NEMBA News 2003

New Englander Joins IMBA Board of Directors

Fort Rock Wake Up Call

NEMBA Helps Reforest Banks of Walden Pond

NEMBA Buys and Protects Trail System

NEMBA, IMBA and VMBA meet with Vermont Wilderness Association about Green Mtns

New England Trail Builders School

Biking at Bluff Point Endangered

Patrol Expands into Harold Parker

CT NEMBA Education Booth

Redbones Bike Week Block Party

Greater Boston NEMBA Back to Work at the Fells to Protect Wetlands

South Central NH NEMBA at Work on Merrimack Trails

CT NEMBA Donates A Bike to Huntington State Park

Environmental Protection Agency Presents NEMBA with Award

National Bike Summit: Gearing up for More Political Clout

New Englander Joins IMBA Board of Directors (12/2003)
Krisztina Holly of Massachusetts and Woody Keen of North Carolina were recently appointed board members of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA). Both are experienced mountain bike advocates. Krisztina is our very own NEMBA board member and former prez. Woody owns a trail construction business, Trail Dynamics, and had worked on mountain bike access issues for more than a decade. Both attended their first board meeting Nov. 7-8 at Giant Bicycles U.S. headquarters in Newbury Park, California.

"Krisztina has honed her advocacy skills through years of excellent volunteer work for NEMBA and IMBA," said IMBA executive director Tim Blumenthal. "She brings outstanding leadership and business skills to our board. She'll also help keep New England and Northeast access issues on the national radar screen." Krisztina has joined the Wilderness subcommittee and also plans to help define and strengthen the relationship between IMBA and its affiliated clubs.

Fort Rock Wake Up Call (12/2003)
Henderson Swasey Town Forest located in Exeter NH, better known by local riders as Fort Rock, received a wake up call in October. The Exeter Conservation Committee (ECC) held a public meeting that was televised on local public TV, and one of the ECC members mentioned some new areas where riders had created extreme trails with dangerously steep drop offs. There were also areas that had large trees across the trail and people were going around them creating a new trail. Always a concern for land managers. A local rider saw the program and contacted Seacoast NEMBA's Ft. Rock trail ambassador, Mark Desrochers, who immediately contacted the conservation committee and developed a plan to resolve the issues. Mark has done an amazing job keeping the park open to cyclists.

"The park came extremely close in the past to being closed to mountain biking," says Desrochers. "In fact many people don't realize how close it has come. If we want to continue riding the best singletrack in the seacoast we need to keep these things in mind. Our goal is not to make the riding easy. We have to maintain the trails for multi-use on the Fork Rock side of the network. We have to work with the ECC because it's their yard....we just play in it."

To this end, Mark, Richard Cobb and many others have put in a lot of sweat equity to keep these trails in good shape, and at the same time not lose the technical challenge the park is known for. —Seacoast NEMBA

NEMBA Helps Reforest Banks of Walden Pond (12/2003)
Once again, DCR's Recreation guy, Gary Briere, calls up NEMBA HQ, so we can't help but wonder where this conversation's going to lead us. Gary seems to always catalyze something interesting. Last time he called, we ended up putting on the New England Trail Builders School for a slew of MA DEM staff. So —with some trepidation— I hear him out. He says that the Walden Park staff are scouting out a project to do during National Public Lands day, and he wanted me to take a peek at the design to see if it was doable and practical, especially since Governor Mitt Romney is supposed to be there. I take the bait.

I met the hardworking staff at Walden and they brought me to the proposed project site—a fall line trail that descends the banks to the pond. It's a horrendous trail created by visitors trying to take a shortcut to the pond. It's gullied out about three feet deep and is filled with the gravel and stone too heavy to wash into the pristine waters of the pond. "Eco-disaster" was the word that came to mind. The staff thought that it might be possible to patch the trail and bring in some fill, but it was clear to me that this trail would never be sustainable. I urged them to shut down the trail and do a new re-route.

I designed a re-route using as much of the trail as possible, but given how many trails criss cross the area, we decided to redirect the trail and completely revegetate it with plants and trees. The staff were concerned with how extensive the project would be, so even though bikes aren't allowed on the trails at Walden, I told them that I'd be willing to help out with a crew of NEMBA volunteers. Yeah, Gary wasn't even there, but somehow he had worked his magic. Plus, working at Walden Pond seemed like a really good thing for NEMBA to be doing.

