Want to learn how to build trails that will weather heavy use, water and the test of time? Join IMBA at one of our Trailbuilding Schools near you. Hosted by an IMBA affiliated club, most trail schools use a two-day format. Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crews Seek New Team Do You Have the Right Stuff? Club Care Workshops Improve Volunteer Groups Apply for 2008 Subaru/IMBA TCC Visit IMBA Members Receive Discount on New Subarus Do You Have the Right Stuff? If you think that you might have the right stuff, the skills to be a Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew, here is your opportunity to join the ranks of IMBA's elite trailbuilders. IMBA is looking to hire a couple for a two-year commitment as a Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew. Please refer to the 2006 posting on the IMBA website for more information on the position. Applications are due by October 12th and can be sent to Spencer Powlison. Know someone who would be perfect for the job? Use the Tell-A-Friend button below to send word of IMBA's job opening. Club Care Workshops Improve Volunteer Groups New for 2007, the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew has begun offering Club Care workshops to help IMBA clubs increase their capacity. Over the past decade, the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crews have taught hundreds of grassroots volunteer groups to build better trails. Now, they are taking the next step: building better clubs. IMBA-affiliated clubs across the country have tallied innumerable successes, but many organizations are struggling to take their clubs to the next level -- increasing membership and volunteer assistance, building resources to take on larger projects, and developing new mountain bike leaders. The Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew shares techniques that advocacy organizations across the country have used to reach goals, overcome challenges and grow the mountain bike community. This fall, the Crews will be assisting IMBA California's development with club building seminars in the Bay Area, Santa Cruz and Sacramento. Apply for 2008 Subaru/IMBA TCC Visit If you'd like the opportunity to host the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew in your town, now is the time to apply for a visit. Applications are due before November 2, 2007. Whether your club is just getting started or is well-established, a Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew visit is a great way to learn or relearn trailbuilding techniques, rally the trails community and overcome the hurdles preventing your club from achieving its wildest mountain biking dreams. For more information, please contact Spencer Powlison. IMBA Members Receive Discount on New Subarus Subaru's VIP Program allows IMBA members to purchase or lease any new Subaru saving $1,300 -- $3,000 off the manufacturer's suggested retail price, without haggling. With each purchase, Subaru of America will donate $125 to IMBA trailbuilding and mountain bike access efforts. To take advantage of this benefit, simply contact the IMBA office before shopping for a Subaru. You must be a member of IMBA for 6 months before you qualify for the VIP Partners Program. Please contact the IMBA office for program details: 303-545-9011 or SubaruVIP@imba.com . Each school combines classroom training, on-trail assessment and trailwork to prepare volunteers to become skilled trail workers and basic crew leaders. Topics covered include designing sustainable trails, controlling water flow, building effective trail structures, and routine trail maintenance. Tool safety and usage are addressed and helpful tips are provided on organizing productive volunteer trail days. IMBA Announces 2006 Summer/Fall Trailbuilding School Schedule Are you ready to move beyond simply riding your local trails and learn to build them? The Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew is providing that opportunity in a series of more than 35 Trailbuilding Schools this year. The crews crisscross the U.S. in their Subaru Outbacks, from Maine to California and Texas to North Dakota, teaching the art and science of trailbuilding. Trailbuilding Schools are generally hosted by an IMBA affiliated club, and include a day and a half of classroom and field instruction. Each school combines interactive learning, hands-on trailwork and top-notch instructors to develop skilled trailworkers and crew leaders. Topics covered include designing sustainable trails, controlling water flow, building effective trail structures, and routine trail maintenance. IMBA Trailbuilding Schools have taught more than a thousand people including the land managers that make decisions about bicycle access how to build durable, fun-to-ride trails. Recently the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew taught 50 Oklahoma land managers IMBAšs sustainable design principles and toured local trails with all of them by bike! IMBA has already hosted nearly a dozen Trailbuilding Schools this year, and the remaining dates and locations are listed below. Check the IMBA website for detailed information and to learn how you can get involved (http://www.imba.com). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Land Managers & Trail Stewards: I'd like to introduce you to the International Mountain Bicycling Association's (IMBA) newest resource for land managers and trail stewards: the IMBA Trail Consulting Program. This program builds on the time-tested success of IMBA's Trail Care Crew by providing in-depth professional trail design, construction, and maintenance services in a flexible, fee-based format. IMBA was inspired to create a trail consulting unit by land managers and our other field partners. They recognize our unique experience and expertise and have expressed a strong desire to utilize more of our time than a typical Trail Care Crew visit can provide. Our consultants specialize in creating trails that are: * Environmentally sustainable * Cost-effective * Safe * Shared use * Fun to ride and walk Thanks to extensive research and field testing of mountain bike trail construction and maintenance techniques, IMBA is revolutionizing the way trails are built. Today, properly constructed trails that are heavily used by hikers, equestrians, and mountain bikers can endure for years with minimal maintenance. IMBA's mission is to create, enhance and preserve trail opportunities for mountain bikers worldwide. Since 1988, IMBA has been bringing out the best in mountain biking by encouraging low-impact riding, volunteer trailwork, cooperation among different trail user groups, and innovative trail management solutions. For six years, the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crews have worked with land managers from local, state, and federal agencies to design, build, and maintain sustainable trails. To date, IMBA has helped plan hundreds of new trail systems and helped build more than 5,000 miles of new trails. The IMBA Trail Consulting Program IMBA encourages land managers to contract with the International Mountain Bicycling Association's professionals for trail consulting services. Services offered: * Trail design * Trail assessment and mapping * Trail construction, including technical sections and man-made features *Trail maintenance, including problem-area solutions & re-routes * Trail management advice: reducing user conflict * Staff and volunteer training * Ski resort trail system development * Machine-built trail construction and equipment training The Consultants Joey Klein and Rich Edwards, veterans of the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew program, have taught thousands of people the fundamentals of sustainable trails in all 50 states and in more than a half-dozen other countries. Joey has consulted on the design of the 2004 Olympic mountain bike racecourse in Athens, Greece. Joey and Rich are now available (individually, or as a two-person team)to provide top-notch consulting services on trail design, construction, and maintenance to land management agencies and other groups around the world. Here's what land managers are saying about IMBA's trail consultants: "Joey Klein, IMBA's trail designer, had a profound impact on our trail efforts. He helped the city of Bluffdale work out route problems for the Jordan River Parkway, taught two trail construction schools for Utah State Parks, and flagged miles of trail in Draper City. Joey left the community energized and with a clear sense of trail design parameters and trail construction techniques." Bill Farrand- National Park Service "From the town's perspective, we gained insight on how to approach the often-complex process of trail planning, development, and maintenance. The IMBA crew took the time to analyze our situation and offer practical solutions. It was a true pleasure to work with them." Brian Flaherty- Waterford, CT Recreation and Parks Fees Consulting charges are based on a flat rate of $400 per day or $200 per half-day (5 hours or less). A five-day workweek costs $1,750. Additional days are billed at a rate of $350 per day after five. Additional e xpenses (travel, lodging, meals, etc.) are the client's responsibility. Nonprofit Status IMBA is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit educational organization. All proceeds from our consulting work are reinvested in our mountain bike education and advocacy programs. Please contact us for more information about this exciting new professional service, which is backed by IMBA's professional staff, worldwide network and 14-year reputation. For more information on IMBA's trail expertise and many other mountain bicycling topics; visit our website at http://www.imba.com. Sincerely, Tim Blumenthal, Executive Director tim@imba.com, 303-545-9011 |
