Ashlie: Tell us about your first project at Evergreen. When, why, and how did it come about?

Mike: I started volunteering for Evergreen about 20 years ago. I was hired on as a staff Project Manager, and then grew into a Trails Director role back when we were the Backcountry Bicycle Trails Club. Pretty soon we had a staff of like 30 trail builders. I started with the I-5 Colonnade project back in 2005. I just dove in and fell in love with this project. 

In the 80s and 90s, mountain bikers were getting kicked off every trail by the early 2000s there were really only a few cross country trail networks to ride around here, and there were definitely no purpose built mountain bike trails, or no place to jump to bike. We really needed some new trails around here. Thanks to our incredible dedicated volunteers… They worked really hard to secure the funding and the permission for this project. 

Ashlie: So, what’s happening now, and what are you excited about for the future of the Colonnade?

Mike: Well, now we're building two new pump tracks, a main asphalt pump track, and then a smaller mobility device and accessible mountain bike compatible asphalt pump track. We've been fundraising for this and going after permits for 10 years, and now we're finally building. We’ve got an awesome pump track designer, Jeremy, who's handling the design, and is going to be the lead builder; and my new, fantastic project manager I get to hand it off to, Ashlie Courtney. 

I really think this is going to be a turning point for the Colonnade. Seriously, after phase one and two went in, the place was flooded with riders, flooded with kids and families. We were able to get kids off the couch and away from their video games. We didn't have smartphones yet, and parks managers and recreation managers saw that, and they're like, “Hey, how can we get kids into our parks?” 

It was a big initiative. Obesity was on the rise, and so I think it was land managers seeing that. That's what got us park after park after park in this area. Now, the downside of that was, well, now we have all these skill building parks and trails and even mountains dedicated to mountain bikers that really drew the ridership and the volunteerism away from the Colonnade. So the Colonnade started to go into decline. It's been in decline for a while, and that's what led us to seeking funding improvements for these new pump tracks. 

I think these tracks are going to bring in enough kids and families and volunteers to secure the Colonnade’s future and really turn this into an awesome park for everyone.

Ashlie: What are some of your most memorable moments at the Colonnade?

Mike: My favorite memory is a work party where we had 12 crew leaders, 100 volunteers, dozens of projects going on all around Phase Two [of the Colonnade]. It was just so amazing to see progress happen so quickly… to see on the same day, riders already test riding certain features. I love the never ending gratitude from the riding community, and from the neighbors. It's just been such an absolute blast.