A few meetings and one postponed work day later, we arrived with our Trail Care Trailer ready to work. The project supervisor, Peter Hofmann, had expected over thirty volunteers from various groups, but only few students from an alternative school in Chelmsford and a mother/daughter team from the Bristol 4-H Club showed. The postponed date meant that in Romney's place, Ellen Roy Hertzfelder, the new Secretary of the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, would be making an appearance.

Peter had done a huge amount of prep work on the site, filling in the huge trench with soil and installing a series of erosion-control dams. He also collected over 200 pines, red and white oak, speckled alder, clethora and some yellow birch. In short order, the NEMBA crew had cut in a new section of trail and we went to work on planting the trees with the students.. It was easy and rewarding work, knowing that we were bringing back a bit of nature to Walden Pond.

These were the shores that Thoreau traversed and from which he developed a message that had never been heard before: that humans are only complete when they are part of nature, and that nature must be conserved and not consumed by society. Walden Pond represents the birthplace of American environmentalism, and it's gratifying that our organization can play a small role in protecting this important symbolic site.

The staff at Walden were appreciative of our efforts and guidance as well. "We could not have gotten this project done this day," commented Peter, "if it weren't for the grassroots volunteerism. With the amount of people who visit Walden Pond, it's hard to maintain the natural integrity of the park, and we thank NEMBA for the help."

NEMBA Buys and Protects Trail System, Vietnam(12/2003)
Cycling Organization Becomes the First in the Country to Buy Land for Open Space Protection and Recreation

The New England Mountain Bike Association has taken title to 47 acres of open space in Milford, Massachusetts in an area known as the Upper Charles River Headwaters. This campaign marks the first time that a mountain bike advocacy organization will purchase, own, and manage its own trail system, and the project marks the largest single investment undertaken by mountain bikers to preserve open space. NEMBA successfully raised the $210,000 needed to purchase the popular riding area two months before the option that was purchased in the fall of 2002 would run out.

"We are thrilled to have raised the money ahead of schedule," says Executive Director Philip Keyes.

"When this historic project started a year ago, we had no idea of the ground swelling of support that we'd receive from mountain bikers and the cycling industry. We believe that outdoors organizations should not only help public efforts to conserve open space, but that they should also undertake private measures to protect our landscapes from development and provide more outdoor recreational opportunities. The notion that a relatively small group such as NEMBA has the ability to preserve land has captured the imagination of individuals who would not normally donate to a land conservation project."

The land acquisition is part of a complex partnership between numerous organizations trying to protect a patchwork of privately-owned open space totaling over 500 acres in the Upper Charles Headwaters area of Milford and Holliston. Some of the organizations that have been involved are The Trustees of Reservations, the towns of Holliston and Milford, Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, the Upper Charles Conservation Inc., and the Department of Environmental Management (now the Department of Conservation and Recreation). In addition to protecting the open space from development, there are plans to develop a rail trail near the property.

"I congratulate NEMBA on successfully raising the funds to protect key open space in Milford, Massachusetts," says Ellen Roy Herzfelder, Secretary of Environmental Affairs of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. "This project is a great example of how non-governmental organizations can play an important role in preserving Massachusetts landscapes for the benefit of the public and the environment."This project is a great example of how non-governmental organizations can play an important role in preserving Massachusetts landscapes for the benefit of the public and the environment."

While the majority of donations came from New England mountain bikers, individuals from all around the country contributed: Arizona, California, Colorado, Washington DC, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. The International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) challenged mountain bikers from around the country to support the cause by issuing a match for all individual donors outside of New England. IMBA's Executive Director, Tim Blumenthal, said, "By raising a quarter million dollars to buy and preserve an important piece of land for our sport, NEMBA has again raised the bar for other mountain bike advocacy groups."

The cycling industry also played a significant role. Local bicycle dealers —such as Wheelworks, Landry's, Cycle Loft, Bicycle Alley and Gear Works— not only donated to the cause, but also worked with their suppliers and manufacturers to generate total donations of over $50,000. Clint Paige, president of Wheelworks, worked closely with the group to garner industry support. "I am very grateful to the key dealers in eastern Massachusetts and numerous regional and national suppliers that have helped us reach our $50K industry goal for this project," says Paige, "but none of this could have happened without the incredible commitment of NEMBA and its tireless leadership."

NEMBA met its goal two months ahead of schedule; last year the organization purchased an option on the land for $15,000, an option that gave the organization until the end of this year to raise the money. Now that the deed is transferred, NEMBA plans to place a conservation restriction on the land to protect it from development and will implement its trail management plan to allow all non-motorized users free access to this popular area. NEMBA wants this open space to become a model for an environmentally sound trail system, a laboratory for trail building techniques, and an inspiration to other non-profit groups to preserve open space for conservation and recreation. NEMBA will install a bronze plaque on the property to acknowledge the support of major individual and industry supporters, to be unveiled next spring.

