Blog

When Evergreen Program Manager Mike Westra and Education and Volunteer Manager Mike Sidwell visit a school, it's not usual for them to have tools in tow.   Last week they teamed up with Kirkland-based Environmental and Adventure School--an experiential learning school that focuses on the interdependent relationship between people and the environment--to participate in a service learning program.   Service learning combines classroom instruction with community service--a core component to EAS curriculum--and Evergreen staff was more than happy to provide an opportunity.  Under the direction of crew leads, students from 6th-8th grade spent three hours a day at Duthie (for the entire week) learning to be responsible stewards by performing maintenance work, learning about sustainable trails, and having fun outside.      Students had fun while learning.  "It's a great opportunity to help students connect with the outdoors and learn at the same time," says Mike S "we look forward to increasing out work with schools in the future."   If you'd like to get more information about how your school can engage in service learning opportunities with Evergreen, contact Mike Sidwell at .

October was NOVA grant review month, and a great example of how much more respect and credibility mountain biking is getting in Washington.   NOVA, or the Non-highway Off-road Vehicle Activities program, provides funding to develop and manage off-road recreational opportunities-like motorcycle, equestrian, hiking, and of course, mountain biking.  Evergreen has been working hard to ensure that mountain bikers are well represented in recreation funding, and it has been paying off.  This year there were applications for $1.1mil worth of grant projects which would specifically benefit mountain biking in our state.  This is a dramatic increase from $490,000 in applications for similar projects in 2012 and $325,000 in 2011.  Evergreen and our chapters are building strong relationships with land managers, and continuing our efforts to show the need for more trails with state agencies in Olympia-and it's paying off.  There were numerous comments from land managers tying new trail opportunities to the expanded maintenance work now being done by mountain bikers, and with a projected 12,000 donated volunteers hours for 2014, Evergreen volunteers can take pride in that. While not all of these projects will be funded this cycle, it is a clear indicator that the needs of mountain bikers are being taken seriously.  Evergreen will continue this successful effort, building relationships with land managers and agencies across the state--thank you for your continued support.  

Remember your first mountain bike?  Those big tubes, 21 gears, and that cast-iron frame?  Born of cutting edge, NASA technology (thicker tires and flat handle bars) it allowed you to break away from the road, onto the dirt, and into the sport that you love today. That bike helped you learn switchbacks, weight transfer, and how poorly your body bounced on packed dirt.  It taught the reward of a hard-fought climb, and the thrill of a ripping descent.  You learned together-and worked those trails like one body. But as the years went on, you may have found that disc brakes, rear shocks, and lighter frames took your riding to new levels-ones that you just couldn't reach with your old bike.  Maybe it just didn't seem like as much fun as your new bike.   So it slowly moved further back in the garage.  But you never stopped using what you learned together.  Remember our first website?  That flashy 1998 technology that offered you all the Washington State mountain biking info your AOL dial up could handle?  Well we learned a lot there too.  Visitors to the Evergreen site may have noticed a big change this past weekend-and now we're pleased to officially announce the new  Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance page! After 16 years of duct-taping-and-crazy-gluing the previous site, we're excited to take what we've learned and launch the new go-to-resource for Washington State mountain bikers. The new site not only looks sweet, but it also brings a ton of new features and loads of behind-the-scenes functionality to help us better serve our community.   We've kept much of the old site structure but have added in a blog for articles and releases, updated information pages, integrated it with our Trail Guide, and even included social media feeds so you can follow pictures and activities--plus much more.  It's a very exciting time to be a member of Evergreen, and we're glad you support us as we deliver on our commitment to better riding around the state.  As we continue to grow, we always appreciate those who've helped us get there.  Maarten van Dantzich, who kept the previous site going as long as it did, as well as Pavel Dolezel, who spent endless hours building the site you see now--were indispensable (as were countless others).   As the old site takes it's place further back in the garage (so far back you cant see it) and as Evergreen moves forward, we'll continue to use what we've learned together to serve Washington mountain biking for years to come.  Interested in volunteering your time to improve the site? Please contact us!  Notice a bug or a need for functionality?  Contact the webmaster.

What can mountain biker's learn from the Douglas Adams book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?  That a towel can be the most massively useful thing you can have.  Trail courtesy is incredibly important for Washington bikers to continue to gain access to more trail.  Few people mind sharing the trail with a courteous rider.  But yielding to hikers, ascending riders, and horses is only part of it--etiquette also extends to the most visible places--like the trailhead. We're all eager to jump out of the car and get on some singletrack, but it's important to remember that there are other people around who may not share that sense of urgency.   So when you quickly drop trou to throw on your bike shorts, clear out your sinuses on the asphalt, or relieve yourself in a not-so-private area, it might make other users think twice about wanting to sharing trails with you. So when you're heading out with your bike remember you're a steward of the trails you ride.  And that people are watching.  So use the outhouse.  Suit up when you leave the office.  Or just remember to take a page out of Douglas Adam's book and just bring a towel.   We have an opportunity to continue building great trails with our land partners in Washington--all it takes is strong advocacy, respect, and courtesy.