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More New Riders Join September CORBA Kids Ride

Monday, September 19th, 2011

On Saturday September 3rd, the CORBA Kids Club rode again with several new riders and a lot of excitement to see each other again after our last big ride in June.

Dave reviewed trail ettiquette and safety tips with everybody, we welcomed the newcomers, set our walkie-talkies, and then all 17 riders saddled up and headed out. It was the club’s second time at Sycamore Canyon/Point Magu, which was the perfect place to avoid the heat. Adult riders were Joy, David, Dave, Suzy, John, Kat, and Lorenz.  Kid riders were RJ, William, Julia, Nolan, Sean, Natalie, Ethan, Josiah, Emma, and Simon.  Larry and youngest son, Elliot, cheered us on and took photographs (see the photo gallery of this ride).

There was a surprising amount of poisen oak along the sides of the trail. Kat pointed it out to the new riders, and made sure everybody was careful not to put their bikes into it while waiting for the others to catch up.

All but two of the water crossing were completely dry, and most kids completed them with no problems. We took our first break where the kids used the facilities, ate their snacks, and climbed a downed tree.

At the end of the ride,  several adults and kids played in the beach cove, while Dave readied the BBQ, and cooked everyone lunch.   After lunch and snacks, we reluctantly broke up the party.  

We hope you will join us next month for the IMBA’s annual Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day at Malibu Creek State Park.  Meet at the upper parking lot 9 a.m.  Different ride options will be available, and a free BBQ lunch will be served.

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Posted in Santa Monica Mountains, Take a Kid Mountain Biking, Youth | Comments Closed

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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Posted in Charity, Fat Tire Fest, Los Angeles, Media, Rides and Events, Santa Monica Mountains | Comments Closed

COSCA Strategic Plan Public Workshop Sep 20

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

The Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency will host a public workshop to solicit your comments as a basis for developing a strategic plan for the open space and trail system of the Conejo Valley. The public is invited to provide their opinions and thoughts about the mission of COSCA, as well as their vision of how the open space and trail system should develop in the future. Click here to visit COSCA’s website.

DATE: Tuesday, September 20 from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

WHERE: Conejo Recreation and Park District Headquarters, Board Room 403 West Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

CONTACT: Shelly Austin, COSCA Associate Planner, saustin@toaks.org or (805) 449-2339.

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Posted in Advocacy, Conejo Valley, Trail Access | Comments Closed

Eagle Scout Project at Verdugo Peak

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

On Sunday, September 11th, 32 volunteers headed up Hostettor road (La Tuna Canyon) in the Verdugo Mountains. Eagle Scout candidate and Verdugo Peak Trailwork St. Francis High School racer Steven Ayoob had chosen to work on the trails at Verdugo Peak for his Eagle Scout project. Verdugo Peak is the highest peak in the Verdugo Mountains. CORBA trail crew volunteer Steve Messser served as an advisor for the project, supplying CORBA’s tools and expertise.

After a round of coffee, juice and donuts, the group held a moment of silence in memory of the victims of September 11, 2001. Steven gave instructions and organized the group before heading up to the peak and trailwork site. At the top Steve Messer gave a talk on safety, tool use and the objectives of the trailwork.

Steven Ayoob is a member of Boy Scout Troop 127 out of Glendale, and is the troop’s fifth Eagle Scout candidate for 2011. He has ridden the trails in the Verdugos and wanted to help improve and preserve them. The user-created trails that lead up to the peak along the old firebreaks have been ridden and hiked for decades. They have been becoming increasingly rutted and eroded in recent years. About 32 volunteers came out to help with the project, filling ruts, cutting in rolling dips and nicks to divert water, and trimming brush.

Ayoob also had some of the volunteers install a restored and freshly painted park bench on an overlook near the top of Whiting Woods motorway, giving weary hikers and riders a place to sit and enjoy the views of the Crescenta Valley and San Gabriel Mountains.

One of the volunteers who came out was Eagle Scout Chris Sercel, whose Eagle Scout project was the restoration of the Doc Larsen trail in 2010. He put the leadership and trailbuilding skills he’d learned in his project to good use, helping direct one of the two crews working on different sections of the trail. Sercel’s Court of Honor, the ceremony and final step in the long trail to become an Eagle Scout, was held the day before on Saturday, September 10th. At that ceremony Chris surprised CORBA’s Steve Messer with an Eagle Scout Mentor pin for his guidance on the Doc Larsen project, a true honor.

Ayoob’s Eagle Scout project was coordinated with the City of Glendale’s Community Services and Parks Department. CORBA thanks Steven and all the volunteers for their contributions to Glendale’s trails, and we congratulate him on a successful Eagle Scout Project.

