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In this issue...
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Newbury
Park Bike Shop is hosting a fundraiser for CORBA on
Friday, February 24th. This photo is from our last beer
and pizza bike shop fundraiser. Details...
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Proper Trail Etiquette
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Press for a Pump Track in Thousand Oaks at February 8th Meeting
 If you live in the Conejo Valley or a nearby community, please
attend a meeting to be held by the Conejo Recreation and Park District (CRPD) and press for a pump track and bike park to be included in the plans for the Lang Ranch Community Park.
On Wednesday, February 8th, CRPD will have a meeting to get public
input into recreational activities they would like to see included in
the Lang Ranch Community Park and other parks in Zone 2, roughly north
of Hillcrest Drive and east of the 23 Freeway.
Two weeks ago we learned
that CRPD has scrapped their plans for baseball fields and tennis
courts on the 124-acre property bordered by Westlake Blvd, Erbes Rd and
Aveninda de Los Arboles. An ancient landslide at the site makes it
unfeasible to economically grade the land to safely accomodate playing
fields. Instead, CRPD is exploring less intensive uses that won’t
require extensive grading.
This is our chance to lobby for a bike park and pump track in a
semi-urban area. Our kids and the young-at-heart could use to improve
their balance, coordination, upper body strength, and generally have
fun! In this age of video games, “sweet/salty snacks” and increasing
obesity among our youth, everyone should appreciate a healthful, outdoor
activity to engage them.
CRPD has plans for four public meetings:
Meeting 1: Background and Brainstorming
Wednesday Feb 8, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Hillcrest Center Community Room
403 W. Hillcrest Drive
Thousand Oaks, CA
Meeting 2 – Walk Lang Ranch Community Park Property with District Staff
Saturday, Feb 11, 7:30 am – 9:00 am
Meeting 3 – More Brainstorming & Bubble Diagrams
Wednesday Feb 29, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Hillcrest Center Community Room
Meeting 4 – Report Back and Recommendations
Wednesday March 21, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Hillcrest Center Community Center
Directions to the Hillcrest Community Center. From
the 101 Freeway in Thousand Oaks, exit at Lynn Road, turning north, then
turn right onto Hillcrest Drive. After 0.3 miles, turn left onto
McCloud Ave, then turn right immediately at the sign for the National
Park Service and Conejo Recreation and Park District. At the stop sign
at the top of the drive, turn left and drive the short distance to #403,
on the left. Google Map and Directions Newbury Park Bike Shop Hosts CORBA Fundraiser 2/24/2012.
CORBA’s first in a series of in-store fundraisers takes place Friday
night February 24 at Newbury Park Bicycle Shop in Newbury Park (Thousand
Oaks). On this weekend there will also be a trail work day at
Guadalasca Trail in Pt. Mugu State Park on Saturday, and group rides led
by North Ranch Mountain Bikers in Pt. Mugu State Park on Sunday. See our
blog for more details...
CORBA comments on Topanga General Plan
As we reported last year,
a new General Plan is being developed by California State
Parks for Topanga
State Park. The plan will guide the park’s future, ensuring that
management practices are in line with the mission and objectives of the
Park.
The general plan does not govern trail use designations, and instead
defers to the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Master Plan, which is still
in development.
The current draft of the plan was released in December.
The public comment period ended January 23, 2012. To see our comments
on the plan, read
our blog article...
 Upcoming
and Recent Trailwork
For many years, most trailwork has been done by volunteers because of budget
cutbacks at our parks systems. So come out and help CORBA and
other volunteers keep our trails in top riding shape! You can learn
more about what to expect and what you'll need to bring with you
on our Trailwork
web page. Keep in mind that CORBA now provides prizes and lunch
after the event for volunteers who register
in advance! And by registering in advance, you'll help us prepare
by knowing how many volunteers to expect. If you come out to two
or more trailwork days in a year, we'll give you a cool long-sleeved
CORBA trail crew shirt - be sure to ask for yours!