What's Next?

The real work now begins. Managing this property is NEMBA's top priority. We have drafted a management plan and have formed a management committee to suggest the final form that this document will take. There are a number of key management issues that the committee will focus on:

• protecting important natural resources such as wetlands, rare and endangered species.
• preserving of technical, natural recreational terrain, with minimal new signage or other new facilities.
• planning for a non-motorized trail system that provides the types of user experiences this area is known for.
• developing a regimen of trail maintenance
• coordinating the management of the parcel in conjunction with neighboring conservation commissions and other open space organizations.

NEMBA, IMBA and VMBA meet with Vermont Wilderness Association about Green Mtns (11/2003)
NEMBA's Bill Boles, Rob Macgregor and Philip Keyes joined a representative of the Vermont Mountain Bike Advocates and Vermont's IMBA Representative to meet with the Vermont Wilderness Association (VWA) to discuss their proposal to increase the Wilderness designation in the Green Mountain National Forest. The purpose of the meeting in Royalston, VT, was to better understand the VWA's goals and to express mountain bikers' concern for the negative impact such a designation would mean for the future potential of mountain biking in the region.

Both VT NEMBA and VMBA have been looking to seek greater access to the trails and roads in the national forest —opportunities which are currently severely limited— and both organizations are concerned that a Wilderness designation would forever ban bikes from this region unless certain trail and/or areas were "cherry stemmed" that allowed for bicycling.

Along with possible new Wilderness areas, the VWA hopes to create other categories of protected land —National Conservation Areas and National Recreation Areas— that might be more favorable to bicycling, depending upon how such areas were legislatively defined. NEMBA will continue to communicate with the Wilderness Society and the Vermont Wilderness Association in order to protect the interests of mountain bikers as well as protect the forest.

New England Trail Builders School (09/2003)
The phone rings. It's Gary Briere, Mass. DEM's head of recreation and one of DEM's outside-the-box thinkers. I can't help but wonder where the conversation is going to lead.

"You know, Phil,” says Gary, “I think we need to find a way to get your NEMBA guys' trail building savvy to some of our DEM land managers. I see huge potential for the Pioneer Valley to become a really great destination for recreationalists, but we need to offer them a well thought-out trail system that makes people want to come out here, spend some time and enjoy our forests and parks." Yes, I'm paraphrasing, but this is how Gary talks, and he always seems to start off with some large and inspirational purpose. I take the bait and respond. "How about we do a trail school for all the park supervisors? Maybe we can join forces with the AMC and really make a show of it." This was probably what Gary was thinking all the time, but as a veteran of the DEM, he knows that it's better to have the person who does all the work think that it's his or her idea. "Sounds great," says Gary. "Let's do it!"

Thus began the New England Trail Builders School. I called Joy Street and enlisted AMC's Trails Coordinator, Heather Clish. She was also psyched to be able to offer AMC's support for the school, and both she and the Berkshire AMC's trail specialist, Ted Weber, offered to be instructors. We rounded off the instructors with IMBA's Trail Care Crew, Scott Linnenburger and Aaryn Kay, as well as NEMBA's Tom Grimble, Paul Peaslee, Krisztina Holly, Peter Brandenburg and Rich LaBombard. To top it off, we brought in Kurt Loheit from California. Kurt never misses a chance to take a weekend off from rocket science to spend some time in the woods talking about trails.

With over fifty people registered —including over a dozen DEM land managers and park personnel—my only regret was that there weren't more AMC members at the school. But like NEMBA, the AMC has lots going on every weekend. However, trail aficionados came from as far away as northern Maine and New York, and there was a good regional attendance by NEMBA members.

The Notch Visitors Center at Holyoke State Park was a perfect venue, and the park supervisor, Mike Smyth, was a gracious host who helped solve a slew of logistical issues. The location was also the perfect laboratory because of the variety of trails —and trail problems— and each clinic dealt with different issues and techniques.

Over the weekend we offered a combination of classroom instruction that presented an overview of the principles of trail design and maintenance, as well as on-the-trail clinics that focused on a variety of topics. One session taught how to construct boardwalks using hemlock trees as the support beams. A second focused on drainage structures and erosion control techniques, and a third clinic taught how to design sustainable singletrack trails. Some of the sessions were repeated the next day so that people could learn the different techniques, and we also offered a clinic on working with rock to fortify the trails.

