Crews have been on the road since 1997, teaching sustainable trailbuilding, energizing the mountain biking community and bringing together land managers, city officials and trail users.

The IMBA Trail Building School is a half day of classroom education, followed by several hours of building new trail, rerouting and reclaiming old trail or adding new features to an existing trail.

The Trail Care Crews also offer several presentations designed to bring different groups to the table, helping to grow acceptance of mountain biking and trail building:

• Club Care is designed to teach mountain biking groups how to grow their membership, sustain leadership, remain fresh and fun and better reach out to their communities.
• Land Manager Training educates those overseeing the places where you ride about IMBA’s mission and the methods and importance of sustainable trail building.
• The Better Living Through Trails presentation is a great way to bring together community leaders to teach them about the economic, health and wellness benefits that trails and mountain biking bring to an area.

Please note that the Trail Care Crews no longer offer National Mountain Bike Patrol workshops.

However, advocacy efforts have been successful in that the assistant director of planning and facilities states that mountain bike trails are in the future at areas in Percy Warner park.

A short report from our representative Carlyon Heichel follows:

“Although mountain bike trails were not part of the master plan for the new Burch Reserve property, according to Tim Netsch (Assistant Director Planning & Facilities – Metro Parks) mountain bike trails WILL be added in Percy Warner Park on a tract across the street (I think I’ve captured the approximate area below with the green circle but don’t hold me to the exact location).  I believe its about 120 acres.  Trail cutting will not start immediately (even with the high level of interest).  Metro parks (with assistance from SORBA) is coming up with a county-wide master plan for mountain bike trails “that will include PWP.  They will prioritize the projects, and I imagine PWP will be 2^nd or 3^rd on the list behind a couple other existing projects.  When the master plan is complete, I will definitely pass it on!”

Although mountain bike trails were not part of the master plan for the new Burch Reserve property, according to Tim Netsch (Assistant Director Planning & Facilities – Metro Parks) mountain bike trails WILL be added in Percy Warner Park on a tract across the street (I think I’ve captured the approximate area below with the green circle but don’t hold me to the exact location).  I believe its about 120 acres.  Trail cutting will not start immediately (even with the high level of interest).  Metro parks (with assistance from SORBA) is coming up with a county-wide master plan for mountain bike trails (this is very exciting!) that will include PWP.  They will prioritize the projects, and I imagine PWP will be 2^nd or 3^rd on the list behind a couple other existing projects.  When the master plan is complete, I will definitely pass it on!

While mountain bike trails approved for the Branch Reserved property, advocacy efforts have netted something even greater. That being the agreement to add mountain bike accessible trails in another part of Percy Warner Park and more importantly a major shift in Metro Parks policy regarding the need to provide mountain biking oppotunities at other Metro Parks through out the county.

The Tennessee Mountain Biking Alliance is committed to providing any assistance to the local SORBA chapter it may require in developing a master plan for mountain biking in Davidson County.  Additionally, the Tennessee Mountain Biking Alliance will keep everyone updated on this issue as it develops.

A special thanks to Carlyon Heichel for heading up advocacy efforts at Percy Warner and report the results to Tennessee Mountain Biking Alliance.

The International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) will be making their way to the Tri-Cities the weekend of March 3-6, 2011.

Bays Mountain Park has graciously allowed the NTMBA and IMBA to visit the park and use the Big Oak Trail for the trail care workshop. Come out and learn the process behind sustainable trail planning and trail building from the folks who literally wrote the book on the subject!

For those wanting to learn about designing, building and maintaining sustainable trails, there will be a classroom session on Saturday March 5 and a hands-on outdoor classroom session on the Big Oak Trail after the classroom and a Texas Roadhouse lunch!

If you plan to do trailwork on Saturday, we ask that you make plans to attend the morning classroom session. The classroom session will be extremely beneficial in the outdoor session.

More details are beginning to come together. Stay tuned to this page for updates! We will also communicate through email any changes or updates for the event.

