Michigan Mountain Biking Association

On January 7th the Natural Resources Commission and the Department of Natural Resources honored the Executive Director Marne Smiley (above Marne receives her award from Parks Director Ron Olsen) and the other members of the Citizens Committee for Michigan State Parks with the Partner in Conservation award. The award is given in appreciation of the dedication and advocacy to enhance and sustain the Department of Natural Resources parks and recreation system for current and future generations. 

Yesterday, November 30th, the public policy committee of the Michigan Recreation and Parks Association (MRPA) met with Director Humphries and transition coordinator Bruce Rasher to talk about EO-45 and the joining of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to form what is being called the new DNRE. In the 90-minute meeting we covered what the merger is going to look like for outdoor enthusiasts and current legislation. 

Rasher has an end-of-the year deadline to file a report of recommendations to the Governor that he plans to have available to by Dec 23rd, so staff can make input on final recommendations.The report with make recommendations on new organizational structure and according to Rascher his job is to"deploy more resources to the citizens" and that "he was not given direction money needs to be saved (at least a quantitative amount), but savings will be looked at in the overall process."

One option on the table is to create 5-6 eco-regions within the state that will manage their zones of recreation and resources along with each having their own citizens group. According to Rascher, "We are preferring more decision to be made at the local level than in Lansing." His plans are to create a flatter organization, while still having more hands in the field. The merger will also prompt the development of a new strategic plan. (For more information on the desired outcomes http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/dnr_deq_001_300648_7.pdf)

Rasher said, "Everyone who wants to stay (after the merger), will still have a job, but it may be a different job than their previous position."

We also discussed the Passport Bil. Director Humphries said," I am concerned about the enforcement, but hopeful these bills will create access and broaden the spectrum of users." She also alluded to the summer of 2007 being dedicated to building a sustainable funding source. The department looked at models in other states, considered sales tax, severity tax, mining fees and everything in between and nothing would stick. If the Passport Bills don't go through there is already an order before the Natural Resources Commission (NRC) to continue fees at the current levels and next step will look at what parks will have to shut down. 

Some unfortunate news we heard from Director Humphries, "In the eyes of the administration after seven years of budget cuts our department is basically untouched." I hope for our sake the DNR and the State Parks continue to be "untouched". 

How will all this affect MMBA members?
First the good:
1. The creation of smaller eco-regions could give us a larger voice on the regional level
2. Most likely wont affect those people already in place on the ground or the people we talk to build trails on a daily basis

The bad:
1. Everything is getting shaken up and current allies could be mixed around
2. Even though the plan is streamline the organizations, there are still concerns on how this is going to create more people in the field.
3. Sustainable funding is still not secure
4. With the creation of the Trails Advisory Committee (TAC), Although the MMBA is working to secure a spot on this 7-person committee, it is still uncertain how these members are being picked and what kind of influence they will have. 

There is still a lot in the air, but I, and the MMBA, will keep watch for the report and its recommendations and break it down on how it will affect mountain bikers, our members, and our trails. Thank you for reading and if you have any questions you can reach me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 

 

Tri-Centennial State Park on downtown Detroit's waterfront was renamed yesterday to Milliken State Park. Approximately 275 people attended the dedication of the 31.7 acre park and the DNR's first urban park. Governor Granholm was oh hand along with DNR Director Rebecca Humphries, the Natural Resource Committee, Senator Birkholtz, and many others involved in the state parks, legislation, and supporters.

 The Citizens Advisory Committee was present in full force and were thanked by name for their time and support given to the state parks.  Milliken received a few laughs "he would much rather have a park in downtown Detroit with the Milliken name is a lot better than a building in Lansing."

The mood was high, but the topic of conversations revolved back to the Executive Order of combining the DNR and DEQ, the governor appointment of the Director of the DNR, and the formation of the Trail Advisory Committee. The general feedback was there is still some shakedown to happen before a final draft. 

Welcome the second MMBA newsletter!  The MMBA is working hard to provide you, our membership, with up-to-date news on what is happening with the MMBA.

 

 MMBA News

 

Annual Meeting and expo: Great news. Ready to ride inside in January… in Michigan! The annual meeting will be in Lansing again this year, but is changing location to the MSU Pavilion on Jan 31^st.  This move is very exciting for the MMBA.  The facilities have about the same amount of space, but a separate area for speakers, better sound system, and…Drum roll please.. ..there are over 23,000 sq feet full of dirt where the plans are to build a pump track and give attendees the opportunity to ride inside! 

 

Interbike- The Executive Director is heading out to Interbike in Vegas next Tuesday September 22^nd to connect with industry folks, secure silent auctions items and sponsorships, talk with the media and other non-profit organizations. It is always a whirlwind of craziness, and last year came back with thousands of dollars of silent auction items.

 

Mid-America Trails and Greenway Conference- The MMBA is sending board members, Chris Mensing and Diane Ursu, as well as the Executive Director to the conference on Oct 25^th-27^th in Kalamazoo. The conference focuses on how to expand trail systems, marketing trail systems, and tips on how to work with legislatives.

