April 28, 2008 
 In this Issue:
  • BMA Film Night! The Premier of Seasons at Boulder Theater April 30
  • ACTION ALERT - Picture Rock Trailhead in Lyons
  • Picture Rock Posse at the Great Wall of Heil
  • Big Volunteer Trail Work Events May 17 & June 7 with BCPOS
  • Bike Patrol Training Dates & Registration Info
  • Trail Crew Leader Training - Building Capacity
  • Membership
 
BMA & BAFF
Present the Premier of  
"S E A S O N S"
 A New Film by The Collective
 Wednesday, April 30th, 7:30pm at the Boulder Theater
To Benefit the BMA Better Trails Fund
& Boulder DEVO junior development team
 
   Seasons is a film that follows 7 of the world?s top mountain bikers through the course of 4 seasons of one year. The film explores what it means to be a full time rider as told through the lives of downhill racers, slopestyle competitors, and big mountain freeriders.  Come out and kick off your season with your riding friends and the rest of the cycling community at the Boulder Theater.
Tickets available via the Boulder Theater Box Office  or contact Botsy Phillips with any questions.  [email protected] or 720.629.5100
 
ACTION ALERT
 Support BCPOS Staff - Picture Rock Trailhead in Lyons

 

   On Tuesday, April 29, BCPOS staff will hold an Open House at the Lyons High School Cafetorium at 6pm to gather public input on the trailhead facilities that will mark the northern terminus of the Picture Rock Trail.  This issue has created a significant amount of controversy and dialogue in the greater community of Lyons.  BMA has kept silent on this issue, mainly because early on, we were assured by the County planning team that  a 'no parking access point' would be established along Red Gulch Road, making access a non-issue for cyclists.

 

   It's been our position that we don't care where the trailhead actually is, as long as we can get to the dirt in a short period of time.  That position has not changed, but we feel we, as a community of responsible visitors and owners of public lands, need to 'get the backs' of BCPOS staff as they work through these issues. 

 

   Unfortunately, it seems this open house will be full of angry, opinionated people who are making a lot of noise, but not offering substantive solutions.  It's NIMBYism at its worst, and we on the BMA advocacy team hate to see it in action and would rather not expose ourselves to it.

 

   Rather than encourage you to attend this meeting, (which you certainly can) we are asking that you send an email to BCPOS staff, praising them for their efforts to find a solution that works for everyone.  We believe staff is going to get beat up at this meeting, and they don't deserve it.

 

   We have provided a boilerplate message that you can cut and paste and send to [email protected]   Adding your own comments and making it personal doubles the impact.


Subject Line: Comments on Picture Rock Trailhead Process

 

Greetings;

 

    I am a Boulder County cyclist that visits both Heil Valley and Hall Ranches.  I am excited to see the Picture Rock Trail moving toward completion and support BCPOS and their efforts to make it a reality. 

 

    I am gratified and relieved that BCPOS has already planned a no parking access point along Red Gulch Road.  With an access point like this, I can park in Lyons or at the Hall Ranch parking lot and ride to the trail.   I do not care about the exact location of the eventual trailhead for the Picture Rock Trail.  However I do care that it offers toilet facilities, educational tools, and adequate parking for all users.  But where it actually ends up isn't a priority for me.

 

    I believe in being a good neighbor to the communities near where we recreate.  But I also hope those living in those neighborhoods recognize that we are Boulder County residents, just like them and we are part of the community too.  Trail users are nature lovers, responsible citizens, and recreationists. We are nothing to fear. We are your neighbors.  It is my hope that the trailhead facilities reflect a welcoming attitude, so I think fondly of Lyons and possibly decide to spend some money there after my ride.  I will try to look beyond the small minority of people who are protesting so loudly and prefer to think of all of the others who live in Lyons who welcome our presence.

 

    I support BCPOS staff in their efforts to find an equitable trailhead facility that meets the needs of the users and minimizes the impacts to the local neighborhood.  Thank you for your efforts!

 

Sincerely,

The Picture Rock Posse Reaches
The Great Wall of Heil
The toughest section is roughed in
 
    Last Saturday, the Posse connected the dots by roughing in a trail to the upper connection to the switchback known as the Great Wall of Heil.  Almost 300 linear feet of trail were built through some of the toughest terrain that volunteers will tackle on this trail.  Some pictures of the work and the now finished Great Wall of Heil can be found by clicking here.  Pictures from previous Posse work days can be found here and here.
      
The Posse Needs Recruits!
    We plan to be onsite again this weekend.  We will put the finishing touches on the rocky section of trail above the Great Wall and begin working on trail below this switchback.  If you are interested in particpating, click here to register.  Our sincere thanks to those that attended April 26:
Paul Maude
Duncan Wheeler
Aaron Bouplon
Henning Seljenes
Newton Logan
Catherine Schweiger
Adam Massey
  
10 Miles End to End: A Remote Work Site
 
   That's right, the shortest distance from the trailhead in Left Hand Canyon to the trailhead in Lyons is estimated at 10 miles.  You are going to LOVE this trail, but building it will be difficult, mainly because of the remoteness of the worksite.  Pictures and a map are here.
 
Picture Rock Trail
Construction Event with BCPOS May 17
Almost Full!
    
   We are going back to the big bang event model on May 17.  We are working with Boulder County to construct long stretches of relatively easy to build trail so the BCPOS Trail Crew can concentrate on the tough stuff.   
 
