Trail NEWS & MEETING!!

[Wrench Goode]

From the Fat Tire Club - Ken Hoffmann

Beacon Hill Project and RTCA update:

The website has been updated to include quite a bit of information explaining the grant and the project vision.

www.fttrc.org/beacon-rtca.cfm

The first meeting with Susan Rosebrough from the National Park Service will be Jan 30, 6:30 PM at REI. We will be sending out a press release and other meeting information soon. Please share and or forward it to anyone in the community who might be interested. This is for a much bigger group than just we bikers - all recreationalists, business owners, neighbors, local government, etc. The meeting is geared for people who will be interested in participating in the project. On the day of the 30th, we'll also be taking a hike up on the property to get Susan acquainted with the physical property. If you plan on coming to the evening meeting, please RSVP.

[cranky]

( Please forward to anyone who might be interested)


ANNOUNCEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Calling all mountain bikers, hikers, trail users and neighbors of Beacon Hill!

If you are a regular user of the Beacon Hill Trail Network, or care about the future of the area,

You Are Invited to Join the Planning Committee for the Beacon Hill Trail Project.

Come to the Beacon Hill Trails Project Planning Kick Off Meeting!

We will be launching an effort to formalize and improve the existing trail network at Beacon Hill for all trail users. The National Park Service (NPS) Rivers, Trails, and Conservations Assistance Program granted us an award of technical planning assistance. Susan Rosebrough, NPS staff, will be helping us develop and implement a plan for success. This is a great opportunity to be involved with the effort to preserve, improve and protect the trail network at Beacon Hill.

When: Tuesday, January 30, 2007
7:00 PM

Where: Spokane REI,
1125 N. Monroe

RSVP to: [e-mail] , attn: Penny Schwynn

Please forward this invitation to any one who may be interested in getting involved with this process!!!

Why Beacon Hill?
Beacon Hill is the last undeveloped ridge line in the Spokane Area. It is an incredible piece of open space, valued for its views, character, proximity to Spokane neighborhoods, and great trail system. Beacon is also a conglomerate of properties: city parks, conservation land, utilities and private property. The trail system is heavily used and well known, yet at the same time not formally recognized as a community recreation resource. Our goal is to bring this trail system above board, recognize it, and preserve it to complement new development in the area.

What are the goals for the project?
(1) create a shared vision/plan for the area with the landowners and greater community,
(2) form legal agreements that allow recreation access,
(3) develop/implement a plan for additional amenities (i.e parking, signs, other?), and
(4) create a map that allows everyone to find/use/enjoy this trail system.
(5) this may include identifying trails that will be kept open, closed, re-routed, improved etc.
(6) design standards for the various types of trails developed.

Where is all this momentum coming from?

The Fat Tire Trail Riders club recently was accepted into the National Park Service Technical Assistance program as a group spearheading the trail project at Beacon Hill. It is a mentorship program, where the RTCA acts as a catalyst to help assemble the necessary pieces to for us to have a successful project. It is not a financial award; rather, the NPS designates a staff person to assist us in a variety of ways, including providing assistance in conceptual planning, mentoring us in organizational development and capacity building, helping us navigate the planning process, helping us identify potential funding sources for the project, developing a plan for involving the public in the process, and helping us take our ideas and convert them into actions. We have many community partners working with us on the project, including the Inland Northwest Trails Coalition, the Spokane Regional Health District, Spokane Parks and Recreation, REI, Mountain Gear, Wintersport Ski Shop,the International Mountain Bike Association, and Pete Rayner, a local developer who has plans to develop part of the area.
For more information on the Fat Tire Trail Riders' Club: www.fttrc.org

For more information on the RTCA Award: www.nps.gov/rtca/

[Mike S]

Who's planning on going to this?

[Wrench Goode]

We could attend on bike, then off for the TNR?

[Mike S]

Go to the meeting then ride for a while afterwards? That sounds okay. I haven't been to many of their meetings, but this one sounds worthwhile, at least to attend.

[Wrench Goode]

I'd like to see what is going on at Beacon, that land is being watched by a lot of different groups with very different usage ideas. I say MTB to the meeting and ride afterwards, urban / riverside or South Hill is close, I'm not sure of the trail conditions.