Doug McClintock, CORA President
So, here we are.
It’s all changed, and we’re all going to have a new normal, whenever we get there. But I have had a lot of folx reach out and ask me about what the pandemic means for CORA and trails right now. I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about the organization and trails in general, as well as provide some best practices.
In early to mid-March, CORA suspended all group activities. This included group traildays, group rides, events, board meetings (we’re all now using Zoom, and there are some hilarious background images...), and yes, even the Trailblazers Ball. These suspensions have caused all of us challenges, and we miss all our friends, but we felt it was prudent to act and act clearly to preserve everyone’s health. We will continue to listen to guidance from state and local authorities as well as land managers as we progress into the summer and hopefully bring back some group events. We don’t have a timeline for those yet, but we will keep everyone informed as that happens.
Some stewards are still able to help land managers with down trees or issues on thetrail on an individual basis, so please keep reporting those trail issues to the appropriate Facebook pages.
The good news is that trails have largely stayed open in the region. There are some exceptions, but most land managers and governments have deemed recreation in nature an important way to get healthy and for all to maintain activity during the pandemic. With that, we have seen record numbers of users at local trails, both paved and natural surface. Bike shops are doing a booming business, and more and more people are blossoming into trail runners and hikers. With this increased use, we’re seeing some challenges and some opportunities.
-
More users create more trail traffic. This can be challenging, because the best way to #flattenthecurve is social distance. With more folks on the trails, it’s even harder to keep your distance if you are riding, running, or hiking. It's up to all of us to be more aware than ever. With a lot of new users, people may not be as educated on proper trail etiquette, so we also must give a little leeway with the “rules.” While we may all know that bikes should yield to foot traffic, and downhill bike traffic should yield to climbing bike traffic, we shouldjust slow down, stop, and let others pass safely, regardless of the perceived “right of way.” Now isn’t the time for anyone to gamble with an unsafe pass that may result in injury, or to pass unsafely and create an interaction that puts a bad taste in a new user’s mouth. Give people MORE than six feet and say hi.
-
New users may not understand trail conditions. It is spring, and that means a variable trail tread situation for many of the local parks. New users may not be as aware of how their use of trails that are closed after rain events can negatively impact the sustainability of the trail tread. While we need to continue to educate people on this, we must remember most people are not trying to be destructive, they are likely unaware of the science and reasoning. CORA is working on some new trail head signage to direct new users to our trail conditions page at the website, but we can all explain the basics about riding through puddles (not around), and why we all respect the Red-Yellow-Green system in place in the region!
-
With all these new users are coming to the trails, we have a brilliant opportunity to bring new advocates to the table! We may not be able to have group rides or runs, but each of us is a trail advocate when we are out in nature, doing any activity. Be helpful if you can, either on social media, at the trails, or anywhere. Encourage folx to get involved, point them to the CORA website, and as my dad always said, “Be a positive pig!”
The landscape keeps changing out here, but be assured that the entire board, myself included, are out here working and thinking about how we can keep moving forward during this time. As always, suggestions, feedback, and ideas are always welcome at info@coramtb.org.
Cheers,
--doug