It was a productive weekend and very gratifying to combine forces with the AMC and IMBA, and have so many DEM land managers in attendance. As always, we try to have as much fun as possible during these schools, and there were some great rides and some of the DEM staff decided that they wanted to see what the buzz was all about. In that vein, Cary Vandenakker, Douglas State Forest's supervisor, deserves the award for most gnarly mountain biking. Cary took his mild-managed comfort bike down what is probably the most difficult descent on the mountain and did so with style!

Partnerships like these are good for the trails, and by combining our knowledge we can make the trails a better place for everyone.

Biking at Bluff Point Endangered (09/2003)
Groton CT: Early this spring, a land management plan proposed for Bluff Point asserted that mountain cyclists and, to a lesser extent pedestrians, are endangering a certain False Beech Heather. The plan recommended restricting or banning mountain biking and hiking in many areas of Bluff Point. This position and policy are being challenged, and the state Department of Environmental Protection is crafting a new land management policy based on input from CT NEMBA and other recreational groups whose access rights are being challenged.

For now, the efforts of the DEP seem to be stalled in our current state budget quagmire, which has slowed progress toward the creation of multi-usage zones and restriction of mountain bikers and hikers from the southeastern area (the Nature Preserve.

CT NEMBA continues to monitor progress on this land management plan through regular contact with the park manager and the DEP environmental officer assigned to this land management initiative. The original officer assigned to this recently retired; a new one is currently re-learning the history of the project. CT NEMBA has also alerted the Town of Groton to the situation and is working with town officials.

We will keep abreast of the situation and strive to push policy to an acceptable conclusion. In May, CT NEMBA held a tremendously successful trail maintenance session, re-routing about 800 yards of trail to avoid a chronic wet area. Thanks again to all 15 of the dedicated volunteers who helped. —Dave Singleton

Patrol Expands into Harold Parker (09/2003)
With the approval of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management and the North Shore and Greater Boston NEMBA Board of Directors, the Greater Boston Mountain Bike Patrol has expanded routine patrol coverage into Harold Parker State Forest in North Andover, MA. Geographically, the park is located within the North Shore Chapters' territory, but the North Shore Chapter does not currently have a patrol. With the Greater Boston Patrol in close proximity, the Boards of both Chapters agreed to utilize and provide financial support to the existing Greater Boston Patrol. Harold Parker becomes the fourth park in the metropolitan Boston area in which the Patrol operates. The other parks include the Middlesex-Fells Reservation, Lynn Woods and Great Brook Farm State Park. The Harold Parker Supervisor, Richard Scott, got the process started by asking if it was possible to have a patrol in his park. He was delighted when informed that Patrollers were ready to start riding in Harold Parker, stating, that it was good for the park and good for NEMBA and that there was no downside. Patrollers in their recognizable red jerseys are now in the process of becoming familiar with the trail system and park policies. Initially, the current roster of patrollers should be capable of providing coverage at the four parks, but long term it is anticipated that more patrollers will be needed. If you think you might be interested in becoming a Greater Boston Patroller, contact the Patrol Director, Art Paradice at paradice1@mindspring.com or 978-372-7442 for more information.

CT NEMBA Education Booth (09/2003)
CT NEMBA's Don Myers has created a marketing roadshow to help increase membership. With a tent, banners and educational material, Don plans to attend a number of different venues that our outside the "normal" cycling scene.

In June the CT NEMBA booth was set up at the Celebrate West Hartford event, a singles and family gathering. Though it rained both days, NEMBA volunteers spoke to a lot of people. Over 100 people came up and requested a new brochure which had a map of CT with a listing of riding locations throughout the state. The brochure also describes CT NEMBA's advocacy programs and lets people know how to get involved.

Redbones Bike Week Block Party (09/2003)
Every year, Redbones BBQ of Somerville, Massachusetts, pulls out all the stops to celebrate all things bicycling for the kick off of Bike Week. It's the only time in the year when all the different elements of Boston's bike culture come together in one place. Maybe it's the lure of pulled-pork and good beer, but you got to hand it to Redbones to be able to attract such a wide range of bicyclists and offer them such a good time.

The event is really a block party, with cyclists spilling out of the restaurant onto a transformed Chester Street that's lined with vendor tents and imbued with the smell of food. Besides NEMBA and MassBike —who were treated like the guests of honor— it was a great way to meet all sorts of good people from Ace and Belmont Wheelworks, Kryptonite, Independent Fabrication, Alternate Needs Transportation, Rubel Bike Maps, Seven Cycles, Paramount Bicycle Repair, Hokey Spokes, Vintage Etc, The Ride Magazine, Harpoon Brewery, Friends of the Community Path, Aids Action Committee Fund Raiser Ride and the Lou Gehrig's Disease Fund Raiser Ride. The list goes on… and there is always a showing by the funky guys from SCUL on their incredible chopper bikes!

