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CORBA eTerraTimes for November 2016

eTerraTimes Archive


 

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In this issue...

Despite the soggy conditions, nobody's spirits were dampended during the Girlz Gone Riding 2016 Roctober event this past Sunday at Castaic Lake. See story...

Rules of the Trail - Click for details
Proper Trail Etiquette

News from the CORBA Website Blog since the previous eTerraTimes

Thanks Mark! Mark Langton was one of CORBA’s founders in 1987 and one of IMBA’s founders in 1988. He served 13 years on CORBA’s steering committee, and subsequently joined the CORBA Board of Directors.  He has served as CORBA’s president, as one of the first volunteer patrollers for the  Mountain...
Scott Mabbutt With Mark Langton leaving CORBA’s Board of Directors , we put out a call for Board nominees. We’re happy to announce that we have welcomed two new board members, Scott Mabbutt and Joyce Deprest. Scott is a respected filmmaker, storyteller and self-declared cat whisperer. When asked ...
The Community Collaborative hands comments to the Forest Service Last Thursday, October 27, 2016, the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument Community Collaborative group (Collaborative) finalized their consensus comments on the SGMNM Management Plan. The process was helped immensely by the exte...
Our friends at the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council are in the running for a considerable donation towards maintenance of the Backbone Trail . Anheuser-Busch is giving away up to $200,000 for trail maintenance around the country through the Michelob Ultra Go The Extra Mile Fund . Here’s the ...
Park and Rec Staff give their report October 25, 2016 was a great day for trails, open space and bike parks in Los Angeles County. Some time ago, we learned that the Puente Hills Landfill Park Master Plan would be on today’s County Board of Supervisors agenda. Last week, we were notified that the...
Come join CORBA for our annual RAM (Ride & Mingle) event and pancake breakfast at Michael’s Bicycles in Newbury Park ! November 27th! Ride time 9am sharp: Meet at Wendy/Potrero Drive in Newbury Park . ALL LEVELS WELCOMED! GUIDED RIDES: BEGINNERS, INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED ROUTES. Come ride with us ...
In March 2011, we reported on the Hastain Trail in Franklin Canyon . A mega-mansion developer, Mohamed Hadid, had purchased a parcel of land traversed by the Hastain Trail in 2002. In 2011, he began development of the site, putting up a fence to block the trail without any public notice. Immediat...
On October 17, 2016, the Forest Service revised the Sand Fire Closure order. The order was drawn up while the fire was still burning. It included many areas that did not burn. Now that the fire has been fully contained for several weeks The Forest Service has reduced the closure area, reopening m...
Of the 120 volunteers expected for the annual event held in Thousand Oaks, about 60 were put into seven crews that worked on building a bypass to the very steep bottom of the Peninsula Trail in the Western Plateau/Conejo Canyons area . The other half were assigned to six crews to work on two othe...
On October 25, 2016, the same day that the County Supervisors will vote on the Puente Hills Landfill Park master plan, they will also be voting on the Castaic Area Multiuse Trail Master Plan . The plan and environmental documents can be viewed at http://castaicmultiusetrails.org .   The Castaic A...
Click for a larger map On October 25, 2016, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will vote on the Puente Hills Landfill Park Master Plan. The plan includes a bike park, multi-use trails, and much more. The design and environmental documents have been developed through a long and ongoing pu...
The city of Malibu is asking the public what type of facility we want at Trancas Field . They are conducting an online survey. If you live in or near Malibu, we need your votes! If you don’t live in Malibu, but would visit a bike park there, we need your votes too. Please help convince the City o...
Tonight, October 10, 2016, the City of Thousand Oaks held a hearing on the Sapwi Trails Community Park master plan and environmental documents. The hearing took nearly 2 1/2 hours, with fifteen people commenting on the project. There was a report by the City Planner summarizing the plan, as well ...
It was a gorgeous day in Malibu Creek State Park this month for the Basic Skills Clinic. There was a small group with eight participants this first weekend in the autumn, with three riders on one bike! The clinic is always held the first Saturday of the month. You can see the photos in our Octobe...
The October 2016 edition of CORBA’s monthly newsletter, the eTerraTimes , was published today, September 29th. If you don’t get it by email, you can view it online . As always, the eTerraTimes has all the latest news for mountain bikers in the Santa Monica Mountains and surrounding areas. Bookmar...

