Volume XX | Month Day 20XX





Weed Patch Trail

Under Construction!
When I look back to the late 1990’s when I moved to Indianapolis, the mountain bike community was very small. We also were losing trail access. Eagle Creek, Southwestway, Fort Harrison, and the trails North of 96 th street were all closed to mountain bikers within a one year period. As a result almost all of the small mountain bike community members were actively engaged in advocacy. 

Thanks to the efforts of these mountain bike advocates and volunteers, the land scape is very different today. We have seen new trails built each year. These trails are much better than the trails we rode in the 90’s. And, thanks to the trails, clubs, teams, clinics, festivals, races, etc…. We have grown the mountain biking community. The theory was that more mountain bikers would bring more political support. But there is a big “if” to that theory. More mountain bikers will bring more political support, if those mountain bikers are engaged in mountain bike advocacy. 

We are at the point where we need more mountain bikers to take some time to advocate for mountain biking. We are currently struggling to get permission to build new trails on DNR properties and are facing an effort by Indy Parks to lock mountain bikes out of the West Side of Eagle Creek. 
Now more than ever, we need your support to advocate for mountain bike access. We build trails that increase the quality of life for Hoosiers while improving the local economy. While we do benefit from public funds (through grants) we add in donations and volunteers to maximize the value the public gets from those funds. 

State Wide Issue: Access to build trails on Indiana State Forest Property.

Early discussions about a mountain bike permit were about providing funding for State Forests to benefit from mountain bike access on State Forest property. Unfortunately the permit was rolled out in a way such that the majority of funds go to State Parks (who are already getting a gate fee). While we have provided some great examples for trails on State Forest property at Ferdinand, Harrison Crawford, and Yellowwood State Forests, we are increasingly seeing resistance to new mountain bike trails from State Forests. One of the main reasons given is that they don’t financially benefit from new trails because they don’t see funds from the mountain bike permit. 

Action: Please see the information below and take the time to enter a public comment for Indiana State Forest’s open house events. Better yet, if you can attend in person.

Eagle Creek (Greater Indianapolis Metro Area): Hiking only trail on the West Side of Eagle Creek

HMBA submitted a proposal to build a hike/bike trail system on the West Side of Eagle Creek. That plan was taken by Indy Parks and the Eagle Creek Foundation. They reduced the trail mileage and eliminated access for mountain biking and submitted the plan for a Lilly Endowment Grant. They received $2.6 million to build this trail. 

Action: Please see the information below. The first step is to put together a Indy Mountain Bike Access Committee. This committee will set the game plan and lead the efforts to reopen the Trail Plan for the West Side of Eagle creek. If you are interested in being on the committee, please let me know. For those not on the committee, please be ready to take action to support this effort.

Paul Arlinghaus
Eagle Creek

It is interesting to note that with Indiana’s State Forests hold annual open houses to allow the general public the opportunity to provide public comment, Indy Parks has moved forward with a plan to build hiking only trails on the West Side of Eagle Creek without any public comment.   

In 2012 a public listening session was held on the subject of mountain bike trails on the West Side of Eagle Creek. Over 200 people attended with views for and against mountain bike trails Indy Parks promised to summarize the comments and get back to us with next steps. Indy Parks did not follow through on their commitment. When asked about the next steps, we were told the subject was being tabled. It turns out, that that was also a lie. Rather than tabling the topic, Indy Parks allowed the Eagle Creek Foundation to spearhead a committee made up of

·       Indy Parks
·       Indianapolis Office of Land Stewardship
·       Indianapolis Department of Natural Resources
·       Scott Starling Nature Sanctuary
·       Eagle Creek Foundation (committee Chair John Pankhurst)

This committee had no representation from the trail community (hiking, trail running, or mountain biking). It operated outside of public knowledge and developed a plan without any public input or opportunity to comment. They did hold a members only meeting for Eagle Creek Foundation members to gather their comments. This violates the public trust with respect to managing public land for the benefit of the public as a whole. In this case a small group worked behind the scenes to create a plan that benefited them over the public good.

