Posts Tagged ‘CORBA’

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2011 CORBA Awards

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

In recognition of extraordinary dedication and contribution to mountain biking recreation and open space trails in Los Angeles and Eastern Ventura Counties, CORBA announces its recipients of the 2011 CORBA Award.

 

Wendy Engelberg

When it comes to social networking, we can always count on Wendy to reach out through the internet to generate excitement for CORBA’s events and activities. She also has worked tirelessly coordinating and assisting with several CORBA events over the past few years, in addition to organizing and leading rides for the North Ranch Mountain Bikers, a CORBA-supporting club. She is also an outspoken advocate for responsible mountain biking. Her enthusiasm is infectious, and her dedication is relentless.

 

Matt Gunnell

Matt helped organize the SoCal High School Cycling League in 2008 and serves as the organization’s Executive Director. The organization currently comprises nearly 30 high school teams and more than 300 riders. Under his guidance, the league has grown substantially over its four year history, bringing hundreds of new student athletes–and many of their parents and friends–into the sport of mountain biking. Matt and the League emphasize that a major component of participation in the league is stewardship of the trails, including an appreciation of–and volunteering for–trail work and maintenance. The league’s impact on the sport in Southern California is already having far-reaching effects, with many student racers having moved on to careers in cycling and the industry.

Banner Moffat

Banner Moffat

Banner has had a long-time love of trails. He began mountain biking on El Prieto two decades ago, and soon realized that it needed upkeep. He has since spent many off his days off happily and tirelessly contributing to the trail’s upkeep, sometimes with help, often without, and always just for the love of it. Over the past few years he has formalized his love of the trail and his relationship with the National Forest by adopting the trail under the moniker, “Friends of El Prieto.”  He has contributed to many Eagle Scout trail restoration projects as trail boss and advisor on this and other trails, and serves as coach and mentor to the Crescenta Valley high school mountain biking team. His long time involvement in the mountain biking community has inspired many to become active and responsible mountain bikers.

Woody Smeck

As Superintendent of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) for the past 10 years, Woody has elevated the SMMNRA’s  stature in the National Park system, and worked with politicians to  help them understand the importance of National Parks near developed urban areas. He was also instrumental in improved inter-agency coordination and cooperation with the California Department of Parks and Recreation, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, and other agencies in the SMMNRA. For the mountain bike community, Woody was always accessible, fair, and honest in his dealings, making it clear to his peers that responsible mountain biking is manageable on public lands. On March 30 Woody will become Deputy Superintendent at Yosemite National Park.

The above recipients join a long list of past recipients of the CORBA award, all of whom have left an indelible mark on the sport of Mountain Biking in our area and beyond. It is the combined legacy of all the CORBA award recipients that has helped shape the sport in Southern California, and will continue to do so as the sport grows. It is thanks to them that the opportunities to enjoy mountain biking exist in its current form. These deserving 2011 recipients will be presented with their awards in the coming months as their busy schedules allow.

We congratulate them, and on behalf of the entire mountain biking community and especially CORBA’s members and supporters, we thank them wholeheartedly for their contributions to our community.

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SMMNRA Superintendent Smeck to Leave for New Yosemite Position

Wednesday, December 14th, 2011

Woody Smeck, Santa Monica MountainsCORBA congratulates Woody Smeck, Superintendent of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) on his new appointment.  He’s leaving on March 30 to become Deputy Superintendent at Yosemite National Park.  Woody came to the SMMNRA as a landscape architect in 1990.  He worked his way up and was appointed Superintendent in 2001.  During his tenure, the SMMNRA grew in stature in the National Park system.  Woody helped politicians understand the importance of National Parks near developed urban areas.  He helped foster interagency coordination and cooperation with the California Department of Parks and Recreation, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, and other agencies in the SMMNRA.  He helped keep park programs on track in difficult budgetary times.

Most important to the mountain bike community, Woody was always accessible, fair, and honest in his dealings with us.  There is more mountain bike access on NPS land in the SMMNRA than anywhere else in the country.  Woody has been clear that responsible mountain biking is manageable on public lands and has expressed that view to his NPS peers.  We owe him a huge debt of gratitude.

