Political Advocacy

What's hot right now? The southern hemisphere!

It's the end of an up and down year.... We hit the stratosphere with the opening of Valmont Bike Park, and the Benjamin Loop at Betasso is a joy.  The West TSA taught us that the "old school" of the Boulder community has a much different vision for our open spaces.  They have made segregation the order of the day and sharing is not in their vocabulary.  We found out that we had the West TSA discussion a decade too early.  Those that started the open space program 50 years ago deserve our sincere thanks.  Every generation gets to define what our public lands will look like, and right now the West TSA will not include cycling.

We have too many good things going on to dwell on the negative stuff.  The US Forest Service is going to reap the BMA volunteer resources that the City of Boulder has spurned, and they sure do need it.  The pine beetle has wiped out the lodgepole forest in West Mag, and we have a GOCO grant to redesign the trail network this year.  Expect patch cutting(that's clear cutting lite) to remove the dead trees just waiting for a spark and the trail system will be destroyed in many areas during this time.  That's why we are going to redesign and reconstruct this trail system in the next 5 to 7 years.  We might even get some work done on the Sourdough and Miller Rock.

Lots of work behind the scenes going on.... Eldo to Walker, Caribou Ranch, and the Walker Ranch Managment Plan revisit are items of interest that we'll be watching closely in 2012.

And on the political side, we have two new County Commissioners to select.  Bring it on!

Anenome Hill Goes to OSBT August 17

As a result of the West TSA Management Plan process, staff was directed to reexamine the possiblity of a multiple use trail in the Anenome Hill area.  

During the West TSA hearing, City Council directed OSBT staff to hire a 3rd party trail contractor to determine if a multiple use trail could be constructed in the Anenome Hill area.  Contractors have been hired, and we believe they are good, reputable trail designers.  Their findings and recommendations will be presented to OSBT during a study session and field trip to the site August 9, and put to a vote on August 17.  We have absolutely no idea what will be presented or recommended, although we do know that the one parcel that could link Anenome to Four Mile Canyon Drive is currently on the market.  Unfortunately, this link was not specifically called out by Council to evaluate, and therefore could be ignored by OSMP and the scope of the work in the contract for the trail designer.

We will continue to monitor the situation and report our findings and assessment of the situation after the August 9 study session.

Walker Ranch Management Plan Update

20 years ago Walker was THE premier mountain biking destination in Boulder County.  Hey! It's a loop, and the only loop trail that was legal to ride.  BMA, BOA back in the day, devoted thousands of volunteer hours working on the Loop or the Meyer's Homestead Trail.

Today, we see the possibility of leaving those old road beds behind and utilizing BCPOS crack Trail Crew to create a fun and sustainable trail system that makes sense for the park.  We also see Walker Ranch as a critical piece of the puzzle in a county-wide trails system.... More on that later.

Boulder County continues to take comments on their management plan revisit, visit BCPOS's website page for more information.  BMA's official comments on the plan can be found here.

What Has Boulder Mountainbike Alliance Done for You?

Do you like riding the Wild Turkey Trail or the Picture Rock Trail at Heil Valley Ranch? Do you prefer heading down south to Doudy Draw, Flatirons Vista, Prarie Vista, the High Plains Trail, or the Springbrook Loop? Maybe your attention turns to the mountains and the West Magnolia or Brainard Lake areas?

Regardless of where you ride, chances are bikes were not allowed there five to ten years ago.  Mountain bikers have trails and access in many parts of Boulder County due to the efforts of Boulder Mountainbike Alliance (BMA) over the last 20 years.  Are you ready to join the charge?  If so, we'd love and need your help.

The work continues - there are some great opportunities on the horizon, with new trails slated to open at Betasso Preserve and Valmont Bike Park in Spring 2011. And by the end of March, we'll see if we can't get Boulder City Council to give us some riding closer to town so you can ride to your ride.

Political Advocacy: Volunteers Needed

For political advocates, new trails don't start when shovels break ground. They start long before, often years before - around meeting tables and late at night over pizza. They start with people who think big, and know the impact a few people can have on their community. Boulder was one of the first communities where mountain biking emerged - and we were the first to ban it. But that was some 25 years ago, and with successes like the opening of Doudy Draw Trail to mountain bikers, the creation of Picture Rock Trail, and Valmont Bike Park, we've shown that mountain bikers are here to stay, but more importantly, that we're here to be good stewards and valued partners.

BMA's Political Advocacy Committee is always looking for more people interested in the exciting behind-the-scenes world of trail advocacy. Okay, exciting is a stretch, but calling it rewarding, indispensable, and yes, often frustrating, is nothing short of the truth. Getting involved can mean as little as showing up to a public meeting or as much as serving on the committee and developing and driving a strategy for the next ten years. No matter your availablity or level of commitment, you're involvement is a huge asset to us all. If you're interested in learning more, click here to email the Political Advocacy Committee.

Do All Mountain Bikers Have a Chip on Their Shoulder?

Well, yes. That's what happens when one user group is unilatterally banned from open space. While many mountain bikers think that Boulder City Council's decisions to ban bikes from city open space in 1983 and 1987 were unfair, we like to think of it as the best investment Boulder ever made in open space. By taking this action, City Council created the most energetic, passionate, and politically active group of volunteers on open space issues the city has seen in a generation. While we owe a huge debt to the folks who dreamed up open space and followed that passion, most of that effort focused on one thing - buy the land before the developers do. And thank your diety of choice those committed people followed their passion.

But an unfinished task in the great Boulder open space experiment remains. Namely, now that we've bought all this land, how are we going to manage it? Luckily for Boulder, by kicking mountain bikers off the trails, they caused us to introspect and research. Do we really destroy the environment? Do we really erode trails? In response to these accusations, mountain bikers have become the best trail builders in the world - innovating ways to make trails more sustainable, minimize user conflicts, and protect the environment - not just for mountain bikers, but for all trail users. In many places, the trail design techniques developed by mountain bikers to resolve these issues are replacing long standing, and unsustainable trail building practices. And yes, we make the trails fun too - fun for everyone.

So, do we have chips on our shoulders or are we carrying the open space torch proudly into the future? We like to believe the latter. For like the open space visionaries on whose shoulders we stand, our passion for open space is tempered by knowledge, endurance, and a belief that we must plan for the long term sustainabiity of Boulder's greatest resource. [remove feet from soap box] :)

Active Political Advocacy Issues

City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks West Trail Study Project City of Boulder Valmont City Park

Advocacy Objectives