This plan was submitted to the Lilly Endowment and received a $2.6 million grant. HMBA offered to partner with Indy Parks to build a trail system with more miles of trail and it would have cost substantially less than $2.6 million dollars. We would have brought volunteers into the trail building process, which would have lowered the overall cost to approximately $500k, while training the volunteers who would remain behind to maintain the trails. 
As we watch nearby cities embrace mountain biking,

·       Terra Haute: Griffin Bike Park
·       Louisville: Park Lands and the Louisville 100 mile Loop
·       Cincinnati: Mt. Airy
·       Chicago: Big March
·       Columbus Ohio: Berliner Park
·       Ann Arbor: DTE Energy

we continue to see Indy Park resists mountain bike access. Eagle Creek already has over 20 miles of poorly maintained hiking only trails. Adding more hiking trails is not going to move the needle forward with respect to getting Hoosiers outside and enjoying/appreciating our natural resources. Indy Parks was ranked 98 th (tied for last) compared to City Park Systems across the country. The currently plan is less about providing recreation to Hoosiers than it is about locking out a single user group.

HMBA is going to lead strong opposition to this plan but we need your help. Step 1 is to build a City of Indianapolis Steering Committee. If you would like to be on the Steering Committee, please contact me (Paul Arlinghaus, parlinghaus@msn.com). This committee will be empowered to determine the action HMBA takes and will lead those efforts. 

To be successful will need a huge show of support from mountain bikers in the greater Indianapolis Area as well a State Wide.
Indiana State Forests Open Houses

Indiana State Forests are holding an series of open houses for each State Forest Property. These meetings are this week, from 3:30PM t0 6:00PM. Meeting during business hours makes it difficult for many mountain biker to attend. If you can attend, going in person is the best option. But you can also comment on line. The link below takes you to State Forest’s online public comment page. Please indicate that your comments are related to the this week’s open houses and which property you are commenting on.  You may comment on more than one property.
 
 
Some Specific suggestions

Harrison Crawford State Forest: This is the State Forest that surrounds O’Bannon Woods State Park. Much of the Firepower trail and Adventure Trail are on State Forest Property. HMBA would like to start making improvements to the Adventure trail that would preserve it’s back county adventure vibe, while eliminating sections that are problematic and highlighting some key areas the trail misses. The highest priority is realigning the trail by the Iron Bridge. We have a fantastic alignment that pulls the trail out of the Blue River’s flood plain into and area with some spectacular features and view.  

Morgan Monroe/Yellowwood State Forest: If you like the new Crooked Creek trail, please let State Forests know! If you want more, please express the need for more single track as well and double track trails in Yellowwood State Forest. Also, we would like to see access to double tracks / access roads in Morgan Monroe.

Clark State Forest: We would like to see a long range plan for a bike trail system in Clark State Forest.
 
 
Owen-Putnam State Forest: Dec. 11, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the property office, which is five miles west of Spencer and less than one mile north of S.R. 46. There will be a forester-led, short winter hike at 4 p.m. Call 812-829-2462 for more information.

Clark State Forest/Deam Lake SRA: Dec.11, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Clark State Forest office, which is one mile north of Henryville on U.S. 31. Topics that will be highlighted include campground and gun range improvements. There will be a one-mile, forester-led winter walk at 4 p.m. Call 812-294-4306 for more information.

Harrison-Crawford State Forest: Dec. 11, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the recently renovated property office. The office is located off S.R. 462, just past the gatehouse for O’Bannon Woods State Park. Call 812-738-7694 for more information.

Ferdinand/Pike State Forest: Dec. 12, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Ferdinand office which is off S.R. 264, approximately four miles northeast of Ferdinand. There will be a 4 p.m. walking tour of the forest’s lakeside recreational sites. Call 812-827-2857 for more information.

Martin State Forest: Dec. 12, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Martin State Forest main office off U.S. 50, approximately four miles northeast of Shoals. Visitors can view the newly renovated Martin Lake shelter house or join the forester at 4 p.m. for a short winter hike. Call 812-247-3491 for more information.

Morgan-Monroe/Yellowwood State Forest: Dec. 12, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Training Center at Morgan-Monroe State Forest off S.R. 37, approximately six miles south of Martinsville. There will be a tour of the renovated visitor center at 4 p.m. Call 765-342-4026 for more information.

Jackson-Washington State Forest/Starve Hollow SRA: Dec. 13, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Starve Hollow Forest Education Center off S.R. 135, approximately two miles southeast of Vallonia. There will be a tour of the Starve Hollow lake restoration project at 4 p.m. Call 812-358-3464 for more information.

Salamonie River/Frances Slocum State Forest: Dec. 13, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the property’s main office located on S.R. 524, approximately six miles east of Wabash. Call 260-782-0430 for more information.

Greene-Sullivan State Forest: Dec. 13, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the property office on S.R. 159, approximately 1.5 miles south of Dugger. There will be a 4 p.m. tour of the campground and lake restoration project. Call 812-648-2810 for more information.