Why:  Numerous (20-plus) tree blow-downs.

When: Meet at Yellow Gap at 10am.   Leaving cars by 10:15.

Why:  It has to be done.  Every mountain biker should contribue one day a year to trail work- why not this one? 

How:  We need three crews, two with chainsaws and one advance crew with loppers.  I plan on leading the advance crew, moving fast, Laurel as an out and back.  So, should be a fun ride too.

What to bring: Good attitude. Bike and usual gear.  Loppers if you have them.

thanks!-Mike

First, I would like to thank Ben Blitch for the recent increase in his involvement with PAS.  Ben will be serving as the coordinator of trail work at Bent Creek.  Ben brings years of experience as both a volunteer and professional trail worker; most recently, he was working on a traveling trail crew for IMBA.  We are truly lucky that he’s here.  Watch our website and forums for news regarding Thursday evening Bent Creek work days and a HUGE National Trails Day project.

Mark Allmond will be continuing his involvement with coordinating Pisgah District trail work.  PAS currently has responsibility for the following trail corridors:  Laurel Mountain from 1206 to Pilot Mountain Connector.  Squirrel Gap from Laurel Creek to Horse Cove.  Vineyard Gap.  These trails represent some of the finest mountain biking in the district and we are proud of the work we’ve done on them.  Hopefully, will be expanding our responsibitlies to include some of the more heavily used trails around the Fish Hatchery. 

Richmond Hill continues to plod along.  The city has completed a Habitat and Species Assessment for the first phase of trail building and PAS is currently soliciting support for this document and our proposed trail work from local environmentalists.  We are also still finalizing our Memorandum of Understanding with the city.  This process has been extremely difficult as the city and PAS learns the complexities of land managers and trail volunteers working together.  Hopefully, we will have reached a point that we will be having a trail building day at Richmond Hill in March or  April.  To remind everyone, Richmond Hill represents 80-plus acres of undeveloped city land that we are trying to build a premiere urban trail system on.  Located less than 10 minutes from downtown Asheville, it would provide another after work riding locale that could be ridden to.  Personally, this last point is especially important to me; I would love to not be contributing to air pollution as I drive my car in order to ride my bike.  Everyone’s involvedment in this process will be needed. 

Thanks, and, as always, COME OUT AND WORK.  If you want to know when work days are, sign up for our forum through the link at www.pisgahareasorba.org.  All trail work days will be posted there. 

Mike Brown

Over 40 volunteers came out to join the crew, making for a fantastic, productive day. It is impossible to state how much volunteer’s time is appreciated. Time was taken to teach and explain, hopefully educating those who came out so they look at trails in a new light. After a hard day’s labor, a cookout hosted by Mike and Claudia Nix at their rental house (thanks!) in Bent Creek was to folllowl. A mysterious source provided a wide array of adult beverages and everyone enjoyed the glow of knowing they had helped make a difference.

Pisgah Area SORBA hosts regular trail work days, fun group rides, and is your regional represenative with land managers. If you want to get involved, stay informed, or support our efforts, please visit www.pisgahareasorba.org for more information. BioWheels provides some of the strongest support of any local business for PAS’s efforts, another example of Matt and Eric fullfilling the BioWheels mission of environmental and communtiy activism. Thanks guys.

Shope Creek/Appalachian Ranger District: The Forest Service has responded to public comments on this project near the Riceville/Oteen area in Buncombe County. Responses basically said thanks for your feedback, we’ll take it into consideration, but we’ve got it all under control and are going to proceed with our plan- if you want specifics, the replies are available at http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/nepa/appalachian/shope_creek_response_to_comments.pdf.

Richmond Hill: On 7/9/07, I completed a walk through of the existing trail with the city landscape architect and stormwater engineer, reviewing proposed rehabilitation efforts to turn it into a sustainable trail. The city agreed that all proposals were reasonable and minimal in their impact. The next step will be for me to meet with the city later this month to create an informal plan for this work for submission to the NC Department of Environmental and Natural Resources. After this is reviewed and approved (which will hopefully go smoothly), Pisgah Area SORBA will begin work on a new trail system in Richmond Hill. This is a project that is near and dear to me and BioWheels ownership; by the time it is completed, there will be a new trail system within 10 minutes of downtown featuring several miles of high quality singletrack. In the long-term, the city master plan is to link this system into a greenway system making it possible to ride your bike from town to trail with only minimal traffic interaction at street crossings. If you want more information on this complicated, long-term project, please visit www.pisgahareasorba.org again and peruse the newsletter archives.
Old 70/ Kistuma property questions: It’s official- the Forest Service no longer has right of way on the upper portion of Old 70. The property owner does, evidently, have the legal right to revoke it. The ORAMM will use Mill Creek past the geyser twice now- actually adds up to more mileage and more dirt, so that’s a good thing in my mind for the race, but a VERY BAD thing for regular Kitsuma loops. This is all per the Forest Service. What individuals choose to do is none of my business, but know you are trespassing and generally giving a bad impression of MTB-er’s.
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Alexander Mountain Bike Park: Four workdays have occured in the past month and I am sure more will be announced as there are still volunteer hours needed for the grant. Todd Branham/Long Cane Trails are dong their best to build a cool trail system at Alexander and I encourage everyone to check www.pisgahareasorba.org for specific dates.

That’s it and that’s enough. Remember, the world is run by those who show up- get involved!

Mike Brown