The event raised $3,800 for MassBike and NEMBA, and Redbones kicked in a couple hundred more to bring it up to $4,000 for the two organizations. Paramount Bicycle Repair also presented a $500 check to NEMBA to help with the Vietnam purchase. All in all, it's a very cool event put on by some very cool people, and NEMBA greatly appreciates the support.

Greater Boston NEMBA Back to Work at the Fells to Protect Wetlands (07/2003)
For years, people have been complaining about an old rotted boardwalk on the mountain bike loop at the Middlesex Fells. To be truthful, the structure no longer resembled a boardwalk as it had deteriorated to the point of becoming a series of planks lying in the mud. These planks had done a remarkable job for at least fifteen years but at the expense of the wetlands. The struggle between the flow of water and the boards ended poorly for both. The water rotted the boards and the boards blocked the passage of water and inhibited the growth of plants. By comparison, the new structure coexists with its location instead of struggling with it.

A hardy group of 34 volunteers spent a beautiful spring day creating the new boardwalk, which was built in two sections. The first is 96' long and 3' wide and is elevated on posts to allow the free passage of water and wildlife beneath it. By the end of the summer, the scars of the old battleground will be almost gone, covered instead by a flowery mix of wetland vegetation. The second section is 24' long and 3' wide and spans a small area that never sees flowing water but does get wet in the spring. The ends of the new boardwalks are a vast improvement over the old design. The planks of the old boardwalk disappeared into the banks of the ravine as the trail slowly washed down hill to cover the boards. The new boardwalks end with rock buttresses including a very impressive incorporation of a natural granite outcropping. The work for this boardwalk started months before the work crew arrived on the site. Since this project is located in a wetland, NEMBA needed to get approval from the Medford Conservation Commission to do the work. Mike Tabaczynski was the brains behind the operation and prepared all the paperwork that is required by the town and the state. The design was done by Jeff Hyland and Tom Grimble. The Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) is the land manager at the Middlesex Fells and was very supportive of NEMBA and of this project. Rene Morin appeared at the conservation commission hearing personally to signal his support to the town.

The day went very well considering the remoteness of the worksite and lack of nearby parking. Power needed to be generated on site and all the materials had to be hand carried into the ravine and the old, rotted boardwalk needed to be hand carried out. The Greater Boston Tool Trailer was on site and provided almost all of the tools needed to complete this project. At the end of the day, NEMBA provided lunch for all the volunteers. Once again, the remote site complicated the logistics but Claire Grimble came through in the clutch by preparing a lunch spread that will be the envy of Maintenance days for years to come. She even baked chocolate chip cookies.

This project was very important for NEMBA. It was an opportunity for us to interact with the MDC and to help them to solve a problem. We are encouraged, as this has helped us to build a relationship with the MDC that is based on trust and success. It was a lot of fun to work side by side with MDC employees Shawn Gallup and Keith Donnelly the day of the event and I know many of our volunteers enjoyed the opportunity to meet and talk with them about the Fells.

I want to thank all the folks who helped with this project. We had a wide range of people who attended this event. Some live near the Fells and others live miles away but everybody was motivated to help make the Fells a better place. For some people this was their first maintenance day. I hope they will show up at more. Many people changed their plans and even overcame personal injury to help support this project and NEMBA's work in the Fells. For more information on what is happening at the Fells or to get involved, contact me at tgrimble@alum.syracuse.edu. —Tom Grimble

South Central NH NEMBA at Work on Merrimack Trails (07/2003)
A dozen members of the SCNH NEMBA chapter turned out on April 27th to spruce up a length of Class 6 highway in Merrimack, NH, known locally as Grater Woods. The clean up was coordinated with the Town who picked up the trash at a central location. The clean up was followed by a ride that showcased the varied terrain of the Grater Woods.

The Grater Woods area is a 250-acre parcel of land purchased by the Town of Merrimack as an "open space" set aside. The area consists of fire roads and double track interspersed with many wetlands, ponds and stream crossings. The Town is attempting to balance recreational uses as well as preserving the habitats and migratory patterns of the incredibly diverse wildlife in the area.

The SCNH chapter has been working with the town closely on how to best manage the many recreational uses of the area. There is even chapter member, George Borrelli, who sits on the Merrimack Conservation Committee.

