Forest Park Update

[free-agent]

Just wanted to give you all a quick update, I don't want this idea to die.
I am in contact with PUMP and pdx-mtb about the issue of Forest Park. Things are happening within the normal channels of bureaucracy, and both groups support our idea about the FP group ride event. Once I have all of the necessary info I will plan a night at Lucky Lab or HUB where we can start the ball rolling on our event......
Both of those groups, I believe, want to lend a hand as well. I am also trying to find ways for more of use to get info. on the other mtb happenings around the city. I believe we need a vehicle for this for mtb issues only.

[swift]

Rock on Playa.

[hydrogeek]

for taking the lead.

At the last PUMP meeting the representative with the Forest Park Conservancy said that the City is interested in ST in Forest Park, allocated funding to start looking at it, then it got pulled with the recent economic down turn. It sounds like City Parks is not adverse to ST in Forest Park, but they lost their funding to begin the study process. Gotta love bureaucracy.

[denvech]

So if they got there funding pulled then lets just go ahead and ride the trails anyway and when the get their funding back they can study and come to the same conclusions that IMBA's independent studies have come to. And that is that mtb'ing is no worse to trails than hiking.
Pick a date
and post it to PUMP
bikeportland.org
OBRA.org

How about a longer loop?
By the way, pump has been doing weekly wednesday night rides there. Back in february 41 people showed for a work party. Check out the PUMP website:
http://www.pumpclub.org/forum/72
And on the yahoo listserve it's mentioned regularly

[denvech]

Oh, my main point is this. There are so many rules and things in place in response to concerns, etc. Some valid, some not. I think that the Toure De Ronde done in portland is a FANTASTIC event that this may do well following. It's free, just show up and ride the city streets. No one is responsible or the primary contact. There is no money, no sponsor, nothing, so the buck stops with the city. There is also no way for it to be 'shut down'. In this case it could be, just show up and ride the trails in forest park. "What? They are not marked appropriately? That's unfortunate, it doesn't tell me not to ride on this trail. I'm just riding my bike man, and those folks are too."

[Jaybo]

I just rode some last night Hmm. The sun goes down and it magically appears. Seriously, good effort and thank you. It would be a great thing for PDX riders to be able to ride on some local singletrack.

Jaybo

[RBTM]

I need to invest in a good light.

[Hack]

Fire lane W.

[endoguy]

Thanks for the good work!!. Count me in!! FOr now I too have a light.

[jeebus]

Just joined PUMP and re-joined IMBA. I'm so glad to see some active mtb advocacy in pdx. Thanks PUMP!

Joe B. in pdx

[CEB]

Oh what fun it is to FLY down FL #2 or 3 then hook up the ST!

I wanna go too...... but I live in San Diego! Perhaps you can have all the ST deemed legal by the timne I get up to PDX in summer 2009. Then we'll ride it "legally"......

[Jaybo]

Originally Posted by CEB

Oh what fun it is to FLY down FL #2 or 3 then hook up the ST!

I wanna go too...... but I live in San Diego! Perhaps you can have all the ST deemed legal by the timne I get up to PDX in summer 2009. Then we'll ride it "legally"......

I rode yesterday in the cold and rain. It was lovely I would give a nut to ride in the sun of California.

Jaybo

[dahoos]

Hey Free-Agent,

Maybe you've come across this already but interesting timing here.

http://bikeportland.org/2008/12/17/a...rk/#more-12272

[free-agent]

Originally Posted by dahoos

Hey Free-Agent,

Maybe you've come across this already but interesting timing here.

http://bikeportland.org/2008/12/17/a...rk/#more-12272

I have ridden with Frank, he is a great guy with great ideas and is willing to follow through with them. After giving his idea much thought, I think it is a really good idea. The directors of FPC are new, and seem very willing to use the energy of the mtb community to improve FP for everyone (and give us more access). All ideas/suggestions to the city flow through FPC, so to me it makes sense to join them and get involved. I encourage everyone to join the discussion on bikeportland, and consider joining the FPC as a "cyclist." Also, keep an eye out for more opportunities to be involved.
On a recent trip to Wisco, I picked up a copy of Dirt Rag. In the issue was a brief article about how a small group of people (I forgot what state) worked within the system to create a skills/dirt jump area for mtb's. It got me fired up to get more involved, and I feel that the time is right to affect meaningful change for us. The land exists, we just need to find the people and channels to make it happen.