---

Schedule

Thursday, March 3
Texas Roadhouse – Johnson City

7:00p.m. – Club Care Workshop/NTMBA monthly meeting
The March club meeting will be with IMBA

Friday, March 4
Bays Mountain Park – Farmhouse Museum

9:00 a.m. – Better Living Through Trails
A presentation highlighting the economic, health, and wellness benefits that trails and
mountain biking bring to our area. This presentation is geared toward tourism boards and local officials. Lunch provided.

Saturday, March 5
Bays Mountain Park – Farmhouse Museum

9:00 AM – Trail Building Class (Class Room)

IMBA’s Trail building school teaches IMBA’s philosophies and trains local volunteers and
land managers on how to build sustainable singletrack. The school involves three hours
in the classroom followed by no more than four hours in the field doing hands-on trail
work and field instruction.

• Introduction to IMBA
• Introduction to the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew
• Trail building theory
• Essential elements of sustainable trails
• Designing a trail
• Constructing the trail
• Rerouting and reclaiming trails
• Advanced trail construction techniques

12:00 PM – Lunch – Barbecue lunch provided by Texas Roadhouse
1:30 PM – Trail Building Class (Field) @ Bays Mountain Park (Big Oak Re-Route)
7:30 p.m. – Social Event

Those who register are welcome to attend a Friday night social. Registrants will be emailed directions.

Sunday, March 6
Group Ride! Location TBD

Follow this link to the Northeast Tennessee Mountain Bike Association to register for this event!

According to the American Trails website, the current budget talks threaten funding for trails.  Following is a report of the information from their website:

The Federal government, under a Continuing Resolution (CR), is funded through March 4, 2011. This week in Washington, the focus is on the federal budget, the deficit, and proposed cuts to spending on every aspect of national programs. This means that every program we rely on could be cut or eliminated: Transportation Enhancements, Recreational Trails Program, Safe Routes to School, Federal land management agency (Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, US Fish & Wildlife Service), trail budgets, and more.

The House of Representatives will vote on legislation (H.R. 1) that would cut current spending by at least $100 billion below the President’s FY 2011 request. Floor debate begins Tuesday.

Every individual and organization concerned with trails and bike/ped facilities should be ready to tell their Members of Congress why funding for these programs is important:

• How to contact your Representative
• How to contact your Senators

What’s happening now?

Federal budget cuts will affect trails

House proposed budget details for fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2011:

• Table of FY 2011 Continuing Resolution reductions (pdf 53 kb)
• H.R. 1: House appropriations bill – Feb. 11 – 359 pages (pdf 659 kb)
• Summary of FY 2011 Continuing Resolution budget (pdf 119kb)

Land and Water Conservation Fund: BREAKING NEWS (FEBRUARY 16): By a vote of 216 to 213, Rep. Lummis (R-WY) amendment to zero out LWCF in H.R. 1 was DEFEATED on the House floor this evening. 33 Republicans, including Mike Simpson (R-ID) joined Democrats in defeating the amendment. (The Lummis amendment subsumed the Pearce amendment.). Although H.R. 1 still makes drastic cuts to LWCF, at least the Program has not been totally defunded. Just as importantly, members of Congress had to declare themselves. A sorting has taken place.

See the list of all the amendments that Representatives are urged to vote “NO” on. For additional information, visit the Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition website

The House of Representatives is circulating Amendments to the FY11 Spending Bill that would defund the Land and Water Conservation Fund completely. Please use the Talking Points and Congressional Support list to contact all members possible. We urgently need your support and help reaching out to House champions urging them to protect LWCF and ensure it has consistent and reliable funding for the future. Once a program has lost all funding for a year, it is very difficult to restore it.

