Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition

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Ralf Thompson
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1 WMBC Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition To preserve and enhance non-motorized trail access in Whatcom County through stewardship, education, and advocacy

2 From The Beginning Started as a tight-knit group of mountain bikers - affectionately known as the WHIMPS Building and maintaining trails in Whatcom County for 28 years WMBC has been the official stewards on Galbraith Mountain for 10 years

3 Board of Directors President Matt Durand, Principal of Mt. Baker High School Vice President and Director of Volunteers Barbara Karabin, Physical Therapist Director of Education Hale Hanaway, Teacher at Silver Beach Elementary Director of Events Val Thompson, Self-Employed, Massage Therapist Director of Marketing Kevin Menard, Owner Transition Bicycle Company Director of Advocacy Blake Treadway, Transition Bicycle Company At Large (DNR) Thad Quinn, Bike Sales and Mechanic

4 Dedicated Volunteers 15 organized trail days a year some with volunteers ,000 hours, plus thousands more hours of ad hoc maintenance ,000 hours, plus thousands more hours of ad hoc maintenance 1,500 WMBC and 2,900 Preserve Galbraith Facebook Friends, 652 subscribers

5 Trail Maintenance Redesign trails to meet modern and sustainable standards Removing fallen trees (blowdown) Inspections and maintenance of bridgework and trail features Sustainable trail tread Eliminating low spots Armoring with rock Crowning trail to sheet water Grade Reversals

6 Stewardship

7 Stewardship Galbraith Mountain - 43 mile trail network. Larrabee State Park Two Dollar Trail, Double Black Diamond Trail, Upper Chuckanut Ridge Trail Blanchard Mountain Lily to Lizard Lake Connector, Larry Reed Trail Whatcom County Parks Raptor Ridge Trail, Lower Salal Trail Bellingham City Parks Civic Field Dirt Jump Park and Miranda Trail

8 Stewards of Galbraith Mountain Responsible for Liability Insurance $4 million dollar policy Maintenance of all trails 43 miles, most trails are ~2-3 feet wide Majority of trails are multi-use and utilized by bikers, runners, hikers, and walkers Weekly coordination with Janicki Logging during timber harvests Re-opened 23 miles of trail in one year after a large timber harvest Implemented an EMS checkpoint system.

9 Education Programs

10 Education Programs Service learning projects with Fairhaven Middle School, Whatcom Middle School, Windward High School, Lynden Christian Eagle Scout projects Developing after school clubs Silver Beach, Wade King, Birchwood, Whatcom Middle School Training Local Bike Instructors Collaboration with WWU students and professors

11 Education Programs (continued) In Collaboration with Everybody Bikes, we promote bike safety at: Lowell, Roosevelt, Wade King, Silver beach and Happy Valley Elementary schools.

12 Community Events

13 Community Events Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day Shoot The Trails Local film and photo contest Bike 2 Brew Group rides followed by a celebration at Kulshan Brewery Fall and Spring Races Cascadia Dirt Cup and Enduro of Subdued Excitement We assist with the Tour de Whatcom, Ski to Sea, Padden Pedal and the Bellingham Traverse Galbraith Beer series Boundary Bay Brewery

14 Advocacy

15 Advocacy Our organization and dedicated user base: Continue to advocate for Authorized recreation in Whatcom County on DNR-managed land (since 2008) Attended County Council meetings to support the Lake Whatcom Park (reconveyance) Attend monthly Blanchard Mt. User Meetings (DNR) Contributed to recent DNR Trail Policy guidelines (on-going) Guided the Comprehensive Area Management Plan process for Larrabee State Park (completed) Contributed to USFS Open Roads Analysis and Discussions Contributing to the Upper Nooksack River Recreation Planning Process (on-going) Advocating for pump tracks and skills zones in city parks

16 Nationally Recognized Trail Network

17 Other Promotion Videos filmed in Bellingham in 2014: Matt Hunter (Specialized Bicycles): specialized.html Adam Craig and Josh Carlson (Giant Bicycles): Lars Sternberg (Transition Bikes):

18 Mountain Bike Economic Benefits 2014 User Survey (749 respondents): 31.5% reside outside of Bellingham or Whatcom County. These people are affluent (67% with an income of $70k+) 53% spend a minimum of $40 per visit at breweries, restaurants, hotels, gas stations, bike shops and supermarkets. 72% of them visit Bellingham at least quarterly (and 25% monthly) to recreate on our trails. 50% of our racers are from outside of Whatcom County. Our trails are not seasonal dependent.

19 Mountain Bike Economic Benefits

20 Economic Benefits Elsewhere Squamish, B.C. $4 Million annual impact (26 weekend riding season - extrapolated) Oakridge, Oregon $1.2 Million impact (Mountain Bike Oregon weekends) Bend, Oregon - $400k impact (High Cascades 100 race) Ogden, Utah - $1.2 Billion invested by businesses relocating Moab, Utah - $8.4 million annual impact

21 Improves Quality of Life

22 Improves Quality of Life

23 Businesses Recruit talent using Galbraith Mountain (examples) St. Joe s Hospital WWU Logos Software Homes for Sale near the Trail network Fanatik Bike

24 Future Projects: Proposed or in-process trail projects: Whatcom County Parks Reconveyance planning and build out Larrabee State Park 17 Miles of proposed trails. Trail Planning is currently in progress. DNR Lily to Lizard connector, Alternate Incline Reroutes City of Bellingham Pumptracks and skills zones in parks USFS Canyon Ridge re-routes and additions Galbraith Trail Expansion and Skills Zones

25 Our Vision: Continue to build recreation, community spirit and quality of life Continue to create nationally recognized trail networks near Bellingham To create and host world class races and events To build educational programs that promote mt. biking, advocacy and stewardship for the lands where we recreate To help draw businesses and recreation-based tourism to Bellingham

26 In Closing Continue to promote mountain biking through stewardship, education, and advocacy

PHOTO: ERIC MICKELSON 2018 ANNUAL REPORT

PHOTO: ERIC MICKELSON 2018 ANNUAL REPORT TRAIL BUILDING & ADVOCACY HIGHLIGHTS Galbraith Access Preserved Forever! Recreation and Conservation Easements secured by the City of Bellingham, Whatcom Land Trust