Singletracks #38 April 1998
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The Magazine of the New England Mountain Bike Association June 1998 Volume 9,Volume Number 2 & 3 SSingleingleTTrackS NEMBANEMBA GoesGoes Pro!Pro! DOUBLE SUMMER ISSUE ! SolitudeSolitude RidesRides AnnualAnnual AwardsAwards OFF THE FRONT NEMBA goes Pro Krisztina Holly, Acting President orking our way up through the ranks of NEMBA, the New England Mountain Bike beginner, sport, then expert... NEMBA Association, is a not-for-profit 501 c 3 organi- has finally turned Pro! As we already acknowledged zation dedicated to promoting trail access and W maintaining trails open for mountain bicyclists, at a board meeting a year ago at Mt. Snow, in order for NEMBA to continue its and to educating mountain bicyclists using incredible growth, oversee its many programs, and offer proper support to these trails to ride sensitively and responsibly. local chapters, we need an executive director. We need one fast! Singletracks is published six times a year by Well, finally we are pleased the New England Mountain Bike Association to announce we have hired for the trail community, and is made possible Philip Keyes – our fearless by a commitment from member volunteers. leader, our former President – to take on the task of leading Singletracks us into the future. We could Editor & Publisher: Philip Keyes Singletracks Committee: Bill Boles, Paul think of no better person for Hafford, Scott Hancock, Krisztina Holly, the job: a trained economic Nanyee Keyes and Mary Tunnicliffe anthropologist-turned- mountain bike advocate, the Executive Director: Philip Keyes editor of the Access column Letters/Submissions: in Dirt Rag Magazine, a fami- Singletracks ly guy, a hell of a rider (want 700 Main Street to be hammered into the Acton MA 01720 ground?), the husband of a Phone: 800.57.NEMBA physician and someone who Email: [email protected] had already been spending a good chunk of his time lead- Board of Directors ing NEMBA already. Krisztina Holly, Acting President Dan Murphy, Treasurer The time is right: On it’s Michael Good, Secretary 11th birthday, NEMBA has Bill Boles, SE MA NEMBA grown into a huge regional Bob Croston, Public Relations organization with over 1000 Brian Croteau, Seacoast NEMBA members and 13 chapters. We are the second largest all advocacy mountain bike organization in Richard Donoghue, Wachusett NEMBA the world besides IMBA. Last year we donated more than 7,000 volunteer hours directly into John Dudek, Shay’s NEMBA Erik Evensen, Greater Boston NEMBA New England trails and invested more than $13,000 in materials. This year we have a minimum Jeff Gallo, MetroWest NEMBA of 39 maintenance events planned and a materials budget of more than $18,000. We are an Tina Hopkins, Rhode Island NEMBA enormous presence in New England and have attained the respect of the region’s land managers Mark Jenks, White Mountains NEMBA because of our activities. And we’ve done this all with only volunteer labor. Ed King, Cape Cod & Islands NEMBA What can we look forward to in the future? Well, to start with, you may actually get a human Ken Koellner, Webmaster Christie Lawyer, SE MA NEMBA answering the NEMBA hotline! We can also expect better coordination between chapters, an Deb McCulloch, Cape Cod & Islands NEMBA improved and expanded new newsletter format (doesn't this look excellent?), and more of the Jason Record, Seacoast NEMBA same continual growth of membership, programs, and grants as we've experienced for the last Bob Hicks, North Shore NEMBA three years. Rob Roy Macgregor, VT NEMBA I worried how Philip would handle the increased pressure to deliver, the increased expectations. Brian Smith, CT NEMBA Dan Streeter, North Shore NEMBA After all, he was already working almost full-time on NEMBA. But a week after our board meet- Mary Tunnicliffe, Berkshire NEMBA ing, Philip called me to say, "You know, it's great. I have a new sense of purpose. Now I get up in John Turchi, CT NEMBA the morning and go to work thinking, 'Let's get started! What's first on my things-to-do list?’ Ruth Wheeler, Berkshire NEMBA It’s a real job now." For Philip, it will be a challenge for us to respect his need to focus on his tasks and not to expect him to do everything from now on. We are also dedicated to having fun! NEMBA, P.O. Box 380557, And one thing I hope everyone keeps in mind: we are still a volunteer organization. It’s thanks Cambridge MA 02238 to you that we are here. And now more than ever, we will continue to depend on your help to 800 57-NEMBA keep propelling NEMBA forward. NEMBA is still you! WWW.NEMBA.ORG 2 Contents Double the Fat, Double the Fun OFF THE FRONT NEMBA goes Pro (Krisztina Holly) —2 The Forest through the Trees (Philip Keyes) —4 CHAIN LETTERS —5 TREADLINES —6 HAPPENINGS Annual Meeting and Chili Cook Off (Deb McCulloch)—9 NEMBA Annual Awards (Bill Boles) —10 Trail Boss Training (Mark Wickersham) —11 SuperTrail Simulcast (Krisztina Holly and friends) —12 Bob Hicks, NEMBA Trail of Fame Inductee, shows his stuff at our Board Meeting Ride at Great Brook State Farm (Jason Record) FEATURES Solitude Rides (Deb McCulloch) —13 Manufacturers turn to Advocacy (Bob Croston) —14 On Our Cover: Erosion: Are we losing Ground? (Krisztina Holly) —15 Massachusetts’ Trail Coordinator, Peter Right Knob for the Job (Jason Pare) —16 Brandenburg, covers hundreds of miles of DEM trails each year on his bike. Check out WOMAN STUFF —17 “Listen to your Land Manager” for his com- ments on what you can do to save the trails. SINGLETRACK HEALTH Lyme Disease (Nanyee Keyes, MD) —18 Photo by Krisztina Holly. TRAIL BUILDING TIPS —19 Send your mountain bike pictures to: Singletracks, 700 Main St., Acton MA 01720 NEMBA MEMBA PROFILE Rhygin’s Rah: Christian Jones (Michael Good)—20 BEYOND YOUR BACK YARD —21 NEMBA Hotline The Swiss Big Leagues (Krisztina Holly) 1-800-57-NEMBA Call anytime for info about NEMBA and ON PATROL —22 NEMBA happenings. You can join or renew by phone using your favorite piece of plastic, LISTEN TO YOUR LAND MANAGER as long as its Visa or MC! What bikers can do to help (Peter Brandenberg) —23 Blue Hills Reservation opens new trails (Joe Sloane) —23 CHAPTER NEWS —25 “If you crack my head open, NEMBA RIDE SERIES —35 little bikes will fly out” MEMBERSHIP PAGE —39 —Sam, IMBA Summit NEMBA Land Access Raffle —40 3 The Forest Through the Trees: The Vision Thang Philip Keyes, Executive Director t doesn't take much flipping through the pages of Singletracks toI realize that NEMBA is a pretty happening organization. Since January of 1997 we've grown from about 600 members to more than 1000. We've quadrupled the number of NEMBA trail maintenance events and we've expanded from just a few chapters to thirteen, with new ones on the way. It's amazing to think that each weekend we offer such an incredible range of volunteer and riding opportunities— literally hundreds of events each year! All this activity is pretty dizzying and we hope Philip Keyes and DEM Commissioner Peter Weber at the Centennial Celebration of the Massachusetts’ that you take the opportunity to leave the Department of Environmental Management (Nanyee Keyes) couch behind and join us on the trail for all the fun. ships come new friendships, new opportuni- reach new riders, journalists who write about ties, new trails and a new understanding mountain biking, or legislators who decide on With all this good stuff going on it's easy to between all the trail community. the future of our open spaces, NEMBA must be get lost in the forest, so I want to take a couple • We need to push mountain bike advocacy in their minds and hearts, as well as be at the of moments to share NEMBA's vision and our more firmly into the mainstream environmental table where public policy is scripted. plans for the future. Keep in mind that you are movement. Preserving open spaces is one of NEMBA and that without you there is no • We must reach out to all of New England's the most important tasks facing us. It is a vision, no NEMBA. mountain bikers. From racers to families, only cruel irony that our region's economic health is a small fraction of mountain bikers are NEMBA Because of our connection to the national causing the extinction of open space. It members, and this has to change. If each of us mountain bike advocacy movement and behooves our organization to could enlist the support of just two or three NEMBA's affiliation to the International play a positive role in pro- other mountain bikers, we would be able to Mountain Bike Association, I can confidently tecting that which pro- triple our membership and gain the financial say that NEMBA is a leader and is at the cut- vides us with so much wherewithall to bring our organization to the ting edge of mountain bike advo- enjoyment and peace next level. We will continue with our regional cacy. We are not merely "trail of mind. We must chapter program so that no matter where you users," but more significantly, do this for our- ride in New England, NEMBA will be on the "trail builders." While we selves, our chil- ground and working on the trails. are firmly on track in pro- dren and our moting and safeguarding children's chil- • Lastly, we must increase NEMBA's "fun fac- our opportunities to ride dren. tor." Riding and having fun are what makes our bikes in the woods, NEMBA such a great group, and we wish to • We must NEMBA should strive to provide as many opportunities as possible to increase our push the boundaries and take share in our love of mountain bikes.