The Town has been very receptive to the chapter's proposals to develop some areas of the woods as single track. By working with groups like SCNH NEMBA the Town feels it will benefit from club sponsored educational programs and trail maintenance.

One of the many challenges of trail development in Grater Woods is how to best manage trail use by bikers and other trail users such as ATVs, hunters, and equestrians. To that end, the SCNH NEMBA is proposing a segregated use of the land, tight single track for bikes and open double track for motorized use. Several sections of single track are currently being mapped for town approval. --Tom Vaillancourt

CT NEMBA Donates A Bike to Huntington State Park (07/2003)
Huntington State Park in Redding, Connecticut is frequented by many members of NEMBA who enjoy the great variety and challenge of the trails. Over the past several years, members of NEMBA have supported this park by attending trail maintenance days, building a new trail, and repairing others. Now, to further our grassroots involvement, CT NEMBA, with a matching grant from Hat City Cyclists of Bethel, purchased a new Gary Fisher Tassara hardtail for the DEP land manager, Nathan Hale. Nate now has the means to check out and patrol the single track and carriage trails at the park. The owner of Bethel Cycles was very helpful in the purchasing process, and the grant also helped purchase a helmet, tire pump, and other necessary items. CT NEMBA also donated a set of Park tools. We are very thankful for Nate's efforts at Huntington State Park, and hope the good relationship will continue. Two trail care days have already taken place in the park this year, and the next one is planned for June 29th (contact Paula Burton, for more info). A series of Tuesday mountain bike rides will run throughout the summer. --Paula Burton

Environmental Protection Agency Presents NEMBA with Award (07/2003)
NEMBA Recognized for its Role in Preserving the Environment and Natural Resources
Boston MA. April 22, 2003: The New England Office of the US Environmental Protection Agency presented the New England Mountain Bike Association with their 2003 Environmental Merit Award at a ceremony held in Fanueil Hall in Boston, Massachusetts. The EPA's Environmental Merit Award "recognizes commitment, teamwork, perseverance -along with a sense of urgency- to bring about meaningful and lasting environmental protection and improvements."

Left to right: Ira Leighton (EPA Deputy Regional Administrator), Philip Keyes (NEMBA's director),
Tom Grimble (NEMBA's Vice-president) and Bob Varney (EPA Regional Administrator)

NEMBA was nominated and received the award because of its 15-year history of trail maintenance and stewardship on public lands in New England. According to EPA's Robert Lim, who nominated the organization, "this nomination recognizes a mountain biking organization that has worked hard to maintain trails, and educate state and local officials that mountain biking can co-exist with other non-motorized trail uses. NEMBA has grown into one of the region's leading environmental organizations, winning thousands of dollars in national trail grants and meeting the environmental need to maintain trails in state and local parks."

NEMBA's executive director, Philip Keyes, commented, "It's an honor to be recognized for something that mountain bikers care deeply about--the environment. The preservation of open space and trails is critical to the health of wildlife, water quality and our own public health. Beneath the surface, open space and trails are a public health issue, and the opportunities for exercise and recreation are key to our personal and community well-being."

Over the last 15 years, NEMBA has become expert in trail design, construction and maintenance. Every year, the non-profit organization performs thousands of hours of volunteerism on public lands throughout New England, and is currently working with the Appalachian Mountain Club, the International Mountain Bike Association and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management (DEM) to train DEM staff in the art of trail maintenance and design. Attendees to the school will come from all around New England.

NEMBA has three title-sponsored Trail Care Series. The oldest, the Merlin / NEMBA Trail Care Series, has been re-christened the Tomac / NEMBA Trail Care Series for 2003 and operates in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Maine; the Cannondale / NEMBA Trail Care Series holds volunteer trail events in Connecticut; and the Rocky Mountain Bicycles / NEMBA Trail Care Series functions in New Hampshire. Each year, the sponsored series promote 1000s of hours of volunteerism on the trails in New England.

National Bike Summit: Gearing up for More Political Clout by Philip Keyes, SingleTracks #67, 2003.

NEMBA joined 400 bicycle advocates and industry leaders from 47 states in Washington DC for the League of American Bicyclists' National Bike Summit. The goal: to lobby Congress to re-authorize TEA-21, the single most important source of federal funding for both road and offroad bicycle projects.

TEA-21: Not an energy drink... but it fuels cycling
TEA-21, the Transportation Enhancement Act, uses money generated from the gas tax to better our highways as well as fund projects to improve other modes of travel, including bicycling. This year about 30 mountain bike advocates from various IMBA-affiliated groups attended the Summit in force and made presentations on various mountain bike initiatives, including NEMBA's land purchase in the Upper Charles.

