July 8/10 10:29 am - IMBA Canada Launches Trail Care Crew

Posted by Editoress on 07/8/10
 

The IMBA Canada Trail Care Crew is a dynamic two-person team of professional trailbuilders, educators, and enablers. Supported by Parks Canada and the Trans Canada Trail, the Crew travels across the country year-round, getting Canadians of all ages outdoors, and educating them about sustainable trails! 

The Trail Care Crew will kick off the 2010 trailbuilding season Canada Day weekend in Ontario, then will drive out to the Maritimes, before crossing back across Quebec and Ontario in September. As the season progresses, the Crew will travel across the prairies, stopping in every province, to finish the year in British Columbia.

Follow the Trail Care Crew as they crisscross the country in a 2010 Subaru Outback on Twitter, Facebook, and on the IMBA Canada Blog.

For more info on the program, and the Canadian Crew’s 2010 schedule, check out www.imbacanada.com.


Trail Care Crew Program Officially Announced at Trailhead Ontario Conference

Standing alongside representatives from Parks Canada and the Trans Canada Trail, IMBA Canada’s Executive Director, Lora Woolner took part in the official announcement for the IMBA Canada Trail Care Crew earlier today.

Paul Calandra, Member of Parliament for Oak Ridges-Markham, made the announcement to more than 120 industry supporters and participants during the second day of the Trailhead Ontario Conference. "I am proud to announce that the Government of Canada will be contributing $200,000 over three years to the Canadian office of the International Mountain Bicycling Association for the creation of the [n]ational Trail Care Crew," said Calandra in a release.

Starting this summer, the Canadian duo will travel across the country year-round and will participate in trail events, lead trailwork sessions, meet with land managers, and work with IMBA clubs, Trans Canada Trail provincial and territorial organizations, and Parks Canada sites to improve trail opportunities Canada-wide.

"The Trail Care Crew program has been the flagship program of IMBA USA's work since 1997. Over the 13 years of the program the crew has taught thousands of volunteers how to design and build sustainable trails, resulting in over a million hours of volunteer trail work," said Woolner. "We are thrilled for the opportunity to partner with Parks Canada and the Trans Canada Trail to launch our own Trail Care Crew program, one that will reach beyond IMBA affiliated clubs and benefit all trail users in Canada."

The creation of a Canadian Trail Care Crew has been a goal since the establishment of IMBA Canada in 2005. The program would not be possible, says Woolner, without the support of Parks Canada and the Trans Canada Trail. Additional program supporters include Subaru Canada, Trek Bikes, Thule, and Outdoor Gear Canada.

The Trans Canada Trail is delighted to be part of this project, according to President and CEO Deborah Apps.  “The Trans Canada Trail is made up of close to 400 local trails from coast to coast to coast.  We see this as an important way to provide concrete support to trail groups and our provincial partner organizations,” said Apps.  “We hope to see the Trail Care Crew program grow in future years. As we move forward to complete the 22,000-kilometre Trans Canada Trail by 2017, this partnership with Parks Canada and IMBA Canada is extremely valuable.”
For more information on the program, including the 2010 schedule, go to IMBA Canada, or contact TCC coordinator Rachael Raven, Rachael.raven@imba.com.

Trail Crew Bio
Chad and Deanne Lazaruk, IMBA Canada’s first Trail Care Crew, hail from beautiful Victoria, BC. The couple has been involved in all aspects of the mountain bike community including race organization, officiating, coaching, and of course, trailbuilding. Before hitting the road, Chad worked as a medical imaging technologist and Deanne was a crew leader and trailbuilder in BC. When they are not traveling and exploring new trails, Chad immerses himself in wine making, while Deanne loves to prepare good food to accompany the wine.

Supported by Parks Canada and the Trans Canada Trail (TCT) and directed by the International Mountain Bicycling Association Canada (IMBA Canada), the Trail Care Crew works with IMBA Canada-affiliated mountain bike clubs, TCT Provincial and Territorial organizations, Parks Canada and other trail user groups to build new trails, maintain and restore existing trails, solve trail management challenges, and to promote trails in order to improve trail conditions and trail experiences for everyone.

The work that the crew will do will benefit all types of trail users including hikers, horseback riders, mountain bikers, cross country skiers, snowshoers, bird watchers, and all other outdoor opportunities that use trails.

Canada’s Trail Care Crew program is designed to emulate the highly successful and widely acclaimed Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew program that is based in the United States (US). Sponsored by Subaru of America and directed by IMBA U.S., the Trail Care Crew works with IMBA-affiliated mountain bike clubs, land managers, and other trail user groups to build new trails, maintain and restore existing trails, and solve trail management challenges. The program is now in its thirteenth season.

The IMBA Canada Trail Care Crew will travel more than 35,000 km and conduct an estimated 35 trail visits per year – roughly 1/3 to Parks Canada sites, 1/3 to Trans Canada Trail locations, and 1/3 to IMBA Canada affiliated groups and large-scale mountain bike events, reaching all Canadian provinces and territories. In total, we anticipate direct engagement with more than 1,000 Canadian outdoor enthusiasts through the program and casual contact with more than 100,000 event attendees per year.

The Trail Care Crew will:
 
• Lead trailbuilding workshops for volunteers and Provincial, Territorial, and Federal employees.
• Participate in trail events such as group hikes, group mountain bike rides, trail openings, trail conferences and summits, trailhead greetings, pavilion parties.
• Work with kids through schools, camps, and other youth programs to promote trails and trail based recreation.
• Assist in planning and design for trails and trail events.
• Build community support for Canadian trails.

To learn more about the Trail Care Crew or to find a trail workshop near you, please visit www.imbacanada.com.


IMBA press release