Woody has been a pleasure to work with and we’ll miss him.  Our loss is Yosemite’s gain.  A search is underway for a new NPS Superintendent in the SMMNRA.

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The Startle Factor

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

By Mark Langton

I was going to write an article about perception vs. reality relating to how different trail users perceive others on the trail: For example, I may be riding my bike at 15 mph, a relatively modest speed, but someone walking might think it’s way too fast. But a recent email sent to us more than illustrates this concept:

Dear CORBA,

I sometimes walk my big dog on fire roads also used by mountain bikers. I try to pay attention as to the whereabouts of the bikers so that I can pull my dog aside, but I’m often distracted. I’ve had a number of near-misses and one bad accident. A biker came around a bend very fast, could clearly see my back and the face of my big dog. I didn’t hear him coming. My dog lunged at him, which slammed me into the ground, and she dragged me as she tried to chase him. I screamed. Did the biker stop, turn around, show concern? No. He kept going.

It seems that many bikers have no idea how to “share the road” with animals. Does COBRA provide education to bikers? Is there a way to communicate to the mountain biking community that you shouldn’t ride toward or near a big dog, especially when the owner doesn’t see you. A dog will think its owner is being attacked and will go into defense mode. That translates into lunging at or jumping on the biker. A safe practice for the biker would be to shout “Bike!” when approaching a big dog walker who doesn’t appear to see him, and give the person a chance to pull in the dog. That keeps everyone safe.

Tracy Sulkin

Here was my response:

Hi Tracy,

Sorry to hear about your incident. It is troubling to hear that the rider did not come to your assistance, and as a human being I am disappointed he did not show more concern.

Yes, CORBA does try to educate riders about situations like the one you describe. Unfortunately, there is no way for us to control or educate everyone, nor can we install common sense and courtesy.

Your experience points out that we all need to be aware of things that could potentially be dangerous out on the trails.

Sincerely,

Mark Langton

You may have responded differently, but the bottom line is, different people react differently to different situations, and we all should treat each other with as much respect as we would expect from others.

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Nov 13th Fat Tire Fun(d)raiser

Sunday, September 18th, 2011

Save the date: November 13, 2011.

For 2011 we have altered the format of our annual anniversary event. In years past it had grown to be quite the undertaking, with lots of festival activities, vendors, a poker ride, even a cyclocross race. Although fun for attendees and a great success, our volunteer coordinators and support staff got pretty burned out, despite the many accolades received from appreciative participants.

The bottom line is to raise money for our programs while having fun celebrating our great trails and advocacy efforts. So this year we decided to keep it simple and do what we love best–RIDE! We are excited to be back at Malibu Creek State Park in Calabasas. The main ride route will feature the Crags Road Trail through the creek canyon, past the MASH site, and up Bulldog Motorway, and will also connect to National Park Service property at the Solstice Canyon section of the Backbone Trail with an optional out-and-back to Kanan Dume Road at Tunnel #1. It will continue along Mesa Peak Motoryway and down Tapia Motorway, finishing by coming back into Malibu Creek State Park via the Tapia Spur Trail. With the out-and-back to Kanan Dume Road the ride is 27 miles, or 15 miles if the Backbone Trail to Kanan Rd.  is skipped. There will also be shorter easy rides in Malibu Creek State Park including the Grasslands Trail to De Anza Park. There will be plenty of opportunities for every level of rider to have a great ride in support of your local trail advocacy organization.

Of course, we’d hate to pass up the opportunity to have some cool demo bikes on hand, and so far we have gotten commitments from Trek, Specialized, Giant, and Bionicon who will have some of the newest technology on hand.

We’re also very excited to announce that New Belgium Brewery will be serving samples!

And of course there will be a raffle, with some really cool prizes including bikes, gear, and more.

Click here for more information and to get registered. Hope to see you there!

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A New Look and Chapter for CORBA

Saturday, April 2nd, 2011

In late December 2010 CORBA announced it was applying to become a chapter of the International Mountain Bicycling Association. The transformation is now complete, and CORBA is now a Chapter of IMBA. The partnership creates a stronger, unified voice for mountain bikers by linking our data base with IMBA’s, to name but one of several benefits that will enable CORBA to better serve off-road bicyclists in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties and surrounding areas.