 

Merchandise- The MMBA is back on track with merchandise. A new merchandise coordinator is in place. Inventory is done. Pictures are being updated. The next step is getting everything on the backend integrated. Then we will be ready to go. Look for announcements on the front page.

 

The MMBA is now on Twitter, you can follow the feed at mmbaed.

 

 

MMBA Events

 

MetroSouth TreeFarm Relay-  The Relay took place on July 29^th at Lakeshore Park (Treefarm) in Novi. A few rain storms peppered the day, but good energy stayed high. Tents lined the park hill and it felt more like a min-festival than a race. The event was well organized with even volunteer support just past the halfway point at the deep-grooved fish bowl. Good Race. If you want a laid back race where leis are used as the baton this race was great.  Go Team Star Wars!

 

MetroSouth Maybury Time trail- The TT took place on August 22^nd. It rained the night before causing a few slick spots on the trail, but overall it was in good condition. 330 racers made it out the day of and it was considered a huge success. A lot of volunteers, minimal injuries, and the Maybury staff made for a successful event Congratulations to the MetroSouth Chapter. (Pictured MMBA ED, Marne Smiley with MetroSouth volunteer Joe Foy.

 

MetroNorth Addison Oaks race- This race took place this past weekend on September 13^th. The numbers are still being crunched on attendance and amount raised, but some of the feedback from the forums has been nice. RMBbyker said “it was an excellent event” and “he had a great time”. And lucban said it was “fast and fun”. With the some suggestions rolling in about making the raffle a little more kid-friendly.

 

The MMBA of course does more than racing, the executive director attends every chapter meeting she can make it to, meet with sponsors, meet with legislators, and the board does a lot of behind-the-scene work like proper financial reporting procedures and insurance waivers that aren’t as fun to talk about, but allow the MMBA to run as smoothly as it does. The races are another way of connecting with the membership and hopefully introduce new riders to the world of mountain biking and the MMBA.

 

Programs

 

Mountain Kids- The program stayed active this summer, participating in over 10 events throughout the summer ranging from one-day clinics at Proud Lake to a full week rental for a mountain biking camp put on by the YMCA. And don’t forget about with “Take a Kid Mountain Biking” day on October 3^rd.  As always thanks to our sponsors over at South Lyon Cycles for making this program possible.

 

Mountain Patrol- The Mountain Patrol has grown from a few unorganized members to a crew of over 20 folks trained under the new leadership of Jon Rose and Shawn Murphy. The Patrollers skills were put to the test at the Maybury race aiding the EMTs in a broken collarbone and handlebar to the gut. When the crashes die down, Patrollers are on the trail assisting all trail users from directions to broken bikes to broken ribs.

 

Volunteers needed

 

BRB Layout Designer- The MMBA is looking for someone who can do the layout and design of the BRB. This would include help coordinating artwork, story ideas, and putting a newsletter together that could easily be read online. Experience in Quark or InDesign are a plus, but not necessary.

 

CPS Coordinator- After putting in his time in with the CPS, Tom Payne is stepping down. Thank you for all your work Tom. The CPS coordinator responsibilities are tallying, coordinating the races, and helping with the chapter benefit races when it is necessary.

 

Archives Specialist- The MMBA is looking for someone to help with keeping up on the history of the MMBA, mountain biking in the news, and have all our printed information such as our BRBs and membership forms archived.

 

Annual meeting planning committee-  A committee is being formed for the annual meeting. The committee will be focusing on the organization for the annual meeting including help with sponsorship, coordinating the silent auction and expo, bringing in speakers and so much more.

 

If you are interested in any of the items above please contact Marne at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 

Legislation-

 

Passport Bills- No movement. No action on the license bills from either the House or the Senate.  After talking to the Director of Parks and Rec, Ron Olsen we expect the legislators to pick it back up in October after budget talks, which would push back the implementation of the program likely until 2011.. The bills likely will take the shape of the Senate bill with the “pure choice method” which means users will have to check a box “yes” or “no” to complete their registration. For more information on the bills go to www.ourmichiganparks.org.

 

Upcoming events:

September 19^th Triple Trail Challenge at Pinkney Recreational Area in Pinkney

September 21^st -25^th Interbike in Las Vegas

September 26^th- 30 miles of Pain Haven sponsored by the Northeast Chapter

September 27^th- Pando Challenge- Final CPS race

September 28^th- MetroSouth Chapter meeting at Ashleys in Westland

September 30^th- Poto Chapter meeting at Arbor Brewing Company in Ann Arbor

October 3^rd- Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day

October 3^rd Massive Fallout at Stony Creek MetroPark

October 9^th- North Country Trail epic ride weekend sponsored by the Western chapter

October 12^th- MetroNorth chapter meeting at Rochester Brewing Company in Rochester

October 23^rd-25^th- Camping trip to Brown County, Indiana sponsored by Western chapter

October 25^th-28^th Mid-America Trails and Greenway Conference in Kalamazoo

 

Go to the MMBA Calendar for the latest group rides and trail building information at http://www.mmba.org/calendar/events

 

Thank you for reading our second E-newsletter, we are excited to be keeping you informed. If you have any suggestions, questions or comments, feel free to share at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it