Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz

Wondering what’s going on at Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument? Here’s a sneak peek of the work we’ve been up to! Drew, our Trails Program Director and Devon, our Trails Project Manager, have been out on the property flagging trail routes. When creating a new trail, we use small stake flags and flagging tape to designate and show where the new trail is going to be placed. We are excited to work with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to bring dozens of new miles of trail to life!

This #trailworkTuesday we're exploring a new topic - paving! The MBOSC Trail Crew has begun to pour the asphalt over the dirt track at Ramsay Park in Watsonville, and man, is it hard work. Check out the video above for a glimpse of the action. The Crew needs all hands on deck for this job, as heavy asphalt is carried over via wheelbarrow, then poured and shaped before being sprayed down with water to keep things from sticking to it as it hardens. The hard work of paving will ...be well worth the effort. Because this track will be paved, it will welcome skateboards and scooters in addition to bikes, and offer improved grip to all users. Also, see those big blow troches? The Crew has been using those to keep asphalt soft and moldable. Big thanks to Shelton Pipe Drainage & Erosion Products and Bell Bike Helmets for supporting us as we build the largest pumptrack in Santa Cruz County (and the first paved one!) alongside the City of Watsonville - City Gov't.

Because of the popularity of last week's Trails 101 Trail Academy class, we’ve decided to add another session before we move on to Part 2! Join MBOSC Trails Program Manager, Emma Ussat, on Thursday, January 21 for an interactive, hour-long discussion about the basics of sustainable trail building and maintenance. Whether you’re attending this class to become a certified Trail Crew Leader or simply joining us to boost your trail knowledge, we’d love to see you there. You can sign up for the second serving of Trails 101 by following the link below. https://secure.everyaction.com/v9XQSQSvwkyjbpEEqMza1w2

Ramsay Park Pumptrack flow! The recent rain over the holidays put our crew’s dirt shaping skills to the test, and we’re pleased to see that our carefully crafted berms, jumps and rollers all held up nicely despite the deluge. Now it’s on to the next challenge: paving! In the days ahead, our team will pave the entire track to lock in the shape and flow of the design as well as improve the grip of the track’s surface. Because the track will be paved, folks on bikes, skateboards... and scooters will all be able to use this new community resource. We can’t wait to open the largest pumptrack in Santa Cruz County right in the heart of Watsonville alongside City of Watsonville Parks and Community Services Department! Special thanks to Shelton Pipe & Bell Bike Helmets for making this work possible. Photo credit: MBOSC Trails Specialist Jacob Hyde Want to support more work like this? Donate to MBOSC today: https://mbosc.org/donate/

Wow! Our work in the Glenwood Open Space Preserve with the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County won the Beautification Project of the Year 2020 Community Award from Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce! We’re humbled to receive this honor for the 7.2 miles of trails we recently built throughout the park, which balance responsible recreation with the conservation of sensitive species. Many of our staff also call Scotts Valley home, making this award extra special! Have you visited the Glenwood Preserve recently? Next time you plan to hit the trails, we suggest visiting this award-winning trail network! Just remember - bikes are only allowed on trails in the western portion of the park, and we encourage you to use a bell from our bell box at the trailhead. We hope you enjoy all the beauty and fun that Glenwood has to offer!

Over a month has passed since the CZU Lightning Complex Fires devastated communities throughout Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties. Until today, I hadn’t witnessed any of the damage first hand. I’d told myself that I had consciously avoided the Santa Cruz Mountains to make room for first responders, but I knew that another major reason why I’d stayed away was that I half wanted to avoid facing the damage that ravaged the Santa Cruz mountain parks and open space I hold so dear. Want a peek into Big Basin State Park? Check our our latest blog post, penned by MBOSC Trails Project Manager Garret Hammack, as he details his tour through Big Basin with CA State Parks staff directly following the CZU Lightning Complex Fire. Head to the link below for the full article. https://mbosc.org//out-of-the-ashes-an-inside-look-at-big/

The fun continues this week as we wrap up our special Trail Academy October miniseries. This Thursday, join us for our final class, Fire Ecology of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Fire Ecologist Ashley Grupenhof will join us to discuss what happened during the CZU Lightning Fire Complex, how we got here, and what’s next. To sign up and learn more, click the link below. Photo: Josh Becker https://mbosc.org/ta_102920_signup/

It's important that we prioritize the safety of our community if we choose to hit the trails during this time. Check out our full list of trail use recommendations here: http://mbosc.org//stay-safe-out-there-mbosc-recommendatio/

Big news - we are thrilled to announce that we're breaking ground on the largest pumptrack in Santa Cruz County, right in the heart of Watsonville! This new pumptrack, located in Ramsay Park, will feature nearly 20,000 square feet of pristine rollers, berms and jumps, and it will be first paved pumptrack in the county. Want to learn more about this project? Join us and the City of Watsonville for a virtual town hall meeting on Thursday, October 29th from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Head over to the link below to learn more about the project and to RSVP to the town hall. https://mbosc.org/watsonville-pumptrack/