[free-agent]

Originally Posted by dahoos

Hey Free-Agent,

Maybe you've come across this already but interesting timing here.

http://bikeportland.org/2008/12/17/a...rk/#more-12272

Seriously, voice your opinion about the need for more ST on the bikeportland. org article. Joanathan Maus (editor of bikeportland) is an important voice for us. The more excitement his article drums up, the better for us. It would be great to have him on our side, covering the problem of the lack of local options for us.

[Sparticus]

Backin' you up on the point of joining FPC & workin' it from within. Imagine if FPC's ranks were comprised of say, 60-80% cyclists.

--Sparty

[quaffimodo]

Originally Posted by Sparticus

Backin' you up on the point of joining FPC & workin' it from within. Imagine if FPC's ranks were comprised of say, 60-80% cyclists.

--Sparty

Interesting angle, but I think it's likely that if the FPC went off the reservation so to speak, Portland Parks and Recreation would simply marginalize it. The FPC, nee Friends of Forest Park, has a lengthy history of hostility toward the idea of bikes in the Park. I'm sure that I'm not the only cyclist who will have to swallow hard before giving them a dime. It's worth a try, but I won't be holding my breath.

Portland excels at talking the talk around all things bicycle, but you really have to look hard to find evidence that bike culture is actually embraced here by anyone other than its devotees. The city's political center of gravity lies in an entity known as the Portland Business Alliance, and people who ride bikes don't typically come downtown and spend money at Nordstrom. I'm afraid that it really is that simple.

[Sparticus]

If Portland Parks marginalizes FPC due to the composition of its membership, then some other form of "FPC" will take the old FPC's place. So infiltrate and consume that iteration as well. Repeat.

Become the virus. Start now.

--Sparty

[quaffimodo]

Originally Posted by Sparticus

If Portland Parks marginalizes FPC due to the composition of its membership, then some other form of "FPC" will take the old FPC's place. So infiltrate and consume that iteration as well. Repeat.

Become the virus. Start now.

--Sparty

I joined because it's not such a ridiculous notion that it can be dismissed out of hand, but I'm fairly certain that all I'm going to get for the price of 10 happy hour pints is a slightly brighter light shining on the deep seated, irrational resistance to mountain biking in Forest Park. In the meantime I'll continue to enjoy the Park responsibly.

Can I get an Amen for frozen mud?

[mforness3000]

See what I posted below....also, does anyone know who the ultimate decision maker is? If so, why don't we start a letter writing campaign to this person/organization?...though, I'm getting so cynical at this point, I'm guessing that that has already been done....

Hey All,

First off, let me say that I would love, love, love more single track mountian bike access in FP. Also, I belong to PUMP and IMBA. But, man, I gotta say that this whole rigarmole that has gone absolutely nowhere (yes, I know: new 1/3 mile of trail) for the last 9 years I've been in Portland has been and continues to be infuriating. Why? In my opinion, it's because we don't know how to get there from here. No one seemingy can tell us what needs to be done to get access or new trails built. I mean, if someone (I know this is naive) could just tell PUMP/the mountain bike community "ya'll need to jump through these 20 hoops, gather this many signatures, attend these meeting, put in this many hours of trail building and maintenance, and raise this amount of money"; I have no doubt that we would pull together and do it. But when you have no idea on what it would take for the man to grant our wish, it continues to feel hopeless. How many miles do we have to cross to talk to the boss?! And, more importantly perhpas, who the hell is the boss?!

Frank, Jonathon, PUMP/IMBA leadership...what about this:

Step 1: Identify who is the ultimate decision maker.

Step 2: Confirm with that person/organization that they have the power to make the decision.

Step 3: Ask the decision maker what exactly needs to be done in order to get access.

Step 4: Publicize this information/hold the boss to that statement.

Step 5: No doubt the troops will rally and jump through every last hoop and then some.

