April 5/11 12:42 pm - IMBA Trail Care Crew to Visit Short Hills Park in Niagara Region

Posted by Editoress on 04/5/11
 

The ShortHills Cycling Club, Friends of Short Hills Park and Parks Ontario have an exciting announcement. The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) Canada's Trail Care Crew will be heading to Short Hills Provincial Park April 14-17 to talk trails, teach proper trail building, maintenance techniques, and to spend quality time digging in the dirt.

Directed by IMBA Canada, and sponsored by Parks Canada and the Trans Canada Trail, the IMBA Canada Trail Care Crew travels across Canada meeting with and providing workshops to IMBA-affiliated Clubs, Parks Canada sites, and Trans Canada Trail; Local, Provincial and Territorial Organizations. Fielded by a full time, two-person team, the Trail Care Crew educates Canadians on how to build sustainable trails, maintain and restore existing trails, and solve trail management challenges. This visit is one of approximately 30 stops on the 2011 schedule.

The Trail Care Crew teaches sustainable trail building and maintenance, which means building natural surface trails that last a long time and require minimal maintenance. This helps reduce trail damage, protects the environment, and enhances visitor enjoyment. The visit, lasting four days, will allow time to assess local trails, develop a detailed plan for the trail work, and conduct an IMBA Trail Building School, followed by a ride or hike with the locals.

George Dewar, then Chair of the Friends of Short Hills Park, and Mark Custers, Superintendent of the Park, were approached by the ShortHills Cycling Club about the possibility of the IMBA Canada Trail Care Crew visit last fall. They liked the idea, and invited the ShortHills Cycling Club to make formal presentations to the General Membership and the Board of Directors for Friends of Short Hills Park. The idea and presentations were met with unanimous support and the ShortHills Cycling Club was given permission to submit a request for a Trail Care Crew visit.

Short Hills Provincial Park occupies an area of 6.6 square kilometres and is located on the southern edge of the Niagara Escarpment in the centre of the Niagara Peninsula. Bordered by the City of St. Catharines and the Town of Pelham, the Park is a network of small, but steep, hills and valleys created by the last ice age. The only Park of its scale in Niagara, it is a prime destination for residents of Niagara for popular activities such as hiking, bird watching, horseback riding, fishing and mountain biking.

About ShortHills Cycling Club
A non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of mountain biking, sustainable trail access and maintenance of trails on which mountain bikers ride. SHCC supports the conservation of open spaces, and are committed to the education of off-road cyclists to ride sensitively and responsibly in order to protect the natural environment and the experience of other trail users.

About Friends of Short Hills Park
A community-based organization dedicated to preserving the cultural and natural integrity of Short Hills Provincial Park through liaison with Ontario Parks, volunteer work, public education and fund raising activities.

About IMBA Canada
The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) Canada is a non-profit association whose mission is to create, enhance and preserve great trail experiences for mountain bikers throughout Canada. Since 1988, IMBA has been bringing out the best in mountain biking worldwide by encouraging low-impact riding, volunteer trail work participation, and cooperation amongst different trail user groups, grassroots advocacy and innovative trail management solutions.

For more information:

tccvisit@shorthillscyclingclub.com
www.shorthillscyclingclub.com
www.imbacanada.com