Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association
June 2009 Newsletter
Spring is here and there is no shortage of excitement within the Roaring Fork mountain biking community. You can’t go 5 minutes on I-70 without seeing a packed bike rack headed west and the parking lots at Mushroom Rock and Prince Creek are already filling up after a few days of sun.
With spring comes RFMBA’s second newsletter. We are planning for three email newsletters each year for RFMBA members: spring, summer, and fall. But you can always get the most up-to-date information on our website at http://www.rfmba.org.
Please take a few moments to read through the following exciting information and plans for this season.
RFMBA Season Kickoff Party, Carbondale – June 16: Come join us at Dos Gringos to get amped for the summer season. We’ll be showing a movie on the big screen, giving away swag, and serving refreshments. Come meet your future riding buddies and learn how we can make this valley even better for mountain biking than it already is.
Free Stickers – Let’s start with a little help dealing with the current economy. RFMBA would like to give you a FREE logo sticker. Show your support of mountain biking in the Roaring Fork Valley for free. In order to get your sticker, go to http://www.rfmba.org and sign up with your mailing address. If you have already signed up, log in and make sure your mailing address is up to date. We will be mailing stickers out in mid-May, so submit your info soon.
501c3 Non-Profit Status – In some other news off the trail, we just heard from the IRS that our application for 501c3 non-profit status has been accepted. We have been working with the IRS for the past six months to acquire this tax exempt status. RFMBA is now an official non-profit organization and can receive tax exempt donations from organizations and individuals. This is very important for continuing the work started last year to promote mountain biking in the Roaring Fork Valley. Please email info@rfmb.org if you would like to discuss donating or if you know of any grants that may apply to our mission.
Planning
Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Trails Management Plan – RFMBA has made serious progress on phase one of the Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Trails Management Plan. We have been continuing to collect and map GIS data from agencies in the area. We have been working with Pablo Silviera for GIS consulting. The mapping has already allowed us to make detailed responses to the White River Forest Travel Management Plan and is helping us identify risks and opportunities with the proposed Hidden Gems wilderness expansion. This year’s goal is to finish the initial collection of GPS data and to start the design phase of a management plan that will guide decisions of community stakeholders and decision makers in the future. The majority of work performed on the management plan has been made possible due to the generous grant provided by the Aspen Skiing Company’s Environment Foundation. RFMBA has received additional funds for the spring 2009 grant cycle and will be using this grant money to continue work on the Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Trails Management Plan.
Advocacy
Hidden Gems Wilderness Proposal – RFMBA is working diligently on identifying possible issues and opportunities with the Hidden Gems Wilderness Proposal. This proposal identifies areas of forest that it recommends to convert to Wilderness designation. This would exclude mountain bikes from entering these areas. While RFMBA is for preserving our natural resources, we do not always agree that Wilderness designation is the only way to achieve this goal. To identify possible conflicts, we have created a series of GIS maps that provide a visual interpretation of the affects of designating additional areas in the Roaring Fork Valley as Wilderness. We request that you view these maps and our draft comments on our website at http://www.rfmba.org/MTB/Advocacy.aspx. Please submit any comments to info@rfmba.org.
Sutey Ranch / Two Shoes Land Exchange – Many of you may have seen news in local papers of a potential land swap in the works including a parcel located on Red Hill between Cattle Creek Rd and BLM land. RFMBA joined the Red Hill Council, Aspen Valley Land Trust, and other local entities in supporting this transaction for the potential of protecting the environment and possible trail expansion adjacent to the Red Hill area. We hope to see this land exchange go through to help the environment and our local mountain biking community.
White River Forest Travel Management Plan – RFMBA worked closely with the National Forest Service to provide feedback on the Travel Management Plan. This document will be used by the Forest Service as a framework for decisions for years to come. RFMBA documented and submitted 38 comments and 30 GIS maps. We also attended community workshops presented by the Forest Service to provide additional feedback and learn more about the process and what the Travel Management Plan means to mountain bikers in the Roaring Fork Valley.
Trails
RFMBA helped Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers (RFOV) perform two community based trail days in 2008. RFMBA is proud to announce we will be working with RFOV on two more projects in 2009: Smuggler Mountain Trail and Arbaney-Kittle Trail. Please consider taking the time to participate in one of these RFMBA sponsord events or any of the many trail maintenance opportunities RFOV is putting on this summer. They are great opportunities to give back to the trails we all enjoy, get outside, and meet other trail users in the community.
Red Hill (Mushroom Rock), Carbondale – Thursday evenings through May at 5:30pm: Basic trail maintenance. Show up at the parking lot with work clothes.
Smuggler Mountain Trail, Aspen – July 11: This wonderful new open-space acquisition adds a significant area to Aspen’s backyard. Work on building a brand new trail, one of the first projects in the new Smuggler Mountain Master Plan.
Smuggler Mountain Restoration Project, Aspen – August 22: Help restore scars left on Smuggler Mountain from mining and other human activities. The project includes planting, seeding and other work.
Arbaney-Kittle Trail, Basalt – September 12: We’ll continue to work on bringing this very popular trail up to a sustainable standard and fixing some sketchy sections a few miles in from Basalt.
Visit http://www.rfov.org to sign up for these trail maintenance days and to view RFOV’s complete summer schedule.
Events
Bonedale Bike Week, Carbondale – May 11 – 15: Bonedale Bike Week is a seven day celebration of the best way to get around Carbondale -- the bicycle. In concert with National Bike to Work Week, the goal is to get as many Bondalians out on bikes as we can all week long. For more information visit: http://www.bonedalebikeweek.com
Bike Swap, El Jebel – May 16: Like the ski swap, you bring in your bikes (and helmets etc) and set the price. We will sell the bikes. You keep 80% and the Community School keeps 20%. All proceeds go to support the operation of this terrific small charter school in Woody Creek. Call 970-923-4080 or email acs@discovercompass.org for details.
Bike Rodeos, Mid and Upper Valley – May 9, 20, and June 5: These events are aimed mostly at elementary students but workable for middle school kids as well! Skills are taught to prevent kids from being involved in accidents based on large national studies and taught in a fun environment. Volunteers are needed to work each skill station. No prior experience is needed but lots of enthusiasm is required!
- May 9 – El Jebel in conjunction with the Crown Mountain Fair
- May 20 – Arboney Park in Basalt
- June 5 – Aspen school campus
Volunteer
RFMBA is looking for mountain bikers who want to give back to the cycling community of the Roaring Fork Valley. If you are interested in joining the RFMBA team, please send an email to info@rfmba.org stating how you would like to help. Some examples of how you can help are: area representative, GPS data collection, marketing, event coordination, accounting, legal counsel, or anything you feel may be of value.
The RFMBA board holds meetings about the last week of every month. Email us at info@rfmba.org if you would like to participate in one of these meetings. The current RFMBA Board is comprised of: Al Beyer, Charlie Eckart, Kirk Hinderberger, Mike Pritchard, and Len Zanni.