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Posted in Trail Crew, Verdugo Mountains | Comments Closed

September 3rd Skills Clinic Photos

Sunday, September 4th, 2011

We had 28 participants in this month’s basic skills clinic at Malibu Creek State Park with clear weather and a perfect temperature. There was no water in the creek – everybody rode across but there were no splashes! You can see all the photos in the September Skills Clinic Photo Gallery!

Posted in CORBA News, Free Basic Skills Clinic, Santa Monica Mountains | Comments Closed

Santa Clarita Valley Trail Users Update

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

Dear Friends,

We are reaching out to all of you who signed the petition supporting equal access for all trail users, including cyclists, on the Canyon Trail at the Placerita Nature Center.  Here’s an update.

About 25 of us met with three park officials from LA County Parks and Rec on August 19 to express our outrage about the recent closing of the Canyon Trail to cyclists.  At this meeting, the County officials explained that the previous signs allowing cycling on this trail were a “mistake” and also cited environmental and safety concerns relating to off-road cycling on this trail.  However, the County officials admitted that this is a matter of policy and that policy can be changed.  Kimel Conway, the senior official present at the meeting, agreed to schedule a meeting with Russ Guiney, the Director of LA County Parks and Rec, if we would prepare a “brief” summarizing our concerns and the possible solutions to their concerns.

Since then, we have formed a committee to press on with our cause.  Here’s what the committee has resolved thus far.

1.  We have prepared a “brief” as requested by the County in preparation for our meeting with the Director.  We are now working on scheduling that meeting at the earliest possible time.

2.  We recognize that the issue is much bigger than the Canyon Trail at the Placerita Nature Center.  Recently the trails at Vasquez Rocks were also closed by the County for much the same reasons.  We need to advocate for safe and equal access to ALL SCV TRAILS.

3.  We believe our best position is to advocate for safe and equal access for ALL USERS, not just cyclists.  Even though others in our community want to exclude cyclists from the trials, we believe an inclusive position is most likely to succeed.

4.  We have named our group the SCV Trail Users and will use the slogan, “Safe and Equal Access for All”.

5.  We need to build a database of supporters as we will likely need to mobilize larger numbers at future public hearings.  We will be using our Facebook Group, The SCV Trail Users – Safe & Equal Access To SCV Trails, our current petition, and this email list for this purpose.

6.  We will be designing and distributing a flyer and a business card (to carry with you when out on the trails) with information about the Facebook Group, the petition, and our email list.  We plan to make the flyers available at all of the local bike shops.

What can you do to help?

Please help us build our database of supporters.   We believe this will be critical to our success!  Join our Facebook group, sign our petition, and add your name to our email list.  Please ask other supporters to do the same.  And be ready to show your support!

Facebook Group:  http://www.facebook.com/groups/saveplaceritatrail/

Petition:  http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/canyon_trail_mtb_access/

Email SCVTrailUsers@gmail.com to add an email address to our list.

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Posted in Advocacy, Los Angeles, Trail Access | Comments Closed

Multi-Use Signs on El Prieto

Monday, August 29th, 2011

Since the trail re-opened in May this year, El Prieto has seen heavy use by cyclists eager to get back to the trails Friends of El Prieto, Banner Moffat mounts the multi-use sign to the newly installed post.they love. Recently there have been a few complaints from hikers being startled by bicycles on El Prieto.

Multi-Use SignCORBA donated to the Forest Service a set of IMBA multi-use trail guideline signs to be installed on El Prieto. Signs are needed to help inform and remind cyclists to be aware of other trail users and slow down and yield to hikers and equestrians. If cyclists want respect on the trails, we have to give respect to other trail users. IMBA’s “Rules of the Trail” are the standard to which we need to hold ourselves and our fellow riders.

Banner Moffat of the Friends of El Prieto and Steve Messer from CORBA spent Thursday afternoon, August 25, carrying in the signs, posts and tools. They installed the first sign near the picnic bench mid-trail that afternoon. The remaining signs at the top and bottom of the trail were installed by Banner and volunteer Ben Bertiger the following day.

All of the trails open to bicycles in Southern California are multi-use, and hikers or equestrians love the trails as much as we do. We urge riders to be respectful of other trail users, to help ensure that these trails remain multi-use, and to strengthen our case to open new trails to bicycles.

 

Banner and Steve with the newly installed sign

 

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Posted in Angeles National Forest, San Gabriel Mountains, Trail Crew | Comments Closed

Canyon Trail Closure in Placerita Canyon Nature Center

Monday, August 29th, 2011

The Canyon trail winds its way for 1.85 miles along Placerita Creek between Walker Ranch and the Placerita Canyon Nature Center. It makes a great loop with the Santa Clara Truck Trail and Los Pinetos. For many years cyclists have been riding this great loop, and it is a local favorite. It is one of very few beginner- and kid-friendly trails in the Santa Clarita Valley.