I know that this is a gross oversimplification of things, but I really think that this helps explain a lot of mountain bikers hopeless, cynical attitudes (for example, the first poster "Not a chance....".) I know I feel like it's hopeless at times.

I'm begging here: Can somebody please tell us what needs to be done?!?!?!?!

~Matt f

[Jam esp]

Originally Posted by quaffimodo

I joined because it's not such a ridiculous notion that it can be dismissed out of hand, but I'm fairly certain that all I'm going to get for the price of 10 happy hour pints is a slightly brighter light shining on the deep seated, irrational resistance to mountain biking in Forest Park. In the meantime I'll continue to enjoy the Park responsibly.

Can I get an Amen for frozen mud?

Amen! And a halleluhah for a deeper snow pack!

In the late 80s I was a member of FFoP as well as an active participant in the opening of several Firelanes. It's my belief that your dim expectations will not be exceeded. As a consolation I'd be happy to buy you a pint sometime. .

[Snake Muesl]

Originally Posted by mforness3000

See what I posted below....also, does anyone know who the ultimate decision maker is? If so, why don't we start a letter writing campaign to this person/organization?...though, I'm getting so cynical at this point, I'm guessing that that has already been done....

Hey All,

First off, let me say that I would love, love, love more single track mountian bike access in FP. Also, I belong to PUMP and IMBA. But, man, I gotta say that this whole rigarmole that has gone absolutely nowhere (yes, I know: new 1/3 mile of trail) for the last 9 years I've been in Portland has been and continues to be infuriating. Why? In my opinion, it's because we don't know how to get there from here. No one seemingy can tell us what needs to be done to get access or new trails built. I mean, if someone (I know this is naive) could just tell PUMP/the mountain bike community "ya'll need to jump through these 20 hoops, gather this many signatures, attend these meeting, put in this many hours of trail building and maintenance, and raise this amount of money"; I have no doubt that we would pull together and do it. But when you have no idea on what it would take for the man to grant our wish, it continues to feel hopeless. How many miles do we have to cross to talk to the boss?! And, more importantly perhpas, who the hell is the boss?!

Frank, Jonathon, PUMP/IMBA leadership...what about this:

Step 1: Identify who is the ultimate decision maker.

Step 2: Confirm with that person/organization that they have the power to make the decision.

Step 3: Ask the decision maker what exactly needs to be done in order to get access.

Step 4: Publicize this information/hold the boss to that statement.

Step 5: No doubt the troops will rally and jump through every last hoop and then some.

I know that this is a gross oversimplification of things, but I really think that this helps explain a lot of mountain bikers hopeless, cynical attitudes (for example, the first poster "Not a chance....".) I know I feel like it's hopeless at times.

I'm begging here: Can somebody please tell us what needs to be done?!?!?!?!

~Matt f

Well reasoned. But even nine years is not the 20 that Pump et. al. have been jumping through. Problem with our system of government is that there hasn't been any one decision maker (how about a hotel/convention center? that's your business alliance functioning). Sam is a biker and very tuned into the bike culture, change is afoot.

As far as what needs to be done?

This is a good start.

This is even better, course what I want to know is how we let our numbers show? I mean, Frank's Idea is great, but how does the FPC know how many of us joined for that cause?

In the mean time there's a lot more action on bikeportland.org than there is here.

[Sparticus]

What if your next door neighbor came over and said, "Hey Buddy, I just want to know what steps I need to take in order for you to say it's okay for me to throw wild parties with insanely loud music until 4am, people you don't know driving across your lawn at all hours, drug deals goin' on in the neighborhood, and you waking up to hookers passed out in your flower beds. I mean, just tell me what it takes and I'll do it."

Sorry to say it, but getting some people to give you the road map to mountain bike access may be about as difficult as the above anology.

Hope I'm wrong, but I'm getting the impression that a viral takeover is the only way to snag the keys to this buggy.

--Sparty

[free-agent]

write, "I am a cyclist" in the "In honor of" section. That's what I did.
Brian

Originally Posted by Snake Muesl

Well reasoned. But even nine years is not the 20 that Pump et. al. have been jumping through. Problem with our system of government is that there hasn't been any one decision maker (how about a hotel/convention center? that's your business alliance functioning). Sam is a biker and very tuned into the bike culture, change is afoot.