Please urgently ask all LWCF House champs to come to the floor and defend LWCF while reiterating that the program is a wise investment that provides public access for recreation, bolsters local economies and jobs, conserves working forests, farms and ranches, and protects our waters, wildlife and open spaces. See details and how you can take action now…

Federal land management budgets: Major cuts are also proposed in the current House budget for a wide variety of construction, maintenance, and supporting programs on federal public lands. This includes trails and recreation areas on National Forests, Bureau of Land Management lands, US Fish & Wildlife Refuges, and the National Parks. (Stay tuned for more details.)

ATTENTION: Devastating attack on trails, walking, and bicycling could happen this week! Though we do not know details yet, we anticipate a congressional amendment that could do away with or hobble transportation-funded programs like the Recreational Trails Program, Transportation Enhancements (the nation’s largest funding source for trails, walking, and bicycling), and Safe Routes to School. There is strength in numbers! Therefore, we are working with many other organizations to defeat such a damaging amendment. No action is needed to protect these three programs at the moment; we just wanted to give you a heads-up that an amendment could be offered in the coming days. You can expect an action alert from us. If it comes, please do not delay in speaking up. If such an amendment is offered, we might have mere hours to respond.

As soon as we get word on a specific threat, we will also add information to our federal budget web page. Check back often for the latest news and to see how you can take action…

The House Transportation Committee has scheduled a series of field hearings on Federal Transportation reauthorization during February 2011, starting with West Virginia on Feb. 14 and moving on to the West Coast by Feb. 21-23. Plan to attend these sessions and speak up for continuing trails and bike/ped facilities (Recreational Trails Program, Transportation Enhancements, and Safe Routes to School) in the next reauthorization bill. Please help spread the word!

Take action!

American Trails and other nationwide organizations have been urging key members of Congress and Administration officials to recognize the importance of funding for trails and related facilities.

There is strength in numbers and we need to present a unified voice for trails, to document their many benefits, and to make the case for funding trails and bicycle/pedestrian programs. Join us in contacting your Senators and Representatives to let them know why these programs are vital to your local efforts.

• You can reach your House Representative by visiting this website: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
• You can reach your Senators by visiting this website: www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Key Committees:

• US Senate Committee on Appropriations
• US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
• US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
• US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
• US House Committee on Appropriations
• US House Democratic Committee on Appropriations
• US House Committee on Energy and Commerce
• US House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure – see Republican members and contact information and for Democratic members
• US House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit

TALKING POINTS

Now more than ever, advocates must convince Congress that money spent on trails, bike/ped facilities, parks, and outdoor recreation is a sound investment in the country’s economy. The health of our children, as well as our cities, will depend on expanding transportation choices and preserving trails, open space, parks, and places for recreation.

As our nation looks closely at the increase in childhood obesity, the need for healthier lifestyle choices for everyone, safe routes for active transportation, and urban development, there are major issues to address. Trails, greenways, bikeways, and other routes are a critical part of the solution. Read more about the benefits of trails and find talking points by visiting these links:

American Trails benefits-related web pages:

• American Trails website
• Benefits of trails
• Economics of trails
• Business
• Tourism
• Valuing Trails
• Health & trails
• Studies of trail use
• Neighborhoods
• Kids and Trails

Additional Resources:

• Meeting with your Member of Congress Talking Points, provided by America Bikes and the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
• Talking Points Against Gutting LWCF in FY11 CR from LWCF Coalition
• Recreational Trails Program (RTP) Fact Sheet, provided by the Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT)
• Benefits of Trails and Active Transportation Fact Sheet, prepared by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and the Rahall Appalachian Transportation Institute as testimony for the House Transportation and Infrastructure field hearings held in West Virginia on February 14
• Transportation Enhancements (TE) Myths, provided by America Bikes
• Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Fact Sheet, provided by the Safe Routes to School National Partnership

More news and opinion on funding and federal programs

Support the Recreational Trails Program! Join our efforts with the Coalition for Recreational Trails to get RTP funding included in the next transportation bill and sign on to the letter supporting RTP. Will your state’s trails program survive? See concerns about the future of the Recreational Trails Program.

