Inga Beck and Jason Van Horn have wrapped up their successful TCC visit to Kelowna working with Mountain Bikers of the Central Okanogan (MTBCo). They had a great turn out, check out the story and photos on their blog.
Our own Trail specialist Daniel Scott joined Inga and Jason in Kelowna and his story can be found here.
Chicopee Ski and Summer Resort has opened a new bike park partnering with IMBA Canada. For some wicked vids and photos go to the Pinkbike site.
A little background from last year and some photos on the project can be found at IMBA Canada’s web site.
As in my previous post, the Outdoor Recreation Council (ORC) has been chosen to be the provincial member of the Canadian Trails Federation (CTF) who will administer the Federal Trails Funding for the National Trails Coalition (NTC). And if you thought there weren’t quite enough acronyms there’s one more BCRAC (British Columbia Regional Advisory Committee).
The six BCRAC members represent the motorized(4) and non-motorized(2) recreation community in BC. These members will vet the applications for the Federal Trails Grant funds and then make their recommendations to the NTC to cut some cheques. The final word will be with the NTC board but with the approval of BCRAC it’s pretty much a sure thing the funding gate is open.
The six BC Members are:
Roger Frost; BC Snowmobile Federation
Les Auston; BC Snowmobile Federation
Terry Wardrop; Quad Riders Association of BC
Peter Sprague; BC Off Road Motorcycle Association
Rose Schroeder; Back Country Horseman of BC
James Brown; IMBA Canada, BC Rep
The Outdoor Recreation Council of BC has passed a resolution to join the Canadian Trails Federation. So you are saying ’so what’. Well, this now means that BC has a member organization to be the umbrella for the Federal Trail Grant funding for $3 million.
Here’s how it is going to work. If your club is a member of the ORC or your club is a member of an organization that is a member of the ORC, then you are in. Oh by the way, IMBA Canada is a member of the ORC so all IMBA Affiliate Clubs in BC can submit proposals. You can submit your application to Mr. Terje Vold who is the Regional Trail Coordinator for BC. Once Mr. Vold confirms you have dotted all the I’s and crossed all the T’s he will pass on your application to the BC Regional Advisory Committee (BCRAC). This committee is made up of six individuals from different recreational backgrounds. So far the motorized community is represented however, the non-motorized representation has not yet been selected by the ORC, this should be finalized by June 10th.
The federal government has initiated a stimulus package of $25 million for trails in Canada, BC’s portion is $3 million. The funds are split three ways: winter motorized, summer motorized and non-motorized trails. This means the trails are to be designated multi-use in scope however, each segment will receive this grant money to build trails. See the National Trails Coalition (NTC) web site for details.
Now it isn’t as simple as sending off a request and getting the cheque, there are some hoops to jump through. There is a time deadline of June 26th to get proposals in so get writing. Unfortunately, the whole process got backed up here in BC due to some politics being played out and no official organization acting as the coordinator. For details on how to qualify for funding check out the NTC guidelines PDF.
A Regional Trail Coordinator (RTC) has been commissioned for BC to receive all the applications. Please contact Terje Vold for more information and submit your applications.
Mr. Vold’s contact info is:
250-474-7720
250-880-1492 (c)
rtcbc@ntc-canada.ca
Do you have a club event you want to promote? We have set up a web site calendar where you can post your events or see what’s happening in your area.
Check out our IMBA Canada Events site.