A meeting was held at the Raquette Lake School on Wednesday, July 3 to discuss opportunities for mountain bike trail development in the Moose River Plains Wild Forest.
The New York State Depart-ment of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) organized the meeting and involved representatives of the mountain bike community from Inlet, Old Forge and Raquette Lake.
The meeting, that was open to the public, included Ted Christodaro of Pedals and Petals in Inlet, Chad Hiatt of Mountainman Outdoor Supply Co. in Old Forge, Adam Coppola, Northeast Regional Director for the IMBA, as well as representatives from the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) and DEC.
examing maops for potential mountain miking trail are, clockwise from left, Ted Christodaro of Pedals & Petals in Inlet; Jim Sessions, Allison Buckley and E. Kasza, all of the DEC; Matt macnamara and Kevin Prickett (kneeing), both of the APA; and Chad Hiatt of Old Forge’s Mountainman Outdoor.
The meeting started by reviewing area maps and existing mountain bike trails. The group then discussed planned trail development projects and potential new opportunities. In the afternoon the group visited area trails.
In partnership with local individuals and organizations, the IMBA and DEC are supporting the development of a concept plan that will provide recommendations for new trail development as well as adjustments to existing trails.
The planning process will begin with a stakeholder meeting this October to identify the types of mountain biking trails and trail experiences that are of interest in this area.
Trail Solutions, the design and construction arm of IMBA, will be responsible for producing the concept trail plan for DEC.
The concept trail plan will provide DEC with IMBA’s opinion on trail feasibility, conceptual maps, constraints and opportunities, cost estimates and recommended project phasing.
DEC could potentially use the information contained in the concept plan to develop an amendment to the Moose River Plains Wild Forest UMP, said DEC Public Information Officer Lisa King.
“Not only is mountain biking a wonderful opportunity for residents to enjoy the great outdoors, but it gives visitors alike options to recreate in some of New York’s best parks, while furthering Governor Cuomo’s agenda to spur tourism and grow local econo-mies,” King said.
The hope is to begin trail development next spring or summer.
Christodaro said he was impressed that the DEC wanted to know the local interest in mountain bike trails and that they reached out to the IMBA. He was also pleased that the APA was present and getting a better perspective of what locals are looking for.
“The IMBA sees the Adiron-dacks as an amazing place and this work is a potential priority for the organization,” Coppola said.
The IMBA is celebrating 25 years as an organization and is known as a world professional in building mountain bike trails. The IMBA specializes in designing sustainable single track trails that minimize environmental impact and reduce maintenance needs.
“Mountain biking is a resource that can be huge economically for the community if the area becomes a mountain biking destination. We have good mountain biking trails now, but we need to create awesome mountain biking if we are to become a destination. This is an opportunity to do that,” Christodaro said.
Christodaro also expressed the need for an organized Bike Club in the Old Forge/Inlet/Raquette Lake area. Anyone interested can contact Christodaro at info@pedalsandpetals.com