 

President’s Message: Thank You Mark Langton!

Mark Langton was one of CORBA’s founders in 1987 and one of IMBA’s founders in 1988. He served 13 years on CORBA’s steering committee, and subsequently joined the CORBA Board of Directors. He has served as CORBA’s president, as one of the first volunteer patrollers for the Mountain Bike Unit and he’s taught the CORBA Introduction to Mountain Bike Skills Class every month since 1992. Now after 29 years, he’s stepping down from the CORBA Board as of December 2016.

CORBA’s approach has always been to show up, to participate, to take the high road and to be persistent. Mark has done all that and more. He’s been deeply connected to the sport as a racer and for several years as the editor of Mountain Biking magazine. He was the co-author of Riding Santa Monica Mountains Best Trails with Jim Hasenauer and of Where to Bike Los Angeles Mountain Biking with Jim Hasenauer and Steve Messer. He also wrote the Outdoor Action Guide Mountain Biking, and a skills manual, Mountain Bike Master: Essential Skills and Advanced Techniques Made Easy. He worked as Director of Communication for Giant Bicycles and for the National Off-Road Bicycle Association, before it was absorbed by USA Cycling. His knowledge, his ability to communicate and his industry connections brought national attention and resources to CORBA.

When the Conejo Opens Space Conservation Authority began dealing with the same trail access issues as the nearby Santa Monica Mountains agencies, they took a more open, community-minded approach. They told the complainers “These trails will be shared by the community. Work it out.” Mark was one of the founding members of the new Conejo Open Space Trails Advisory Committee and his efforts built strong alliances with equestrians and hikers. For years, COSTAC has been a model of user cooperation and the power of education in not only reducing user conflict but building a strong, united, and inclusive trail community.

For more details, especially on Mark's early years helping to form CORBA and IMBA, and challenges faced by mountain bikers in those days, (and a few more pictures), read our Thank You Mark blog article.

 

Save The Date! November 27th is CORBA’s Annual RAM Ride & Pancake Brunch!

2d3461e4-d102-4085-a64a-74db40c622c9Come join CORBA for our annual RAM (Ride & Mingle) event and pancake breakfast at Michael’s Bicycles in Newbury Park!

November 27th! Ride time 9am sharp: Meet at Wendy/Potrero Drive in Newbury Park.

ALL LEVELS WELCOMED! GUIDED RIDES: BEGINNERS, INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED ROUTES.

Come ride with us in Point Mugu State Park (Sycamore Canyon). Meet at Wendy/Potrero in Newbury Park. We will all ride over to the ranger station for a big group photo then split up into our groups.

Pancake brunch at Michael’s Bicycles after the ride at 12:30pm. $10 suggested donation.

You can renew or purchase a CORBA/IMBA Membership as well!

Michael’s Bicycles: 2257 Michael Drive, Newbury Park, CA 91320

 

CORBA Welcomes Two New Board Members

With Mark Langton leaving CORBA’s Board of Directors, we put out a call for Board nominees. We’re happy to announce that we have welcomed two new board members, Scott Mabbutt and Joyce Deprest.

Scott is a respected filmmaker, storyteller and self-declared cat whisperer. He is a member of the Mountain Bike Unit (MBU), a group of mountain bike volunteer patrollers that work closely with the National Park Service, California State Parks and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) patrolling the Santa Monica Mountains to assist and educate visitors on the trail.  Scott can be found somewhere in the Santa Monica mountains every weekend.