Becoming an IMBA Chapter affiliate does not change CORBA’s local efforts and relationships with other advocacy groups and land managers. In fact, it will strengthen our efforts. Now when you join CORBA, you will also be getting an IMBA membership as well. And if you join IMBA, you have the opportunity to indicate CORBA as your local affiliate. Join or renew today and help us keep your local trails open to bicycles!

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Updated Privacy Policy

Monday, February 21st, 2011

As a part of CORBA’s process to become an IMBA Chapter, we have updated our privacy policy. The changes are simple, alerting our members to the fact that they will also be subject to IMBA’s privacy policies.

Our new Privacy Policy is effective immediately (February 21, 2011), and can be read at: http://corbamtb.com/privacy.shtml

IMBA’s privacy policy can be found at http://www.imba.com/help#Privacy.

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Louisa Bonnie Moves On

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

The mighty Louisa

Last year’s Fat Tire Festival was Louisa Bonnie’s last as Coordinator. CORBA is forever indebted to her for taking the event to new heights and bringing more attention to CORBA’s mountain bike advocacy efforts. The event raised not just awareness, but much needed funding for CORBA’s programs, which include Youth Adventures, Trail Crew, Introduction to Mountain Biking Skills, and Kids Club.

It’s impossible to measure the immense respect and admiration we have for Louisa’s involvement as a board member and FTF coordinator. Not only did she organize the event, she also made huge strides in procuring event sponsorship and vendor participation. The entire Santa Monica Mountains trail user  community owes her a tremendous amount of gratitude for her selfless efforts to improve our open space trails and recreational experience.

If you are interested in getting involved with upcoming events, please contact info@corbamtb.com

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Trail Conversions to Begin in Malibu Creek State Park

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

On January 26, 2011, CORBA Board of Directors members Mark Langton and Danusia Bennett-Taber met with representatives of California Department of Parks and Recreation (CDPR) regarding CORBA’s request for considering the change in use of trails to include mountain bikes. This meeting is was part of the State’s new trail conversion process, and several more meetings are expected as more trails are assessed. Representing CDPR were Acting District Superintendent Craig Sap, Topanga Sector Superintendent Lynette Brody, Maintenance Chief Dennis Dolinar, Maintenance Supervisor Dale Skinner, Resource Specialist Tom Dore, Ranger Tony Hoffman, and Roads and Trails Manager of the Facility Management Division Karl Knapp.

It was explained that the trails that were being presented this day were considered for their potential ease of conversion as well as meeting CORBA’s criteria; connectivity, access to the Backbone Trail, and increased access to singletrack. The trails were Musch Trail in Topanga State Park, and Yearling and Lookout Trails in Malibu Creek State Park.

All three of these trails were recommended for conversion to accept mountain bike access. Below are brief descriptions of the recommendations.

MUSCH TRAIL

CDPR recommended that the proposed use change to allow bicycles be accepted with conditions, including significant re-routing of the section east of Backcountry Camp, and re-establishing of tread west of Backcountry Camp. Although the recommendation is to allow bikes, the amount of work/resources necessary makes this a low priority conversion and will not likely be undertaken in the short term. CORBA is confident that the trail will be converted at some point, but recognizes that the amount of resources available to re-establish and reroute the trail keeps it from being a priority. There are several other trails that can be converted with the same or less effort, but CORBA will remain diligent and make sure at some point Musch Trail becomes a priority.

YEARLING AND LOOKOUT TRAILS

Yearling Trail

CDPR recommended that the proposed use change to allow bicycles be accepted with conditions, including a significant re-route of Yearling Trail, and a couple of smaller re-routes on Lookout Trail. Because the tread surface of some of the Yearling Trail is unstable and poses a safety hazard to all users, work will begin quickly pending further State Park evaluation. In combination with the Lookout Trail, this route will create a significant connector for cyclists from the northwest side of Malibu Creek State Park at Regan Ranch (corner of Cornell Road and Mulholland Hwy.) to Crags Road Trail.

The timetable is somewhat unclear, and work is still subject to a CEQA study. However, this represents an important milestone in getting increased access to trails that had been previously closed to bicycles.

