IMBA CANADA Trail Care Crew Directed by the Canadian office of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) and sponsored by Parks Canada, the IMBA Canada Trail Care Crew travels across the country in a Subaru Outback, giving workshops to IMBA-affiliate clubs, Parks Canada sites, and other land managers. The two-person team of professional trail builders educates Canadians on how to build and maintain
sustainable trails, manage volunteers, and develop trails as community resources. Typical visits run from Thursday afternoon to Sunday afternoon and include the highly acclaimed IMBA Trail Building School, a trail assessment, and a group ride or hike. Additional events, such as a Club Care or Better Living Through Trails presentation, or a social event can also be scheduled.
Visit Menu
helpful to have you and/or the local land manager available (this is not a public event).
manage mountain biking.
IMBA Trail Building School
OTHER PRESENTATIONS
to bring together community leaders to teach them about the economic, health, and wellness benefits that trails and mountain biking bring to an area.
Each crew visit is anchored around IMBA’s highly-respected, one-day Trail Building School. The Crew teaches sustainable trail construction and maintenance practices via a half day classroom session, followed by several hours of hands-on trail work. Trail Building Schools are open to the public and take place on Saturday from 9am - 4pm. Trail project Assessment
In order to lead an effective build session, the Crew needs to have time to prepare the project in advance. Depending on the scope, assessments may take 3 - 4 hours or more. It is
In addition to the Trail Building School, the Crew offers several presentations that are designed to bring different groups to the table, helping to grow acceptance of mountain biking and trail building. You may choose ONE of the following: 1) Club Care is designed to teach mountain biking groups how to grow their membership, sustain leadership, remain fresh and fun, and better reach out to their communities. 2) Land Manager Training
educates those overseeing the places where you ride about IMBA’s mission, the methods and importance of sustainable trail building, and how to
3) Better Living Through Trails is a great presentation to use
Social Evening
This can be a gathering at a pub, bike shop, small theater, even backyard; be creative! It is an opportunity for a fun, social event to promote trails in your community, the trail building weekend, your organization, and IMBA! Group Ride
Ending a visit with a ride is a great way to wrap up a great weekend and say “thank you” to your volunteers!
Leslie Kehmeier
Visit Promotion
Program Supporters MONTHS
Add the event to your calendar and website. Make sure to include the description, date, time, and location of any events that are open to the public. Display fliers around the community. This includes all local trail head kiosks, bike shops, outdoor stores, community centres, and coffee houses.
IMBA Canada has teamed up with Parks Canada to deliver the Trail Care Crew program for 2010 2015 seasons. Parks Canada is the government agency responsible for managing Canada’s National Parks, National Historic Sites, and National Marine Conservation Areas. With 6,624km of trails — 1,485km open to mountain biking — Canada’s National Parks are a great place to explore!
MONTH
Around the same time, send out a notice to your group’s email lists and put a notice on relevant web forums. If your local news outlets have online community event calendars, make sure you get on them too. Send out a reminder to your group’s email lists and bump up any forum postings.
WEEKS
Email press releases to local news editors, and send a reminder email to major contacts: land managers, city officials, etc. If you have time, make sure posted flyers are still up and visible. Send a final reminder to the club’s email lists and other important contacts you’ve invited.
DAYS
If you are willing and have time, call the media to remind them of the event. Stress volunteerism, healthy lifestyles, and family! Now sit back and relax! You’ve done a great job of promoting your event.
Official car sponsor
Official bike sponsor
Official racks and luggage sponsor Trailburn.ca
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Frequently Asked Questions What is the Trail Care Crew?
The IMBA Canada Trail Care Crew is a two-person team who act as educators and catalysts for your trail community. When they arrive at each destination in their 2012 Subaru Outback, they are prepared to meet with clubs, land managers and volunteers to teach IMBA Trail Building Schools, give Club Care Workshops and other presentations, and take part in other events. Who will be coming to my event?
AJ Strawson and Rachael Raven are IMBA Canada’s second Trail Care Crew. The duo from Ontario love everything about trails and two-wheeled adventures! Rachael has served as IMBA Canada’s Communications Specialist since 2010, while AJ has a degree in Environmental Studies, and certificates in GIS and Sustainable Trails, from Fleming College. Is the Trail Care Crew program only for mountain bikers and cycling clubs?
No! The principals of sustainable trail design apply to all trails and all trail users, no matter if you are a hiker, a trail runner, an equestrian, or a mountain biker. We invite all members of the community to our events to learn something new, and meet fellow members of the trail community! Do we need some basic trail building experience?
While it is always helpful to have some volunteers or crew leaders with experience under their belt, we will
teach folks the foundation of trail building, from the theories behind designing trail to the techniques to build it. No experience necessary! What tools do we need?