Also joining the CORBA board is Joyce Deprest. Joyce is an MBU member and patroller, with her favorite place to ride or patrol being Point Mugu State Park. She has been instrumental in re-introducing MBU members to do trailwork. Joyce is a native San Fernando “Valley Girl.” Her professional life began working in Non-Profit Organizations, including event planning, office management and as the Director of a Synagogue in the San Fernando Valley. During the past 6 years Joyce has rediscovered her love of the mountains, canyons and oceans. To learn more about Scott and Joyce, read our blog on the new board members.

 

The Rainy, cold 6th annual Rocktober Festival. Oct 30th, 2016 by Wendy Engelberg

Even though the rides got rained out, the festival was still a success and everyone made the best of it. The rain came down pretty hard most of the morning. I know how rough it was at times… yet 237 riders still showed up!


Despite the rain, participants in the Skills Clinics enjoyed the opportunity to brush up on their technique!

I feel very strongly the right decision was made NOT to ride the trails. Myself and many others pour our heart and souls into this event every year, so this decision not to ride was not made lightly… Not only would we destroy the trails, it could have done a lot of damage to your bikes (clay soil sticks to everything) and it would have become dangerous. We respect the trails; we don’t ride in the mud and destroy the land.

Many of you made comments on how relaxed I was this year. It was because I had 55 extremely competent volunteers. Let the people around you do what they do best, and all will benefit in the end. Read the rest of Wendy's comments on her GGR blog...

And view the almost 250 photos in our photo gallery!

 

Monthly CORBA Meeting Moves to REI in Woodland Hills

Come and join us to learn about current issues and let us know what concerns you! Always open to the public, the CORBA Board of Directors’ meeting is held the 4th Monday of the month in Woodland Hills. REI is kind enough to let us use their meeting room, for which we thank them profusely!

Every month (except December, when we have no meeting), we discuss these topics:

  • Issues of trail access for mountain bikers
  • Mountain bike advocacy and ambassadorship
  • Public involvement
  • The latest news from the land managers, including State Parks and National Park Service
  • Trail building and restoration
  • Furthering woman’s mountain biking
  • Bike parks and other dedicated mountain bike facilities or trails
  • Education and etiquette
  • Anything brought forward by members of the public

The meetings are 6 – 8 pm at the REI in Woodland Hills (Google Map and Directions):

6220 Topanga Canyon Blvd
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
P: (818) 703-5300

We look forward to seeing you there!


Recreational Rides


    A recent Beginners' Ride had 16 participants. Would you like to join us too?

For a list of upcoming recreational rides, please visit the CORBA Calendar.

CORBA’s Club 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.


Upcoming Trail Restoration and Reports on Past Workdays

For many years, most trail upkeep 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.

A number of companies and volunteer organizations have asked us if they could do trailwork as a team building exercise, or just to give back to the community. We are happy to work with such groups - shoot us an enquiry at trailwork@corbamtb.com for more information!

For CORBA workdays, we provide lunch for participants after we're finished. Please register in advance to help us prepare by knowing how many volunteers to expect. And... 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!

Children must be over 7-years old to attend, and children under 14 must be constantly and directly supervised by their parent or guardian who brought them. Children under 18 must have their waiver signed by their parent or legal guardian.

Summary of Recent Trailwork

COSCA Annual Trailwork Day, October 15. Continuing a trend from the past few years, we improved and extended trails in the Western Plateau/Conejo Canyons region of Thousand Oaks. Of the 120 volunteers expected for the event, about 60 were put into six crews that worked on building a bypass to the very steep bottom of the Peninsula Trail. The other half were assigned to six crews to work on two other trails leading down to the canyon, but some distance from the Peninsula Trail. The CORBA crew and other mountain bikers worked on the Peninsula Trail. The project was to build a new, much less steep trail that would replace the bottom section of the Peninsula Trail. It was to be about 0.35 miles long. Most of the new trail crossed a fairly steep slope, and some sections of the cross slope were very steep. That meant that we had to dig a lot of dirt out to make a trail. Overall, we must have moved several tons of dirt!

