Trail advocacy, share you wisdom!

Sekt

Likes Dirt
A thread for the unsung heroes of the mountain bike scene, those actively advocating for improving their trail networks! I know there are lots of people out there doing great things for their local scene, but I can't seem to find a central discussion point for it, so here we go.

I'm curious if anyone's had experience in setting up or running a trail advocacy group? Can you tell me...

  • What was the catalyst for its creation?

  • What challenges do you face?

  • What hard lessons have you learned?

  • What words of wisdom would you have for others looking to do the same?

  • Who do you work with (land managers, councils, etc)?

  • How many members do you have?

  • What do your members do?

  • What does your board/committee do?

  • What have been your biggest wins?

  • What are your goals for the future?

  • Is it worth it!?
And for a little inspiration, Brent Hillier's Front Lines MTB podcast is fantastic if you're interested in this kind of thing: https://frontlinesmtb.com/
 

Ackland

chats d'élevage
Brent Hillier was also one of the founders of the Trailforks Project....
Have chatted to Brent a few times about various topics.

The USA "trail association" models are somewhat different to here in Australia but there are some great community driven and self funding groups.

I also really like the Bike Taupo model.
 

Sekt

Likes Dirt
Yeah, Brent has some great knowledge. A couple of colleagues caught up with him while on a "work" trip a couple of years ago and got some valuable insights from him, and the podcast really covers a lot of great topics.

Is it something particular about Bike Taupo that appeals?
 

Stredda

Runs naked through virgin scrub
A thread for the unsung heroes of the mountain bike scene, those actively advocating for improving their trail networks! I know there are lots of people out there doing great things for their local scene, but I can't seem to find a central discussion point for it, so here we go.

I'm curious if anyone's had experience in setting up or running a trail advocacy group? Can you tell me...

  • What was the catalyst for its creation?

  • What challenges do you face?

  • What hard lessons have you learned?

  • What words of wisdom would you have for others looking to do the same?

  • Who do you work with (land managers, councils, etc)?

  • How many members do you have?

  • What do your members do?

  • What does your board/committee do?

  • What have been your biggest wins?

  • What are your goals for the future?

  • Is it worth it!?
And for a little inspiration, Brent Hillier's Front Lines MTB podcast is fantastic if you're interested in this kind of thing: https://frontlinesmtb.com/
While not a specifically a Trail Advocacy group my club (Cradle Coast Mountain Bike Club) is fairly focused on the proliferation of quality trails on the Northwest coast of Tassie.

  • What was the catalyst for its creation? Before my time in the club but I think it was simply to create formal riding areas.

  • What challenges do you face? Finding suitable sites, getting regular willing volunteers and working with landholders (Mainly Tas Parks and Wildlife)

  • What hard lessons have you learned? Everything takes four times as long as you initially think

  • What words of wisdom would you have for others looking to do the same? Stick to you guns, build quality over quantity.

  • Who do you work with (land managers, councils, etc)? Local councils and Parks and Wildlife

  • How many members do you have? 80 odd members but really only about 12 active, get shit done members

  • What do your members do? Usually most just race but we do have good turnouts to working bees

  • What does your board/committee do? Manage projects, liaise with landholders, seek funding, plan future construction. We have a Dial Range Master Plan that shows the timeline of current trails and aspirations for the future.
  • What have been your biggest wins? The formation of the Penguin Mountain Bike Park and the completion of construction of the latest Dial Range trails.
  • What are your goals for the future? Helping our newly formed Emu Bay Trail Alliance get some trails around the city of Burnie, Further expansion into the Dial Range and one day a Penguin to Cradle Mountain epic trail. Supporting the Wild Mersey trails project.
 

featherplucker

Likes Bikes
Does a have any insight into trail advocacy in the Blue Mountains, NSW? I feel like there's been so much potential but not much has been done in decades. I am also becoming more and more motivated to be firecracker to get more happening.
 

silentbutdeadly

has some good things to say
Does a have any insight into trail advocacy in the Blue Mountains, NSW? I feel like there's been so much potential but not much has been done in decades. I am also becoming more and more motivated to be firecracker to get more happening.
Yep...World Heritage Area. How's that for trail advocacy?
 

silentbutdeadly

has some good things to say
Maydena Bike Park is built in a world heritage area- it can be done.
It can be done...but no-one was going to argue with Maydena. Not even Maydena.