There was a pervading sense of urgency at the conference. TEA-21 expires this September and there are few guarantees that funding for bicycle projects will be included in the upcoming TEA-3 legislation. The budget climate is lean and mean. War has begun. The economy is in a shambles, and Republicans control both the Senate and the House. Luckily, bicycle advocates are better organized than ever before to bring Congress the message that bicycles are an important part of the solution for improving transportation, creating livable communities and promoting better health of our nation's citizenry.

In the 20 years prior to the initial 1991 Transportation Enhancements Act (known as ISTEA) only $2 million were spent per year on bicycle-related projects in all 50 states. With ISTEA and TEA-21, more than $2 billion have been invested in bicycling and pedestrian programs and facilities—a huge increase—and the goal for TEA-3 is to preserve and even increase the current funding categories for bicycles. Currently only 1% of the transportation budget is allocated to bicycle/pedestrian projects even though bicycling and walking account for 7% of all trips.

Mountain Biking and the Re-Authorization of TEA-3
Offroad bike advocacy groups such as NEMBA have accessed tens of thousands of dollars for trail building and mountain bike education from the Recreational Trails Program funded from TEA-21 dollars. Congress created the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) through a Highway Trust Fund generated by federal taxes paid on fuel used by offroad recreation: 4x4s, snowmobiles, ATVs and offroad motorcycles.

The full gamut of trail users —hikers, bikers, equestrians and ATVs— can access the RTP for offroad projects, and the funds are split between non-motorized users (30%), multi-users (40%) and motorized users (30%). Over the last decade more than $300 million have been invested in trails nation-wide, funding more than 5,500 trail projects, and the building and caring for thousands of miles of trails.

However, under the current guidelines only 17.5% of the $286 million dollars collected by the offroad gas tax in 2002 went to the RTP program, and offroad advocates want to see this amount increased to 50% in TEA-3. This would increase the available funds from $50 million to $143 million per year.

The Recreational Trails Program isn’t a free handout: it leverages significant resources from the private sector because it requires a minimum of a 20% match, with many states requiring a 50% match. For groups such as NEMBA, it is an important incentive to get volunteers out on the trail and supporting our trail projects. Every time you volunteer at one of our projects funded by TEA-21 dollars, you're helping us meet our match and use this money in your local park. This includes our bicycle ambassador program in Connecticut, our bike patrols in Massachusetts, and a wide range of trail projects in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island

Mountain Bikers and Roadies Unite
There is a certain irony that a tax on gasoline is supporting human-powered modes of transportation and recreation. But keep in mind that mountain bikers buy gas to get to the trailheads and most cyclists are also tax-paying motorists. Wouldn't it be good to have a bike path leading to your favorite trail? Wouldn't it be nice if you could put your bike on a bus bike rack or bring it on the train?

Whether you're a roadie or mountain biker, we're all cyclists, and according to NEMBA's demographic survey, many of us make an effort to commute by bike and ride the road as well. We're in this together, and we need to work together as well to make sure there is adequate funding for all forms of bicycling in the next TEA-3 bill.

America Bikes takes up the Challenge
Bikes Belong, the industry's advocacy trade organization, has been instrumental in creating and funding a new non-profit dedicated solely to the re-authorization of a bike-friendly TEA-3—America Bikes. Managed by the top-notch advocate, Martha Roskowski (formerly of Bicycle Colorado), America Bikes set up an office in DC in 2002 to lobby Congress and get the bicycle message out to the public and movers and shakers in the industry.

Their message is simple. "Bicycling can improve the economic prosperity and quality of life in American communities by ensuring access to jobs, goods and services regardless of income, age or ability." They want to make sure that more people bike more often by investing in bicycling facilities and programs.

TEA-21 funding mechanisms are complicated. Many of the budget line items that affect bicycling are buried within the legislation's transportation enhancements and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality programs, and there are guidelines to help accommodate bicycling when roads are built or repaired known as "routine accommodations."

Luckily, bicycle advocates are increasingly expert in making sure that these programs and guidelines are used for the benefit of cyclists. The bottom line is to create a transportation system that is favorable to bikes—constructing a seamless network of on and offroad facilities and trails that connect homes, businesses and families into a bicycle-friendly universe.

Health is on our Side
All you need to do is glance around at your fellow Americans to see that many are overflowing their belt lines. Obesity is rampant, especially amongst the nation's youth, and bicycling could play an important part in reversing this portly trend. Kids are less active than ever before and fewer are riding bikes. Coincidence? Many think not.