Provide one tool for each volunteer: McLeods, pulaskis, mattocks, rakes, and shovels. Get a full list of trail building tools on p.4 of this document. How much trail will get built?
The primary goal of a Trail Building School is to teach proper technique, rather than to build as much trail as possible. The end result will depend on the type of project you choose, the number of volunteers, and how much coffee you drink! How much will all this cost?
There is no charge for booking the Crew, however, you will need to arrange a venue, provide food/snacks plus tools for your volunteers, and accommodations and meals for the Crew. Many groups get these items donated by local businesses, or the chamber of commerce. Will the Crew help to plan our trail system, or give advanced crew leader training?
If you require extensive trail assessment, planning, layout, and/or customized or advanced trail building education, please consider IMBA’s Trail Solutions program for professional trail consulting. More questions? Contact IMBA’s field programs coordinator Marty Caivano at 1-888-442-4622 ext.101 or marty.caivano@imba.com
David Nesbitt
Impact An IMBA Canada Trail Care Crew visit can do a lot more than just train volunteers in sustainable trail building. Think “big picture” about how to leverage this event to make the most impact in your community. Take advantage of your Trail Care Crew visit to:
• Recruit new volunteers and rejuvenate dedicated ones.
• Train local land managers in
sustainable trail design and construction.
• Increase
publicity and support for your trail system.
• Educate city officials about the economic and wellness benefits of good trail systems.
• Forge connections between land management agencies and local trail groups.
• Establish greater trust in
IMBA, your organization and mountain biking in general.
Bromont, QC
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Choosing a trail project
IDENTIFY A PROJECT THAT IS EASILY ACCESSIBLE:
Potential project sites can include:
• Less than 500 metres from the parking lot, or about 10- • Section of trail that is constantly muddy/wet 15 minute hike in.
• Remember, your volunteers will be carrying sharp tools,
so consider the easiest route, not necessarily the shortest route.
• Section of trail that is showing signs of user and water based erosion (trenching, braking bumps, trail widening)
• An area in which multiple trail corridors have been opened due to the above problems or because users have discovered a more efficient route.
• Less time hiking = more time building trail! LENGTH OF PROJECT :
• Dangerous entrances/exit points of the trail
• Aprox. 50-200 metres is recommended for a fresh build,
• Small reroutes to align trail intersections to improve
• A new volunteer will build approximately 1-2 metres of
• Area of conflict between users (blind corners/intersections)
or up to 1km of trail for various maintenance projects. trail per hour.
• In difficult terrain, rock armouring, berms or projects that require more labour will decrease output to less than 1 metre per person / per hour.
navigation
• Small reroutes to improve trail flow/user experience • New trail
Tool guide Here’s a list of hand tools and supplies commonly used for trail building. The most common ones are starred. Design Tools
Clinometers* Rolls of flagging tape* Pin flags (pink or orange)* Spray cans of paint 100’ steel tape measure (to measure turn radius) Digital level Sharpie pens Clearing Tools
Folding saw* Bow saw Kimberley, BC
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Loppers* Fire rake* Leaf rake or bow rake Excavating Tools
Rogue hoe* Pick mattock Cutter mattock Pulaski* Shovels ArmoUring
Rock bars* Wheel barrow Rock sling*
5-gallon buckets Stiff bristle broom Rock hammer Cold chisels Safety eye glasses* Come-along winch Straps Finishing Tools
Mcleod/Lamberton rake* Bow rake Leaf rake Tampers*
Get more info on tools and trail building at www.imbacanada.com/resources
Host Checklist
Print this page and keep it handy to help you plan an awesome visit!
Choose location for aprox. 50 - 200 meters of trail work (See p. 4 for more info).
Get approval from necessary land managers to build or repair trail. Find out exactly where/what/when you have permission to build. This is very important!
Organize an indoor space for a classroom session with electricity, chairs, at least two tables, and the ability to darken the room for a power point presentation .
Create a schedule and finalize the locations and times for each event.
Publicize the visit to local bike and outdoors shops, other user groups (See p. 3 for more info).
Provide food and accommodations for the two-person (married) Crew for the duration of their visit. A location with a bed and access to a shower is necessary; internet is preferable.
Provide enough tools for volunteers to use during field work, or ask participants to provide their own.
Provide coffee and snacks for volunteers during the classroom session, and water during field session.
Provide/ plan lunch for volunteers during trail building school (solicit donations from local business, hold BBQ, or ask people ahead of time to ‘brown bag it’).
Send press releases to local news: newspaper, TV, radio, community magazines. Contact TCC coordinator for a sample press release.
If you have any questions, please contact IMBA’s field programs coordinator Marty Caivano at 1-888-442-4622 ext.101 or marty.caivano@imba.com
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