Sunday serenity out on the trails. Will Hilgenberg Photo in Wilder Ranch State Park from Trail Vision

Going to open houses today? Wish you were? Get in touch with Alistair Craft to buy your dream house and give back to trails at the same time. Alistair is an excellent real estate agent and when you purchase through him part of the proceeds benefit MBOSC. Head over to the link below to learn more. https://www.alistaircraft.com/mbosc

We’re gearing up for the weekend, and if you’re like us you know the best weekends always include a ride in Soquel Demonstration State Forest. The hardest part is picking between Braille, Flow, and Sawpit Trail Reroute. Which one is your favorite? : Mike Thomas

We’re Hiring! Join the MBOSC team as the New Trails Construction Supervisor. As we expand our operations and take on more trails projects, we’re looking to hire a Trails Construction Supervisor. The Trails Construction Supervisor will direct MBOSC Trail Crew operations and will supervise our team of project managers to provide general oversight to the entire trails team. This is a full-time, salaried, exempt position and the individual hired will report to the Trails Director. We’re looking for an organized, fiscally-responsible, and detail-oriented individual with 8+ years of experience in trails or construction. Does this sound like you? Apply today through the link below! https://mbosc.org//Construction-Supervisor-Job-Announcemen

Join us for volunteer trailwork this week and you get a fun prize - an MBOSC water bottle! We are currently hosting three weekly trailwork events across the county, including Thursday pumptrack maintenance, Fridays in Soquel Demonstration State Forest and Saturdays in Wilder Ranch State Park. Not only will you walk away with a brand new MBOSC water bottle, you’ll also feel great knowing you fixed up some of your favorite local trails. Sign up through the link below. Pictured: Wilder Ranch State Park volunteer trailwork https://mbosc.org/trailwork/

It's #trailworkTuesday and today we want to discuss what goes into the often unseen side of trail building. Do you know what it takes to get a new trail approved? It’s tricker than you think. A lot of it comes down to folks like you. Yes, you! The public has a huge role when it comes to decisions about our shared open spaces. If you'd like to learn more about how you can effectively speak up for trails, please join us at Trail Academy this Thursday to get all the details. See you there! https://mbosc.org//trail-academy-trails-planning-and-the-/

Check out these photos from Josh Becker showing the damage from the CZU Lightning Complex Fires that burnt our local forest. Flames destroyed historic trails and well-loved outdoor spaces like Big Basin, Butano, Año Nuevo, and Fall Creek State Parks. Can you pitch in some dough to help restore these iconic places? For every $5 you contribute, you'll help us rebuild trails AND earn one entry to win the bike of your choice from Ibis Cycles or Specialized Bicycles, plus a brand new Giro Sport Design kit and custom bike decals from Stikrd.com. Our goal is to raise $170,000 in the next four weeks -- can we count you in? Head to the link below to join the cause. https://mbosc.org/out-of-the-ashes/

Today we're checking in on our MBOSC Trail Crew! They’ve completed all the bridges on Saratoga to the Skyline Trail and are now in a transition phase, which means repairing and cleaning up all of our equipment. The building process of Saratoga to the Skyline was extremely intensive, and it took a toll on our trail building tools. We’ve had a couple of members of the crew focus on getting all of the gear back in tip-top shape so we can hit the ground running on future projects. The crew's also been working on a 48' bridge in East Glenwood Open Space Preserve that will be built using concrete abutments and wood stringers, similar to the ones built in Saratoga. We're so proud of our crew of bridge-building experts!

When we looked at the calendar this week, we couldn't help but feel a little bummed. Today was scheduled to be the third Old Growth Classic. Instead of a weekend full of fun and gravel racing, we’re facing wildfire-damaged trails and a pandemic. While COVID-19 and the CZU Lightning Complex Fires may have disrupted our plans for gravel racin’, you can still help rebuild trails along the race route by supporting MBOSC. Who knows, you might just win your dream bike in the proces...s! Contribute to our Out of the Ashes campaign today to speed up trail recovery in Big Basin, Butano, Año Nuevo and Fall Creek State Parks. When you purchase entries to Out of the Ashes, you help us rebuild historic parks and trails and earn a chance to win your dream bike from Ibis Cycles or Specialized Bicycles, plus a full head-to-toe Giro Sport Design kit and customizable bike decals from Stikrd.com. Head to the link below to donate and enter to win! https://mbosc.org/out-of-the-ashes/

Happy Friday, everyone! Thank you to everyone who joined us for our first two Trail Academy classes in our October miniseries this week - we loved seeing you on Zoom! Next Thursday’s Trail Academy course will cover the trails public planning process and why it’s crucial for communities to participate. If you’ve ever wondered what goes into getting new trails approved, we hope you join us! Click the link below to learn more and sign up. https://mbosc.org/trailacademy/

Heading out to Wilder Ranch tomorrow afternoon? Swing by the MBOSC headquarters beforehand and see what we are up to and get some new MBOSC swag. We will be in the office from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. We hope you’ll swing by and say hi. Masks and social distancing required! Photo: Chris Corona from Trail Vision. Trail: Enchanted Loop in Wilder Ranch State Park