Gabrielino Trailwork Report
On January 14, 2012, volunteer crews once again tackled the Gabrielino
Trail between Switzers and Redbox. CORBA combined forces with the Mount
Wilson Bicycling Association, our neighboring IMBA chapter. We continued on our work from our last trailwork event in December,
working on approximately 2 additional miles of trail. The crews cleared and
rock-armored several drainages, cut back brush, repaired damaged trail
tread, and cleared rock and other debris from the trail.
 With the trail now over 95% rideable, we anticipate many more users
on the trail as we enter spring. However, we must caution everyone to
beware of the poodle dog bush. It’s impractical to cut back, but much of
the trail is lined with the plant. At least two of the volunteers
reported cases of poodle dog a few days after the work was completed. See the
complete
report on our blog...
El Prieto Trailwork Report
Almost eight months ago, CORBA was approached by Keenan Koch, a
student at St. Francis High School in La Canada, a member of the
school’s mountain bike race team, and an eagle scout candidate. He wanted to work on El Prieto for his eagle scout project,
the closest singletrack to his school. With Forest Service and Boy Scout Council approval, Keenan rallied his
St. Francis and San Gabriel Valley Composite mountain bike team mates,
fellow scouts, and a few willing parents to help rebuild this
section of trail. On January 22, 2012, crews re-cut the bench away from the cliff edge, filled three
substantial drainages with rock supporting walls and rock armoring, and
built up rock supporting walls either side of a “split tree,” through
which the trail would pass. During the course of the work, two generous mountain bikers made
on-the-spot cash donations to CORBA’s trail crew fund. One regular El Prieto hiker
has made similar on-the-spot donations in the past, a sure token of the appreciation all
trail users have for the work we are doing. Read the full
report on our blog... Saturday February 25, 2012:
Guadalasca Trail in Pt. Mugu State Park
The Guadalasca Trail in Point Mugu State Park will
undergo some substantial improvements over the next year or so.
First, the lower section (part of the old ranch road), will be brushed
out to allow access for motorized equipment. We will be helping with this on Feb
25th. State Parks staff will then remove the existing culvert drains and convert
them to level
crossings. Later, part of the newer section of the trail will be rerouted and in the process will add 1/4 to 1/2 mile to
its length. Some of the existing switchbacks could be converted to climbing
turns, and rolling dips will be added to help control erosion. Using
IMBA-influenced designs, sinuosity and pinch points will be incorporated
into the trail to reduce downhill travel speeds. This will
help reduce conflicts with other trail users, including climbing
mountain bikers. See our full
blog article for more...
California State Parks has asked CORBA and other organizations
to recruit volunteers to help with this work. The event on Feb. 25th
will be the first, and we need a large turn-out to help clear the
brush that has built up over the past several years. Further events
to clear brush further up Guadalasca are planned for March
17th and April 14th.
Please complete our on-line
registration form in advance
to qualify for prizes and so we'll know how many tools to bring.
Saturday March 24, 2012: COSCA Spring
Trailwork Day.
Details are forthcoming.
Fri-Sun April 27-29: State Trails Days
in Point Mugu State Park.
Details are forthcoming.
To see all trailwork dates, including those of other groups,
visit the CORBA
trailwork calendar.
Join our mailing list to get updates on trailwork
opportunities!
Send an email to Trailwork-Volunteers+subscribe@corbamtb.com
General
News
 MBU Training for 2012 Starts
February 4
Calling all mountain bikers age 18 and over! The Mountain
Bike Unit (MBU) is
currently recruiting for its 2012 Training Class. If you enjoy
mountain biking and are interested in giving back to the community by
volunteering some time to assist our understaffed Park Rangers in patrolling the
parks, then the MBU may be just what you are looking for. The MBU assists in providing
park visitors with a quality outdoor experience and preserving natural resources
while patrolling over 60,000 acres of public parkland in the Santa Monica
Mountains National Recreation Area. Beginning in February 2012, training will
include visitor contact skills, State and National park radio use, park rules
and regulations, first aid and CPR training, and field training exercises. Read
our blog
article on MBU training...