The Blue Mountains on the other hand is right on the edge of a whole shitload of something else.

How much money and time do you have?
 

featherplucker

Likes Bikes
Tassie's different. They wanted to log world heritage areas a couple of years ago.
And even more recently NSW wanted to expand catchment areas and flood sections of the Blue Mountains WHA.

More importantly though, there's quite a large corridor from Emu Plains to Bathurst that is not classed as WHA. There's still so much opportunity. I know Blue Mountains city council was potentially talking about expansion of trails through a lower Blue Mountains escarpment proposal, but from the research I've done it only looks to be the significantly watered down approach we're used to seeing here. I mean, think of the potential access to greater Sydney in general, economically it'd be a killer hit if there was a Derby/Maydena network going on.
 

ozzybmx

taking a shit with my boobs out
Maydena Bike Park is built in a world heritage area- it can be done.
Its the most awesome place in Australia IMO, we have been there for a total of 12 weeks out of the last 4 yrs, 3 visits and if all goes good, will be there this Jan for the champs.

Its a different world altogether in many parts of Oz when giving away heritage area, as @silentbutdeadly says, there a lot of other shit happening right on their doorstep, MTBers are not even thought of as a draw card.

No other state in Aus has half the state as Heritage/NP/Conservation... and in probably a quarter of the Great SW NP, never walked by human feet, no roads, no fekk all and only 'Tassie Tiger' inhabited territory. Love the place and would move there tomorrow if I had the same job BTW.

The fact is most of Tassie is NP's, Conservation areas and Heritage areas... now they have the 'Derby' bug and want to make the most of their land, the councils want to cash in and have the 'who gives a fuck' about Heritage.. lets get this place making money.


365753
 

rangersac

Medically diagnosed OMS
Its the most awesome place in Australia IMO, we have been there for a total of 12 weeks out of the last 4 yrs, 3 visits and if all goes good, will be there this Jan for the champs.

Its a different world altogether in many parts of Oz when giving away heritage area, as @silentbutdeadly says, there a lot of other shit happening right on their doorstep, MTBers are not even thought of as a draw card.

No other state in Aus has half the state as Heritage/NP/Conservation... and in probably a quarter of the Great SW NP, never walked by human feet, no roads, no fekk all and only 'Tassie Tiger' inhabited territory. Love the place and would move there tomorrow if I had the same job BTW.

The fact is most of Tassie is NP's, Conservation areas and Heritage areas... now they have the 'Derby' bug and want to make the most of their land, the councils want to cash in and have the 'who gives a fuck' about Heritage.. lets get this place making money.
In fairness the National Park cashing in is being heavily pushed by the state government, not so much the councils. Case in point check out the Lake Malbena shemozzle. Local council explicitly rejected the DA, with the appeal coming from the state.

Most of the new and upcoming MTB developements aren't near any of the WHA areas (Georgetown, Wild Mersey, St Helens). The Oonah Hill/ Queenstown trails are the exception, but when that's traversing terrain that was fucked by a century of mining, and additionally is in a pretty economically depressed area it makes sense to be pushing that development.

Getting back to the OP, I'm part of the Coningham Mountain Biking Club which is a) very local and b) a club in the loosest sense of the term.

  • What was the catalyst for its creation? The formalizing of trails that were at risk in a Recreation area.

  • What challenges do you face? Channeling the enthusiasm of the next generation to keep the trail building under some control! Also we have a loose agreement with Parks and Wildlife to assist with weed management, which requires a reasonable amount of organisation and volunteers

  • What hard lessons have you learned? The wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly

  • What words of wisdom would you have for others looking to do the same? Be prepared to drive all of the engagement with other stakeholders. Having members who work in the land management/ natural values space is a great advantage

  • Who do you work with (land managers, councils, etc)? Local councils and Parks and Wildlife

  • How many members do you have? Roughly 35. Local to the trail membership around 10

  • What do your members do? Working bees and weed management

  • What does your board/committee do? Coordinate member activities. Engage with stakeholders
  • What have been your biggest wins? Trail formalization and acquisition of funding for trail signage
  • What are your goals for the future? Connection of the trails to wider off road biking networks. Weed management around trails
 
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