According to America Bikes' research, almost half of young people don't get regular exercise and one in eight is overweight or obese. Almost one-third of trips during morning rush hour are by parents driving their kids to school, and motor vehicles are the leading cause of death for children between 4 and 14 years of age. Kids spend more than an hour a day in a car and between three and four hours a day watching TV.

Safe Routes to Schools
To help reverse this, America Bikes wants specific funding in TEA-3 for a Safe Routes to School program. By encouraging a safe environment for children to ride or walk to school, kids can become more physically active, traffic conditions around schools will be improved and the cost of getting kids to school will be lessened. Safe Routes to School could help create a new generation of cyclists as more kids discover the freedom and simple pleasure of riding bikes and feeling the wind in their hair. There's not a whole lot of downside to getting more kids on bikes, and the politicians seem keen to jump on the Safe Routes bandwagon.
Congressman Jim Oberstar, a champion of bicycling on Capitol Hill, wants to dedicate $250 million annually to the Safe Routes to School program, with each state having its own Safe Routes to School coordinator to make sure that every community has access to the funding needed to implement this program.

There appears to be support for this on both sides of Congress. When we met with CT's Senator Dodd's office staff we were told that "This isn't a good program—it's a GREAT program." Indeed, this is a hot button issue that's easy to support. It's family-focused, community-based and taps into a critical health issue.

DC Color Commentary
This was the first National Bike Summit NEMBA attended, and it's hard not to feel an excited sense of giddiness while walking the Corridors of Power and presenting our cause to the leaders of Congress.

Despite the weary mood on the Hill and intense security needed to gain access to the House and Senate, I was impressed at the willingness and forthrightness of both Representatives and Senators to meet with us. We had half hour appointments from 9:30 until 5pm non-stop without even time to grab lunch, and even this only allowed me the time to join the delegations meeting with the staff of Connecticut's Senators Dodd and Leiberman and Massachsetts' Senators Kerry and Kennedy, as well as almost all of Massachusetts' Representatives.
In every case, we were treated courteously, and I got the sense that the staff really listened, cared about what we said, took copious notes, and asked key questions. Yeah, I know that's what they’re paid to do… but they do it well, and it renewed my sense that democracy really does have a chance of working.

As we hurried down the long marble corridors, it was hard not to gawk into the ornate offices of Hillary Rodham Clinton, Trent Lott and Patrick Leahy, or wonder who shot the huge Grizzly bear whose skin hangs in the front office of Alaska's Don Young. These halls exude power and pomp, and it’s easy to get swept up in the infectious excitement about getting political.

The halls were also seeped with an air of pre-war paranoia. One staffer remarked that "it's pretty weird working here now. We're all trained in using gas masks. It's a 'grab and go' situation and we have enough masks ready for all the staff and visitors to our office." He even mentioned thinking that he'd buy a mountain bike "because everything was shut down during the last terrorist attacks." Notices were pasted on some of the office entrances that no unopened mail would be read. Fax and e-mail are the preferred mode of communication.

TEA-3 on Track?
While TEA-21 expires in September, this doesn't guarantee that TEA-3 will happen soon.
Because of the Iraq war and the tough budget fight ahead, I got the sense that the TEA-3 bill will be significantly delayed. Senator Kennedy's staffer said that it might not even come up as a bill this fall: "we're going to war and are going to spend billions and billions of dollars. It's better to wait and have a good bill than one that's bad."

Martha Roskowski, of America Bikes, says simply "we don't know." The vote could be postponed to early 2004, Congress could pass a continuing resolution to temporarily keep the funding the same, or they could pass a one or two year bill instead of the normal six-year appropriation.
Even after the bill is crafted and debated, there's no assurance that it will have a dime for bicycles. This is why this year's bike lobby was so critical. As one politician told Roskowski, "bicyclists are budget dust." We're beneath their radar and we need to continue to get face time with the politicians and get our voice heard.

But we have significant support. Vermont Senator, Jim Jeffords, wants to see TEA-3 funding levels increased to $300 billion, and he sees bicycling as an integral solution to congestion and pollution. Oregon Congressman, Earl Blumenauer (a member of the Bike Caucus who bike commutes and hasn't missed a single meeting yet) says that the country has to wean itself off of its "addiction to an infinite supply of cheap oil" by getting on a bike. And Minnesota congressman, Jim Oberstar, is not only the architect of the original ISTEA and TEA-21 legislation but is the champion of the Safe Routes to School program as well.

It's going to be an uphill battle but that's where the races are won, on the uphills!

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