Reworking Tapia Spur Trail in Malibu Creek
State Park
If they haven't already started by the time you receive
this, California State Parks staff will soon starting work on Tapia Spur Trail in Malibu
Creek SP. The trail lacks a variety of components necessary to accommodate multi-use based on new guidelines,
and so will be modified to bring the trail up to current multi-use standards. These
components include brushing, improved drainage
and increased tread width, speed control sections in areas lacking
sight distance, and realignment of one stretch of trail to increase
sight distance and redirect the trail off the fall line. For full details, read
our
blog article...
New on the CORBA Website
Recreational
Rides
For a list of upcoming recreational rides, please visit the CORBA
Calendar.
- Next CORBA Kids Club ride will be Saturday February
4th at Malibu
Creek State Park. See our Rides
Calendar for details.
- The CORBA Beginners ride is being temporarily suspended
- CORBA, Newbury
Park Bike Shop and the North
Ranch Mountain Bikers will host and lead two rides on Sunday,
February 26th. Both rides leave from Newbury Park Bike
Shop at 8:00 am.
- The intermediate ride will be 9.3 miles with
about 1600' of climbing
- The advanced ride will be 28 miles with about
4000' of climbing
- Directions: The rides start at Newbury Park
Bike Shop, 1560 Newbury Rd # 6,
Newbury Park, CA 91320. Exit the 101 Freeway at Ventu Park Rd in
Newbury Park, turning south. Take the first right onto Newbury Road,
following it around 0.3 miles. Turn left into the strip mall; the bike
shop is behind In ‘n Out Burgers.
- Full details of these rides can be found in our
blog article...
CORBA’s Recreational Rides calendar provides a full
monthly schedule of mountain bike rides for all skill levels. Mountain bike
rides are organized by CORBA member clubs and led by experienced and
knowledgeable guides. Recreational rides are a fun and social way to experience
a variety of trails in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, and beyond.
Free Mountain Biking
Skills Clinic
 Saturday January
7th is the next skills clinic.
The CORBA free skills clinic is held on the first Saturday of
every month at Malibu Creek State Park.
Mountain biking is a lot like tennis or skiing. Just a few minor
adjustments in technique can make a huge difference in your
control and proficiency. If you want to get better faster,
you need to know the fundamentals of mountain biking technique.
Whether you're just getting into mountain biking or have been
riding for years, you'll learn some valuable tips from our Introduction
to Mountain Biking skills class that is offered each month.
Check out our Skills Clinic
web page for all the information. After the clinic, see photos
of your new skills on the CORBA web site that you can share
with your family and friends!
 Follow
CORBA on Twitter and Facebook
We have set up accounts with Twitter and Facebook to help keep people informed
of the latest developments in our trail advocacy, recreational rides and trailwork days. Follow
us on Twitter at twitter.com/CORBAmtb
and Facebook at facebook.com/CORBAMTB.
Get Our Blog Articles Delivered to Your
Desktop
Have you ever wished you could get our blog articles without having
to check
the CORBA website every day to see if there’s anything new? Well, you
can! Even though our blog software won’t send articles by email, you can
still get them delivered to the inbox of most email readers like
Microsoft
Outlook. You use the “RSS feed” functionality for this. In fact, you can
read
our articles in any software that receives RSS feeds, such as Internet
Explorer
and other web browsers. This
blog
article on RSS feeds shows you how.
Support
CORBA
Join or Renew your membership today on our membership
web page. Join Our Team! Do you have any ideas about mountain biking recreation in the
L.A. region? Would you like to apply your skills and manage projects
that contribute to the sport and lifestyle that you love? Is there
an advocate in you? We are recruiting motivated individuals who
work well with others. Send an email to info@corbamtb.com
or come
to a monthly Members Meeting to find out more about what we do and how you
can help. Check the calendar
for the next meeting.
Other simple ways to
support CORBA
- REI:
Use the link at left and REI will donate 5%
of the purchase price to CORBA
- Ralphs grocery stores: Use your Ralphs card and help CORBA
- Holmes Body Shop: Get that dent fixed and help CORBA
(Click on the links above to get more details!)
CORBA
News eMail List
Please do not reply to this email as the corbanews mailbox is
not monitored by people. To contact CORBA, email to info@corbamtb.com
or visit our 'Contact Us' page
for other addresses.
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