Strength in Numbers
IMBA Trail News
Volume 15, Number 4
Fall 2002
Which U.S. Federal land agency hosts the most recreation visitors each year? If you guess the National Park Service, you're wrong. U.S. Forest Service? Nope. The BLM? Sorry.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is number one. It welcomes about 360 million recreation visits a year to its lakes, beaches and other areas. The Corps operates more than 2,500 recreation areas at 463 projects coast to coast. The Corps also leases an additional 1,800 sites to state or local park and recreation authorities or private interests.
It's true that most Army Corps visitors participate in boating and other water sports. But an increasing number are drawn by the agency's first-rate trail opportunities for mountain bikers, hikers and horse riders.
On National Public Lands Day, September 28, IMBA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed a formal memorandum of understanding. This new pact is significant because it should lead to outstanding new trails for mountain bikers.
Many IMBA members and affiliated clubs are already familiar with great trails on Corps land. Consider Hodges Village Dam in Oxford, Massachusetts, where more than 15 miles of trails are available on both sides of the French River. NEMBA, the New England Mountain Bike Association, has worked with this Corps site to improve its scenic trail system, much of it meandering through beautiful hardwood forests.
Another great Army Corps trail site is Blue Marsh Lake, which is just north of Reading, Pennsylvania. The Corps built and maintains a singletrack loop that is close to 40 miles. It's a rolling, super-scenic path that's lots of fun for riders of all abilities.
IMBA and the Army Corps are looking to pinpoint promising pilot trail projects. We've already identified great ones in California, Texas, Pennsylvania and Illinois. We plan to focus on these sites (and others) in 2003 by sending our Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crews and trail consultants to help assess and design trails.
The Army Corps of Engineers, which has 35,000 employees (most of them civilians), is part of the U.S. Department of Defense. Since 9-11, this agency has appropriately focused on security concerns related to the safety of our nation's water control systems and drinking water. This effort must continue... but Army Corps staffers seem genuinely enthusiastic about developing great trails. Many are avid mountain bikers.
IMBA's new tie with the Army Corps is a promising partnership for the future of our sport. Stay tuned. Learn more about the Army Corps of Engineers at www.usace.army.mil.
We're joining the Army now.
- TB