• February 14, 2011: The House Transportation Committee kicked off a series of field hearings on Federal Transportation reauthorization February 14 in West Virginia. Forums are planned for Beckley, WV; Charleston, WV; Philadelphia, PA; Scranton, PA; Rochester, NY; Columbus, OH; Indianapolis, IN; Chicago, IL; Vancouver, WA; Fresno, CA; Oklahoma City, OK; Jonesboro, AR; Memphis, TN. See current schedule…
• February 10, 2011: The new continuing resolution will contain $100 billion in cuts from Obama’s budget. The measure, which funds government operations including transportation, is essential to keeping federal programs running temporarily, will be released on Friday, and is still set to hit the House floor next week. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) promised that the cuts put forth by the GOP will be the largest in congressional history.
• February 6, 2011: House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) was quoted last Thursday as saying that “the GOP will seek to make the deepest cuts to funding for transportation, housing, agriculture, and justice as it seeks to bring down spending for the rest of 2011.” However, some observers say that transit and high-speed rail will take the biggest cuts, not the federal highway aid program, which is funded by different mechanisms.
• February 4, 2011: “I’d like to have a transportation bill on the president’s desk by the August recess,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Friday during a conference call with reporters. He expressed his belief that members of the House and Senate appear committed to complete the legislation.
• February 2, 2011: House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) “has been empowered under House rules to set 2011 non-security spending levels at 2008 levels or less.” On Feb. 8 Ryan is to publish his budget figures in the Congressional Record. Then, House appropriators will have to decide on spending ceilings for each subcommittee (e.g. Highways and Transit) and finalize the committee bill by Feb. 11.
• January 31, 2011: “House Republicans try to find middle ground on budget-cutting plan“
• January 28, 2011: According to a Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation article, “The idea that bicycle and pedestrian funding– rather than general overall cuts to federal transportation spending– might be specifically targeted is realistic given that a few members of the House, like House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, have repeatedly called for bicycle & pedestrian funding to be cut or eliminated.” Read about past history of bicycle and pedestrian cuts proposed in federal budget.
• January 27, 2011: World Health Organization official discusses “Transport and Health: Measuring the Link“
• January 27, 2011: “Senate committee backs infrastructure, but not bike lanes“
• January 24, 2011: A clear explanation of the transportation funding debate from a “reduced-government-spending” viewpoint: “These challenges will in large part be driven by the need to constrain overall federal spending and by shortfalls in the highway trust fund.” Read article from the Heritage Foundation…
• January 18, 2011: “There are no Republican or Democratic roads. There are no Republican or Democratic bridges,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Speaking at a transportation technology conference, LaHood expressed confidence that Congress would pass a multiyear bill to reauthorize the federal surface transportation programs.

Resources on federal budgets and transportation funding

Transportation policy

• The future of trails in federal transportation funding, by Eric B. Beightel, U. S. DOT Office of Transportation Policy
• “Transportation for a New Generation:” strategic plan from the U.S. Department of Transportation

Economic impacts of walking and bicycling

• Benefits of Trails and Active Transportation Fact Sheet, prepared by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and the Rahall Appalachian Transportation Institute as testimony for the House Transportation and Infrastructure field hearings held in West Virginia on February 14
• Economic Benefits of Bicycle Infrastructure Investments (pdf 900 kb) from League of American Bicyclists
• “Active Transportation for America” (pdf 4.3 mb) from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy provides “quantitative assessments and an overall estimation of the monetary value of the benefits of current and future bicycling and walking in the United States.”
• “New data adds job creation to the many benefits of bicycle infrastructure,” according to Transportation Secretary LaHood. A recent study argues that pedestrian and bicycle projects create more jobs than road upgrades or resurfacing, and the CDC states 67% of Americans support street design that increases physical activity. “Putting the two studies together creates a powerful argument for continuing the Department of Transportation’s support for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure projects, said LaHood. “Even as these investments increase mobility, they also generate economic growth. And, people are demanding them for their communities.”