In July 2011 the trail was posted closed to bikes with no public notice, warning or input. Law enforcement have been on hand to ticket cyclists who ignore the signs, or didn’t notice them.

The alternative return route after riding Los Pinetos  is to ride pavement from Walker Ranch out to the Nature Center and back to the usual parking area. This paved, narrow two-lane road has no shoulder and no bike lanes, and is much more dangerous.  There is no alternative easy out-and-back off-road ride for beginners or those looking for an easy ride.

In County Nature Preserves like Placerita Canyon, it is at the sole discretion of the director whether trails are opened or closed to bikes. Local riders have been in contact with the park’s management about the closure, and are working to find solutions to mitigate the concerns that have led to the closure of the trail to bikes.

While it is encouraging to know the County is open to hearing the concerns of local trail users who are directly affected by this closure, to have received no prior official or public notice of the closure has left the local cycling community frustrated and angered. The reasons for the closure were unclear, though environmental impacts to Placerita Creek were initially mentioned. However the trail remains open to equestrians who have much more impact than bicycles. Trail user conflicts seem to be the real reason, though to our knowledge no specific injuries or instances have been cited. 

CORBA has long argued that excluding a user group from a trail only leads to further division among user groups, whereas including all users helps bring the trail user community together to find solutions. As the local cycling community works with the County to find a reasonable compromise to re-open the trail, cyclists should avoid riding the Canyon Trail and obey all posted signs in the area.

Read more of the local perspective from the RightOnSCV.com blog or coverage from The Signal.

 

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Posted in Angeles National Forest, Los Angeles, Trail Access | Comments Closed

Summary of Public Scoping Comments Newsletter Available for Rim of the Valley Corridor Special Resource Study

Monday, August 29th, 2011

What follows is the contents of an email we received from the National Park Service:

 

Summary of Public Scoping Comments Newsletter Available for
Rim of the Valley Corridor Special Resource Study

Thank you for taking time to send us scoping comments to help guide the Rim of the Valley Corridor Special Resource Study. We received more than 2,000 comment letters and e-mails. Over the past several months, we have been reviewing and analyzing your ideas, suggestions and questions. We thank you for taking the time to comment. We’ve learned a lot about the issues that concern you, the special places that you value, and what you hope this study process will accomplish. This summary of Public Scoping Comments, “What We Heard from You,” is now available in Newsletter #2.

The public comments focused primarily on the following broad topics:

– suggestions for the scope and definition of the study area
– suggestions for the study process
– natural and cultural resources that the NPS should consider for possible significance
– existing recreational uses and future recreational needs
– issues and opportunities to be considered in the study process

Also included in this newsletter is an update to our “Frequently Asked Questions” and “Next Steps in the Study Process.”

We look forward to staying in touch with you throughout the process!

Anne Dove                          Margie Steigerwald
Project Manager                   Planner
We need your help getting the word out! 

Given the size and complexity of the study area, we need your help in getting the word out about the study.  If you know anyone who would be interested in this study, please forward this message to them and encourage them to sign-up for our distribution list. 

Download Newsletters

 Contact Information

Mail:      National Park Service
                  Rim of the Valley Corridor Special Resource Study
                  570 W. Avenue 26, #175
                  Los Angeles, CA  90065

Website:  �
www.nps.gov/pwro/rimofthevalley

 E-mail:     pwr_rimofthevalley@nps.gov 

 Phone:     Anne Dove, Project Manager (323) 441-9307
                       Margie Steigerwald, Planner (805) 370-2373

 

Posted in Los Angeles, San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Monica Mountains, Verdugo Mountains | Comments Closed

Coast to Crest Trail Public Workshop on Sept 15th, 2011

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

If you don’t know about this incredible long-term project that will eventually link the San Gabriel Mountains to the sea, this meeting will be a great chance to learn more about it. If you do know about it, you know how important it is that mountain bikers are represented. Though this is envisioned as a multi-use trail project, at the previous meetings there have been a small but vocal cohort of those unfriendly to multi-use principles. We need to get the word out and about the project and make sure that all concerned groups are represented and involved.

The meeting will take place at:

Coast to Crest Trail Public Workshop
Thursday, September 15, 2011, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Santa Clarita Sports Complex (map)
Activities Center – Santa Clarita Room
20880 Centre Pointe Parkway
Santa Clarita, CA 91350

 


Posted in Rides and Events, San Gabriel Mountains | Comments Closed

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