Advocacy & Organizing
Clubs
-- The basics from IMBA.
-- 10 tips to hiring a staff person to help manage your organization.
-- Ideas to help re-invigorate your club.
-- Five cheap and easy features to boost your group's website.
-- How to build political muscle for your club.
-- By Mark Flint and IMBA listserve participants.
-- Use this worksheet to jot new ideas, tips, advice and new approaches to old problems.
-- 7 ways to get the most out of your patrol unit.
-- A guide from IMBA.
-- A few tips that will help your group get more media attention.
-- Ways to involve these passionate riders in your club for everyone's benefit.
--Details about the McKay Insurance special mountain biking club insurance policy.
-- Make sure to tell your land managers.
-- How to enhance mountain bike advocacy internationally
-- A primer on what to say, wear, bring, expect and how to follow-up.
-- Building bridges between the corporate world and your club.
--IMBA has compiled a partial list of shared-use coalitions from around the country.
-- Five tips for bringing women into the sport.
-- Tips will help you and your organization become more politically savvy.
-- Or, in the words of IMBA's women's riding group guru Kristin Butcher...."How to Organize the Awesomest Women's Ride Ever!"
Working With People
-- By Bill Harris and IMBA Listserve Participants.
-- Advocate Mark Flint's Success Story on the Arizona Trail.
-- Or, in the words of IMBA's women's riding group guru Kristin Butcher...."How to Organize the Awesomest Women's Ride Ever!"
-- The Mid Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts' excellent guide to organizing trailwork events and being a year-round trail liaison
-- By Ric Balfour and Holly Hill, Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew.
-- By Ric Balfour and Holly Hill, Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew.
-- Ontario professional land use planner and trails enthusiast, Chris LaForest, helps mountain bikers understand the various types of land managers and how to work best with them.
-- Here are eight steps you can take as a montain biker to help your local national park.
-- 10 Important steps to fostering a cohesive constituency for trails.
-- Partnerships require certain kinds of communication.
-- Here is a great article that appeared in issue #109 or Dirt Rag. It puts a fun spin on the trials and tribulations of mountain bike advocacy.
-- A helpful handout for conference call participants.
Individual Action
-- The skinny on low impact riding. Sponsored by REI. (Also available as a color brochure.)
-- The basics from IMBA.
-- Action Alerts are a terrific way to get the word out ‹ but only when they are carefully written, about a page in length, and bring the message home in an easily digested manner.
-- Simple things you can do anytime to help mountain biking - that don't suck!
-- Easy way to demonstrate support for your cause.
-- How the NRPA can help mountain bikers.
Tourism and Economic Development
-- 14 tips to bring off-road cyclists to your area.
-- Learn from other regions who are banking on mountain biking.
-- Steps your community can take to promote mountain bike tourism.
-- How communities can increase their appeal to mountain bikers.
-- (2006) The Outdoor Industry Foundation's report on outdoor recreation's $730 billion contribution to the economy
-- (2006) Paved and singletrack biking brings $133 billion annually to the U.S. economy.
-- (2006) According to a study conducted by the Western Canada Mountain Bike Tourism Association (MBTA) in partnership with the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance (CSTA).
-- National Bicycle and Pedestrian Clearinghouse Technical Brief.
-- A travel cost model (TCM) is used to estimate the economic benefits, measured by consumer surplus, to the users of mountain bike trails near Moab, Utah.
-- Learn what's working in Flagstaff, AZ and Park City, UT.
-- The purpose of this bulletin is to provide ideas for tracking local tourism activity. Arizona Cooperative Extension, University of Arizona, March 1999.
-- Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance, National Park Service, 1995, Fourth Edition, Revised.
-- Bikes Belong's colorful booklet portrays bicycling and highlights its benefits to the economy, communities, health, families, and quality of life.
-- (2007) This 30-page report includes mountain biking statistics, demographics, a participant survey, interviews, demand for biking facilities, key issues and solutions, partnership opportunities, best practices, and recommendations for managing mountain biking in the Kelowna area. It serves as an initial step in preparation of a Mountain Bike Strategy. Prepared by The City of Kelowna, Regional District of Central Okanagan, and BC Parks.
Sample Documents
-- Use this tool to spread the word about your area's grade.
-- Action Alerts are a terrific way to get the word out ‹ but only when they are carefully written, about a page in length, and bring the message home in an easily digested manner.
-- Ideas that make writing a letter to the editor easy
-- A sample letter to the National Forest Service.
-- A simple way for shops to raise rider awareness about local advocacy issues.
-- IMBA has created this political candidates' questionnaire about mountain bicycling and recreation on the public lands to assist you.
-- Buy this $15 guide from the Equestrian Land Conservation Resource loaded with dozens of state examples of trail easement language that could also be used as a model for cyclists.
Memorandum Of Understandings (MOU):
-- Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) between the Austin Ridge Riders and the private property owner in Texas.
-- Excellent example from Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay of a formal request submitted to Regional Park District Board of Directors, calling for action.
-- Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) between the Michigan Mountain Biking Association and the Michigan Horse Council.
Examples: MOUs Between Biking Clubs and Land Management Agencies:
-- A great example of a state level three-way formal agreement to promote bicycling and trail maintenance on BLM Colorado lands.
-- Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the City of Austin, Austin Water Utility, Wildland Conservation Division Austin Metro Trails and Greenways, the Austin Ridge Riders and the Hill Country Foundation.
-- MOU Between the Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists and the Three Rivers Park District.
-- Joint resolution between Michigan Mountain Biking Association (MMBA) and the Michigan Horse Council (MHC) regarding the North Country Trail.
-- Canadian License Agreement from South Island Mountain Bike Society (SIMBS).
-- (2007) This 30-page report includes mountain biking statistics, demographics, a participant survey, interviews, demand for biking facilities, key issues and solutions, partnership opportunities, best practices, and recommendations for managing mountain biking in the Kelowna area. It serves as an initial step in preparation of a Mountain Bike Strategy. Prepared by The City of Kelowna, Regional District of Central Okanagan, and BC Parks.
Examples: Night Riding Documents:
Industry's Role
-- Simple tips for bike shops.
-- How advocates can do a better job of connecting with industry leaders.
-- Why looks matter. Jim Hasenauer, IMBA past President.
Misc
-- Mountain Bikers: Environmentally Aware, Socially Responsible, Individually Proactive, by Jim Hasenauer.
-- Jim Hasenauer's presentation to the National Communications Association.
Land Protection Resources (Offsite Links)
-- An informative introduction to conservation easements and a collection of links to success stories and other resources.
-- The second edition of this handy resource is now available for purchase. You'll find it chock full of instructions on drafting conservation easements, guidelines for lawyers creating easement language and practical tips for the layperson. It also includes a CD-ROM of sample documents. Definitely a great resource for helping you or your club to get rolling on protecting or acquiring trails-laden land. Read a summary here.
-- Buy this $15 guide from the Equestrian Land Conservation Resource loaded with dozens of state examples of trail easement language that could also be used as a model for cyclists.
-- If you're looking to purchase or protect land, check out this collection of information regarding fund raising and organizing conservation campaigns.
-- A lengthy collection of publications, some free and some for purchase, detailing all aspects of the benefits of land conservation. Look for information on park management, open space conservation and economics.