Funding trails and bike/ped programs

• Coalition for Recreational Trails is the umbrella group for supporting funding for Recreational Trails and other vital federal transportation programs
• Recreational Trails Program (RTP) Fact Sheet, provided by the Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT)
• President’s national debt commission proposes transportation funding mechanism that would increase federal gas tax
• Federal funding programs for trails and bike/ped programs: index of resources, research, and articles
• Transportation Enhancements (TE) Myths, provided by America Bikes
• Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Fact Sheet, provided by the Safe Routes to School National Partnership

Blogs and supporters

• League of American Bicyclists – transportation issues from a national cycling organization
• Official Blog of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation – “Fast Lane”: postings are not always “bike/ped or trails-related, but here is where we learn the latest on reauthorization from the Secretary’s point of view
• Transportation for America Coalition is focused on authorization of the next multi-year transportation bill
• Program Information Resources: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

YOUR COMMENTS and SUGGESTIONS

American Trails is committed to bringing you all the vital news about funding and policies that affect you. Watch for our ongoing alerts about the budget process, and check this page for updates.

• Your comments on these concerns are welcome. Email us at trailhead@americantrails.org.

• To propose additional articles, letters, links, or resources for this page, please email Pam Gluck, Executive Director, American Trails. This is meant to be an educational page, and American Trails reserves the right to turn down any submission that doesn’t meet our intent for this page.

The City Paper in Nashville recently contained an article about the possibility of mountain bike trails being added to the Warner Park Addition.  It reads in part;

The Middle Tennessee Chapter of the Southern Off-Road Mountain Bike Association (SORBA) wants the future Burch Reserve to offer a mountain bike trail component. Members plan to attend a community input meeting to take place Thursday, Jan. 27, at the Warner Parks Nature Center at 6:30 p.m. During the meeting, the first in a series, Nashville-based project master planner Hodgson & Douglas will be present to provide details and take public input.

“Mountain biking was documented by the Metro Planning Organization as a one of the most underserved communities in Metro Nashville,” said Carolyn Heichel, outgoing president of the Middle Tennessee chapter of SORBA and the group’s current membership chair.

For the full City Paper Article see:  Mountain bikers Want trail in future Warner Parks Addition

The park already contains a number of horse  and hiking trail, but no mountain bike trails despite several petitions over the past several years.   If you would like to see the addition of mountain bike trails, please consider attending one of their public meetings and expressing your thoughts.

The Master Plan meeting dates are held at the Warner Park Nature Center (7311 Hwy 100 Nashville, TN 37221) at 6:30pm and the dates are:

Thursday, January 27th
Tuesday, March 22nd
Thursday, May 5th

for more information contact Carolyn Heichel via email at president@sorbamidtn.org or

The SORBA mid-TN board’s email is board@sorbamidtn.org

More info on SORBA Middle Tennessee, checkout their website http://sorbamidtn.org/

Thanks to generous, ongoing support from Subaru of America, IMBA’s professional Trail Care Crews have been on the road since 1997, teaching sustainable trailbuilding, energizing the mountain biking community and bringing together land managers, city officials and trail users.

The deadline for bike clubs, land management agencies and community trails organizations to apply online for a 2011 Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew visit is Nov. 1.

The IMBA Trail Building School is a half day of classroom education, followed by several hours of building new trail, rerouting and reclaiming old trail or adding new features to an existing trail.

The Trail Care Crews also offer several presentations designed to bring different groups to the table, helping to grow acceptance of mountain biking and trail building:

* Club Care is designed to teach mountain biking groups how to grow their membership, sustain leadership, remain fresh and fun and better reach out to their communities.
* Land Manager Training educates those overseeing the places where you ride about IMBA’s mission and the methods and importance of sustainable trail building.
* The Quality of Life presentation is a great way to bring together community leaders to teach them about the economic, health and wellness benefits that trails and mountain biking bring to an area.

For more information, please contact:
Katherine Fuller
IMBA Field Programs Coordinator
katherine.fuller@imba.com
303-545-9011 ext. 101