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Things CORBA did for mountain biking in 2010

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011
  • Contributed a total of 1,533 person-hours to repair and maintain local trails in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Angeles National Forest, and Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency, as well as several other local city open spaces.
  • Intervened on behalf of mountain bikers to stop bulldozing of Rogers Road Trail in Topanga State Park.
  • Organized 23 Youth Adventures rides, totaling 180 local at-risk/underserved kids experiencing mountain biking and public open space.
  • Held 13 free mountain bike skills clinics (including two special clinics for the Mountain Bike Unit) with a total of 300 participants.
  • Met with local and statewide California State Parks representatives regarding trail conversion process and provided list of trails we felt appropriate for shared use.
  • Established regular (at least quarterly) meeting schedule with State Parks regarding trail issues.
  • Surveyed Station Fire related damage to 50+ miles of trails in the Angeles National Forest.
  • Repaired and recovered the Doc Larsen trail, El Prieto trail, Sam Merrill Trail in the Station Fire Closure area.
  • Coordinated the mailing of 929 letters to the City of LA Planning dept. regarding new LA Bicycle Plan. (The LA Planning Dept. voted to adopt the plan on 12/16, including the off-pavement bicycle study component.)
  • Adopted COSCA Los Robles West trail.
  • Represented mountain bikers at Burbank trail council meetings, Glendale Riverwalk planning, LA county master bike plan, CTUC board meetings, Angeles National Forest volunteer meetings, Great Outdoor Listening session and BAC meetings.
  • Appeared on or in a number of media outlets including: Feature story in Mountain Bike magazine (Station Fire article); Mark Langton and Steve Messer inteviewd on KLOS; Steve Messer interviewed on Bike Sport Radio; Steve Messer interviewed for the LADOT Blog.
  • Donated funds to support congruent mountain bike and open space organizations: Mountain Bike Unit, SoCal Interscholastic Cycling League, COSF, and SMMTC.
  • Donated funds to the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council to help support State Trails Day at Pt. Mugu State Park.
  • Produced new jerseys and t-shirts with updated graphics and messaging.
  • Organized local IMBA Take a Kid Mountain Biking ride in Malibu Creek State Park.
  • Produced Fat Tire Festival fundraiser at Castaic Recreation Area with attendance of over 300.
  • Numerous communications with State Parks regarding closure of “Art’s Trail” in Point Mugu State Park, and subsequent publishing of clarification of State’s position on the designation of the trail (“closed due to archeological concerns).
  • Sent a representative to the National Bike Summit in Washington DC.
  • Implemented CORBA Membership Portal system to allow better communications with our members and friends, easy donation system, and event registration.
  • Published monthly electronic newsletter.

    • Financial Statement


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    Grassland Trail In Malibu Creek in Question

    Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

    A couple of days ago CORBA received reports from some of our members that while riding in Malibu Creek State Park they were told by Mounted Volunteer Patrol (MVP, equestrian) members that “only fireroads, no singletrack” were open to bikes and that the section of Grassland Trail from Mulholland Hwy. and from the Edison Station to Las Virgenes Fireroad/Liberty Canyon Fireroad sections were not open to mountain bikes. It was also reported that this went for the stream bed section of Crags Road Trail (aka the Creek of Doom).

    Subsequent conversations with local rangers indicated that the information about the stream bed was incorrect, and that it was open to mountain bikes. The Grassland Trail was not as clear.

    On Tuesday 1/26 members of CORBA’s Board of Directors met with State Park officials on several issues, one of them being Grassland Trail’s use designation regarding the sections in question mentioned above. Representing State Parks were Acting District Superintendent Craig Sap, Topanga Sector Superintendent Lynnette Brody, Maintenance Chief Dennis Dolinar, Maintenance Supervisor Dale Skinner, Resource Specialist Tom Dore, Ranger Tony Hoffman, and Roads and Trails Manager of the Facility Management Division Karl Knapp. None of these individuals knew with certainty what the designation of Grassland Trail was, and did not have documentation readily available. They did say that to their knowledge there had never been a closure to bicycles, and have been operating under the assumption it is multi-use, including bicycles. They guaranteed they would provide definitive information as soon as possible, and said that at this time the use designation is status quo, meaning that currently bicycle use is admitted. They also confirmed that the stream bed designation is multi-use, as is the singletrack from De Anza Park to Las Virgenes Fireroad.

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