The thank-you barbecue lunch, cooked up by the COSCA rangers, started at noon, and one of the CORBA volunteers won the grand prize, a Giant mountain bike, in the prize give-away at the end. You can see the full report, including a time-lapse video, on our 2016 COSCA Trailwork blog report. And you can directly view the activities at the event photo gallery.

To see all trailwork dates, including those of other groups, visit the CORBA calendar.

Join our mailing list to get updates on trailwork opportunities!
Send an email to Trailwork-Volunteers+subscribe@corbamtb.com


General News

Vote for the Backbone Trail

761837_ultra_active-for-all_header-image_desktop_gray_gaOur friends at the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council are in the running for a considerable donation towards maintenance of the Backbone Trail. Anheuser-Busch is giving away up to $200,000 for trail maintenance around the country through the Michelob Ultra Go The Extra Mile Fund.

Here’s the catch: the public decides how much of that pie each nominated trail will receive. Twelve trails have been nominated, including the recently completed Backbone Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains. The funds will be divided between the twelve nominated trails, based on the percentage of votes each trail receives.

Votes must be cast by November 30th, and you must be at least 21 years of age to visit the site and vote.  Every vote makes a difference!

Vote now for the Backbone Trail!

 

trancasfield_map_2-1476310800-6421Malibu Wants to Know if We Want a Pump Track

The city of Malibu is asking the public what type of facility we want at Trancas Field. They are conducting an online survey. If you live in or near Malibu, we need your votes! If you don’t live in Malibu, but would visit a bike park there, we need your votes too.

Please help convince the City of Malibu to include a “skate park” and “bicycle pump track” in Malibu by voting in this public survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SXCB7M2

In question #1 fill out your Contact Information.

and for #2 choose the “Hard surface athletic facilities”

and for # 11 choose the “Skate Park” and ALSO “Bike Pump Track”.

You don’t have to fill out anything else unless you see something you like.

There will be a series of public meetings where every voice can make a difference. The deciding factor in Thousand Oaks was that over 100 cyclists came to the first meeting and asked for a bike park. If you can make one of these, please save the dates, but at least fill out the online survey:

Date Meeting Location Time
October 12 to
December 12
Trancas Field Questionnaire Online N/A
October 17 Teen & Youth Community Workshop Malibu City Hall 7:00 PM
November 2 Community Workshop Malibu West Beach Club 6:30 PM
November 30 Community Workshop Malibu City Hall 6:30 PM

We recently had a bike park approved in Thousand Oaks, and next week we’re hoping the LA County Board of Supervisors will approve the proposed bike park at Puente Hills Landfill. Let’s keep this train rolling!

 

Thousand Oaks approves Sapwi Trails Master Plan, with Bike Park

On October 10, 2016, the Thousand Oaks Planning Commission held a hearing on the Sapwi Trails Community Park master plan. After the City Planner summarized the plan and 15 people commented on the project, the Planning Commission voted to approve the project.

Next steps will be a planning process for the bike skills park. The master plan only identifies the approximate location of the bike park, and is not a bike park design. The bike park will be planned through a series of public meetings sometime in mid-2017.

One of the Commissioners noted that she felt the City had enough traditional parks and welcomed this plan incorporating several alternative recreation opportunities including mountain biking, cross country running, model glider flying, and frisbee golf. The Plan can be found here, and CORBA’s testimony can be found here.

To see more details about this meeting, check out our blog article.


Free Mountain Biking Skills Clinic

Saturday November 5th 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 Meetup, 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. Join our events on Meetup meetup.com/CORBAmtb and 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
  • Amazon.com: Buy online and Amazon will donate to CORBA through their Smile program
  • Holmes Body Shop: Get that dent fixed and help CORBA

(Click on the links above to get more details!)


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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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