As far as what needs to be done?

This is a good start.

This is even better, course what I want to know is how we let our numbers show? I mean, Frank's Idea is great, but how does the FPC know how many of us joined for that cause?

In the mean time there's a lot more action on bikeportland.org than there is here.

[Snake Muesl]

Good idea.

Originally Posted by free-agent

write, "I am a cyclist" in the "In honor of" section. That's what I did.
Brian

[quaffimodo]

Originally Posted by Sparticus

What if your next door neighbor came over and said, "Hey Buddy, I just want to know what steps I need to take in order for you to say it's okay for me to throw wild parties with insanely loud music until 4am, people you don't know driving across your lawn at all hours, drug deals goin' on in the neighborhood, and you waking up to hookers passed out in your flower beds. I mean, just tell me what it takes and I'll do it."

If it's OK at my place it's pretty much gotta be OK at his place, right? What stands out to me in this scenario is an opportunity to pool our resources and maybe save some money on hookers.

[Sparticus]

Know how to make a hormone?

Don't pay her.

Ba dum bum.

--Sparty

[free-agent]

I am super stoked with the amount of press happening in a matter of days. Keep the disussions on bikeportland and mtbr rolling! The more attention we attract, the more press coverage we will receive. A HUGE thanks to Jonathan Maus for pursuing this issue for us.

Guest blog by Eric Tonkin:
http://bikeportland.org/2008/12/19/g...oined-the-fpc/

[quaffimodo]

Originally Posted by Sparticus

Know how to make a hormone?

Don't pay her.

Ba dum bum.

--Sparty

Know how to tell a male chromosone from a female chromosome?

You pull down their genes.

I'll be here all week. Don't forget to take care of your servers and for god's sake you over there in the corner, call a cab.

[GlowBoy]

OK, I'm in. I just put my money where my keyboard is and joined up.

Since I not only ride FP regularly, but also hike it (over the years I've hiked almost every mile in the park), walk my dog there and even occasionally run him there with my bike at quiet times, push my son in the stroller and pull him in the trailer, and even have walked firelane 12 with my wife to induce labor, I oughta be signed up anyway.

Let's see if we can make something happen. There's still plenty of room north of Germantown. There are also a number of existing trails south of Germantown that virtually NO ONE uses, like lower FL7 and almost all of FL4, that we could adopt -- and they get so little use they could just about become singletrack if we set our minds (and pulaskis) to it. And there are other trails like upper FL7 and Waterline that could be legally opened to bikes if we did a little work to improve the short sections with erosion problems.

I guess what I'm saying is the potential is enormous. What we need is more riders to use these trails, more riders helping with maintenance, and more riders joining up the cause of access. I'm excited about the possibility that we might just accomplish something here. Remember Margaret Mead's famous quote.

[GlowBoy]

I should also add that our membership dues are tax deductible, so those of us who itemize our deductions will get a few dollars back at tax time in April if we donate by December 31.

[quaffimodo]

Originally Posted by GlowBoy

Remember Margaret Mead's famous quote.

"People like GloyBoy are deaf. They are partisan, intellectually lazy & usually very angry."

I'm confused; I thought that it was Jaybo who said that.

I definitely agree that the FL 7 area would be a good place to start reclaiming some existing right-of-way that has fallen into disrepair. One of the more ironic aspects of this whole situation is the lengths that have been gone to to shut out a user group that has many members who view trail work as a form of recreation itself.

[Lurpy]

It's not in my nature to join. I'm a member of IMBA, but till now haven't joined either PUMP or FPC. Instead I've tried to speak through my actions. This year I've contributed my time to all of PUMPs trail maintenance days to date, attended the IMBA trail building class that was held recently, and volunteered with CAMBA to help the USFS rebuild the Cooks Meadow trail off road 44. Maybe actions alone aren't enough in this struggle to be recognized. As others have said, maybe it takes membership and money along with the action. Just in case that is the case, I'll put my name on the rosters of both PUMP and FPC and see where it leads.

One thing I know for sure . . . . . SNOW RIDE SATURDAY!!!