   It takes more than an hour to shuttle and hike workers to the construction site.  Because of that reailty, we must expand the duration of our trail work events to a full day.  Lunch will be provided as always, but the trail work event will have to run to late in the afternoon to get a reasonable amount of work done.  We won't actually be working much longer than a typical BMA trail work event, but we'll be spending a lot of time getting in and out of the site.  Shuttles will leave the parking lot/registration area at 8:30 am SHARP and shuttles will not leave the site until 3pm at the earliest. 
 
   For years, BMA has pushed Boulder County to embrace volunteer resources for getting work done on our trails.  They are now delivering and it's time we stepped up to the challenge.  It's an exciting time!
 
To sign up for the May 17 Trail work day, click hereOnly a few slots remain!  Sign up for the June 7 National Trails Day event here.
 
Can't swing a trail tool all day anymore?  Logistics/volunteer support is just as important and we need help!  Contact Mike Barrow at [email protected] 
 
 Boulder Mountain Bike Patrol
Training Dates and Online Registration 

  It's time to get the patrol going for the Boulder Area! This year we are patrolling the following areas in the Boulder County region:
  • Hall, Heil, and Walker Ranches plus Betasso (BCPOS)
  • South Boulder trails, including Marshall Mesa & Doudy Draw (OSMP)
  • West Magnolia area (USFS)  
    We are offering two training options this year and you only need to attend one (session #1 or session #2) which qualifies you as a patroller for all 3 agencies! 
 
    Training Session #1:  May 14th @ the Boulder USFS office off of Hwy 36 (2140 Yarmouth Avenue) at 5:30pm to 8pm (classroom session) and May 15th @ the Marshall Mesa TH in South Boulder at 5:30 to 8pm (field session).  Dinner will be served (pizza and soda/water).  You must attend both nights to complete the training and be qualified to Patrol.  The times may be shorter and get out earlier if we keep the trainings moving along. 
 
    Training Session #2:  May 18th SUNDAY (not Saturday!).  We had this day moved to not interfere with the trail day.  Training will be at the Cherryvale OSMP Offices, only a few miles from the Marshall Mesa trailhead, from 9am to roughly 2pm.  Ride options afterwards.  A light breakfast of bagels and juice will be served and lunch (pizza and soda/water).  We will do a classroom session in the morning and then head out to the Marshall TH for some field scenarios. 
 
Click here to register for training session #1 (May 14 & 15) 
Click here to register for training session #2 (May 18)
 
    Please sign up for one of the training sets and more information will be sent to you with directions and details.  This training is free (BMA is paying) but we are looking for folks that want to make a difference representing the Mountain Bike Community on the Greater Boulder area trails.  For more info please contact [email protected] with any questions you may have!
 
Trail Crew Leader Training
Building Capacity
 
    Trail Crew Leaders are one of the most important resources BMA can bring to the community.  The more crew leaders we can train means we can have more people working on the trail and more often.  And that means better trails for Boulder County.
 
    On April 19, BMA completed our first crew leader training session in partnership with Boulder County Open Parks & Open Space.  The Outdoor Stewarship Institute provided the crew leader training.  Eight BMA volunteers were trained side-by-side with ten BCPOS volunteers.  There were participants from the Boulder County Horsemen's Association, trail runners, hikers and trail building junkies training alongside our mountain biking trainees, making this a excellent collaborative project.  The trainees participated in both classroom instruction and hands-on on the Picture Rock trail at Heil Valley Ranch.  Pictures are here.
 
   We are excited for these folks to get out on the trail and lead our volunteers on our six projects this year.  We have one more training session scheduled in May that will add at least four more Crew Leaders to our roster.  BMA is paying the registration fee for our crew leaders.  We don't currently have a third training set up, but if there is enough interest, we can make it happen.  If you want to become a Trail Crew Leader, email Jenn at [email protected].
 
BMA Loves  Our Business Members!
Two Dog Diner in Prospect
Bob Maynard/Wright Kingdom Real Estate
 
You don't have to be in the cycling industry to be a business member, These businesses understand the direct benefit of being part of BMA.  Hey, they ride too!
 
   We are grateful to all our supporters in the business community and look forward to years of "getting things done on the trails".   
 
   We have a lot going on these days, and a lot of it requires money to make it happen.  Our volunteer trail work events with food and schwag, tool storage, website... it all adds up quickly.  BMA has a business membership program to fund these needs.  You will see BMA stickers on your favorite bike shops and other businesses.  If you see it displayed, be sure to mention that you are a BMA member/supporter and you appreciate their generosity and stewardship.  And if you don't see a BMA sticker in your favorite shop, ask them why!  And those of you who own a business, send [email protected] an email if you haven't heard from us about this program!  You don't need to be a bike shop to be a business member, just interested in making better mountain biking in Boulder County.
 
BMA thanks those of you who have used the online membership functions to keep us afloat.  And thanks to those of you who use snail mail too!
 
  Be Part of the Solution! Join BMA NOW!  Click Here
    Thanks to the people that have joined or renewed since our last newsletter:
 
Greg Matthews
 
 What's On the Horizon
BMA Spring Film Night April 30
Picture Rock Trail - May 17
National Trails Day - Picture Rock Trail - June 7
Little Raven Trail - July 26 & August 23
 
Tired of seeing trails closed to mountain bikes in Boulder County? Then DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!! Join the Boulder Mountainbike Alliance and join the fight to open trails. Send a $25 check to BMA, PO Box 4954, Boulder, CO 80306, or join by using our online Paypal webpage by clicking here