IMBA Club eNewsletter for April 2006

* TOP 5 REASONS TO ATTEND THE IMBA SUMMIT/WORLD MTB CONFERENCE
* ACTION ALERTS MADE EASY
* FREE, FRESH CONTENT FOR YOUR CLUB'S WEBSITE FROM IMBA
* SEE THE FOREST FOR THE TRAILS
* TRAIL INVENTORIES: ARE YOU BEING LEFT OUT?
* USE RTP FUNDS TO APPLY FOR A TRAILS EDUCATION SPECIALIST
* NOMINATIONS BEING TAKEN FOR 2006 RTP ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
* GETTING BACK TO SINGLETRACK IN UTAH
* NATIONAL TRAILS DAY IS TWO MONTHS AWAY
* MOUNTAIN BIKING GROWING IN ARKANSAS: WOOOOO, PIG, SOOIE!

--

* TOP 5 REASONS TO ATTEND THE IMBA SUMMIT/WORLD MTB CONFERENCE
5) Sample the international flavor. When else will you share stories and
learn about trails and riding with a collection of global mountain bikers?
4) Learn from experts. Sample the newest management and trail techniques:
seminar and presentation topics include risk management, conservation,
shared-use communities, trail construction and more.
3) Get looney. Check out the world's largest "Looney" social ride (with the
Whistler Off Road Bicycling Association), a local BBQ, banquet with trials
rider Ryan Leech and the World Mountain Bike Film Festival.
2) Save your dough. The event website has a message board for room shares
and other ways to help make this an economical trip -- it might be the
cheapest way to visit Whistler this summer.
1) Ride, ride, ride. Soak in some of the best riding on the planet, from
family-friendly paths to epic cross country and world-famous freeriding at
the Whistler Mountain Bike Park.
Visit http://www.worldmountainbikeconference.com

* ACTION ALERTS MADE EASY
The key to getting results with action alert notices is to write clearly,
and to include a simply worded call to action. IMBA has provided a helpful
primer to help you create a CNN-worthy broadcast, including an outline of
what should (and shouldn't) be included, a collection of sample talking
points, and other helpful suggestions.
http://www.imba.com/resources/organizing/action_alert_primer.html

* FREE, FRESH CONTENT FOR YOUR CLUB'S WEBSITE FROM IMBA
Want to add IMBA's latest news headlines to your website automatically?
Subscribe to the IMBA RSS Newsfeed and keep your website visitors up to date
on the latest news. Just cut and paste the code provided at IMBA.com on to
your homepage and you'll always have the latest five headlines from IMBA.
Grab the code here:
http://www.imba.com/support/rss_info.html

* SEE THE FOREST FOR THE TRAILS
Dozens of national forests are conducting or preparing forest plan updates
that will guide forest management for the next 10 to 15 years. Mountain
bikers should provide input: The best way to find out what's going on in
your neck of the woods is to visit Forest Service's planning website for a
list of all current and upcoming plan updates.

Forest Service plan update master list (pdf file):
www.fs.fed.us/emc/nfma/includes/LRMPschedule.pdf

Forest Service homepage with links to individual national forests:
www.fs.fed.us

Unfamiliar with the planning process? IMBA's Forest Service Planning Toolkit
covers every step of the process. It even includes templates for comment
letters.
http://www.imba.com/resources/organizing/forest_toolkit.html

* TRAIL INVENTORIES: ARE YOU BEING LEFT OUT?
The USFS, BLM and many state parks are currently conducting trail
inventories, so it's important to know how bikers are being treated in your
neck of the woods. In some places, managers are still cataloguing us with
motorized trail users and needlessly eliminating miles of trails to bikes.
IMBA has created an on-line resource explaining our position, the potential
threats and benefits, and suggestions for land managers and cyclists alike.
Learn more about trail designation inventories here.
http://www.imba.com/resources/bike_management/trail_inventory.html


* USE RTP FUNDS TO APPLY FOR A TRAILS EDUCATION SPECIALIST
You probably already know that $370 million is available for Recreational
Trails Program (RTP) projects over the next five years. Perhaps your club
wants to do something a little different than a standard trail construction
and maintenance project: How about applying for a funded Trails Education
Specialist position? That's just what the Southern Off-Road Bicycling
Association (SORBA) did, leveraging a variety of resources available through
the club and a local college to create an RTP-funded trails educator. Check
out this application and several others:
http://www.imba.com/resources/grants/rtp_8.html

* NOMINATIONS BEING TAKEN FOR 2006 RTP ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Here is your chance to nominate deserving clubs and individuals for their
work with the Recreational Trails Program (RTP). With so many outstanding
RTP projects around the country being led by mountain bikers, this is an
excellent opportunity for them to receive some well-earned appreciation.
Nominations are accepted from public agencies, trail administrators, and
program sponsors for completed projects in a variety of categories. Awards
will be presented in Washington, D.C. during Great Outdoors Week 2006 (June
12-16). The deadline for submission is April 17. Nominations info:
http://www.imba.com/resources/grants/rtp_2006_nomination_process.doc

* GETTING BACK TO SINGLETRACK IN UTAH
Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew members Nat and Rachel Lopes, along with IMBA
National Mountain Bike Coordinator Zach Vanderkooy, visited Utah's Brian
Head Resort to help protect valuable trails being overrun by ATV use. Once
true singletrack, the Bunker Creek Trail had been widened by four-wheeled
vehicles, deteriorating both the trail and experience. Working with the
Forest Service and Color Country Bicycle Club, nearly 100 volunteer hours
were donated to install several features to prevent wider vehicles from
accessing the trail. Read more in Nat and Rachel's wrap-up:
http://www.imba.com/tcc/2005/brian_head.html

* NATIONAL TRAILS DAY IS TWO MONTHS AWAY
Once again, IMBA will partner with the American Hiking Society (AHS) to
promote National Trails Day: June 3, 2006. This year’s theme, “Experience
Your Outdoors,” speaks to all Americans and encourages them to get outside,
get active, and experience the wonders of trails in their own communities
and throughout the country. Don't forget to register your event.
http://www.americanhiking.org/events/ntd/index.html

* MOUNTAIN BIKING GROWING IN ARKANSAS: WOOOOO, PIG, SOOIE!
Mountain bikers in the Natural State (yep, that's the official state
nickname) are celebrating the completion of more than 12 new miles of
singletrack at the Syllamo Trail System, bringing the total to 50 miles of
awesome riding. In the Ouachita Mountains, approval has come in for a new
trail system around Lake Ouachita. The Hot Springs Bicycle Association is
working to bring new trails to some of the more than 500 miles of shoreline
and spectacular terrain, eventually connecting to the Ouachita Trail and the
Womble. To check out more of the progress in Arkansas, visit the Ozark
Off-Road Cyclists here:
http://www.ozarkoffroadcyclists.com/html/news.html

To hear the Razorback Hog Call, click here:
http://arkalum.org/?page=memories/traditions/hogcall.inc&sub=sg1

--

Like this IMBA eNewsletter? If so, forward it to a friend.

--

If you'd like to be removed from this list send an email to
MEMBERSHIP@... with the subject REMOVE.