Multiuse Trails Coalition Updates & Opportunities

Dear Trail Users,

This past Thursday, April 16th the City, County, and USFS sponsored a "stakeholder group" meeting to review ongoings of our front country trails before the May 6th Task Force public hearing. Groups represented were ourselves, SBMTV, Sierra Club, and Santa Barbara Trails Council.

The agenda of the meeting consisted of review of current trail maintenance projects, trail leader training and IMBA Trail Care Crew visit, upcoming State and National Trail Days, and current recommendations by the staff.

As for current front country projects: a USFS crew just finished working on a large part of Rattlesnake Cyn. They are now focusing on fire burned areas in the back country. Our own Front Country Trail Crew will be hosting Happy Hour on the trail next Tuesday to do a little debrushing on Jesusita towards Inspiration Point. Contact us if interested in attending.

A review of trail crew leaders training and the IMBA Care Crew was discussed in some detail. Both events had excellent attendance and show that many people are willing to become involved in local trail maintenance.

State Trail Day is this Saturday! Join the USFS and LPFA to help clean up North Tunnel/Matias Trail in Devils Canyon. Click HERE for more info.... Mark your calendars now! Although National Trail Day is 6/6, locally we will be celebrating it on 6/13 by cleaning up Romero Canyon Trail. This event is going to be old school Chris King style huge! Plan on an after party at Manning Park just like in the old days, check our volunteer calendar for the details of this event.

As for the recommendations, they are slowly coming into shape. Budgets by the agencies are being made to hire a part time Trails Coordinator. Other topics included the ongoing debate of the UTAP Trail Condition Survey Method and how to go about surveying our trails. More to come on this topic.. Next Public Hearing is on 5/6 and if you would like to comment about any of the above topics please attend this meeting to do so.

And Other Upcoming Events...

Bicicentro needs volunteers for Earth Day, Sunday 4/19. Bicicentro is expecting to help valet up to 500 bikes throughout the day. Needless to say they need help to make this happen. Contact Ed France if you can help out edfrance@gmail.com.

Santa Ynez Mountain Bike Classic Needs You! Kim Lyons and Hecker are looking for volunteers to help out with the SYMBC happening on the 24th-26th of April. They are in need of all types of positions and are offering a prize raffle for all that help out. Contact Kim for more info kimlyons@myway.com.


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Thank you,

The Multiuse Trails Coalition,

http://www.multiuse.org/

Message from the USFS and City about Front Country Trails

This just in from Dave @ the Multi Use Trails Coalition.

Dear leaders of our cycling community,

I spoke with Kerry Kellogg of the USFS this AM about some maintenance related trail stuff and up came the topic of the recently plowed ridge/trail that is just south/east to and parallel to 154. He informed me that he was receiving complaints from landowners of mountain bikers trespassing on private property which makes up the lower part of this trail. Most likely the property owners are calling the police and the USFS is then getting the message. Currently to exit this trail in most cases you will need to trespass lower or head back up the way you came in. He made it clear to me that cyclists were the only reported users on this trail that were trespassing. This was not a threatening conversation instead he was just informing me.

Last week Jill Zachary from City Parks informed me that cyclists were using Parma Park while it still closed to the public on the fire roads and trails. She wanted me to help remind everyone that the single track in Parma is off limits to cyclists and to please only use the park when it reopens.

This email isn't me trying to tell people how and where to ride their bikes. Instead I just want to remind everyone that mountain bikers have been and will continue to be under a microscope in the eyes of the agencies and public. As leaders in the community I believe we are obligated to try and do what we can to improve the image of mountain bikers. Hopefully getting the message about these two areas to the masses can prevent any future consequences that may impact our access.

Thanks,


Dave