Welcome to 2015! This is your first e-newsletter of the year and we hope you like it! 

Thanks for participating in keeping our trails world class, sustainable, and fun for everyone!

(PS, we love photos - send us yours from our trails and they could be in the next newsletter!)

Adventurously, 

CCCMB 

 

From Greg Bettencourt:

Good News - There are approximately 12 miles of new multi-use trails in everyone's future! Since September CCCMB has been working closely with Land Conservancy staff, the Wallace Group, equestrians and hikers to develop a trail system, which meets everyone's needs. The end result of that collaboration is a plan for a 12-mile network of trails that will be sustainable, fun and safe for all users. The network has loops of different lengths providing trails for a range of experiences: short or longer and easy to more difficult. All with a spectacular view! 

Other News - The L. C. is dedicated to creating a quality project that will serve both the public and the land well. It takes time do develop plans for two bathrooms, two parking lots, trails and to acquire the necessary Agency approval for those improvements. Construction takes more time. It seems likely that the earliest start date for trail construction is sometime this summer.  

From Frank Zika:

On November 22, The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County and Central Coast Concerned Mountain Bikers (CCCMB) hosted the Subaru/International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) Trail Care Crew at the new acquired Pismo Preserve.  The day was filled with classroom instruction on how to build sustainable multi-use trails then followed up with hands-on demonstrations and a hike at the Pismo Preserve.

 

The IMBA crew was amazed that over 150 community volunteers showed up for this event. Typically IMBA has seen anywhere from 10-60 volunteers.   There was equal representation from three different user groups: equestrians, hikers, and cyclists.  According to Chis Orr, the fact that so many people at the event were not mountain bikers has caused IMBA to revamped their presentation to give greater emphasis on multi use trails.

 

CCCMB would like to thank The Land Conservancy, SLOPOST, Quality Suites Motel, Foothill Cyclery and the volunteers from CCCMB that made it all possible.

From Bill Jenkins:

The Bell Program was started at Super Bowl Sunday in 2010. Since then CCCMB has filled the bell boxes at Montana de Oro and San Luis Obispo Open Spaces with close to 2000 bells a year.   Trail users of all kinds in the local community appreciate these bells.  The Land Managers in SLO and MdO have credited the use of bells in reducing trail confrontations and allowing CCCMB to add miles to the existing multi-use trail network.

 

With the anniversary of the Bell Program at the 2015 SBS workday, NOW would be a good time to check your back pack, work bench for more bells than you have bikes. Please return extra bells to any bell box.

 

Thank You to this years Bell Sponsors:

Art's Cyclery, Cambria Bicycle Outfitters, Foothill Cyclery, Pedal Power, Quality Suites, Riding Warehouse, Trinity Cyclery and Wally's Bicycle Works. We have two new Bell Sponsors, Running Warehouse and Baywood Cyclery.

 

To donate or for information about the CCCMB Bell Program, go to bells4bikes.org.  

From Bill Waycott:

With an increasing interest and participation in trail building by the local hiking community, CCCMB volunteers in cooperation with the SLO Rangers, have taken an abandon mining road in the Irish Hills and built it into a trail. This "hiking only" trail starts near the mouth of Froom Creek on the south side, winds along the canyon floor, then up a small side canyon with views of the surrounding hills, and finally terminates a mile later close to the old Froom mine.  In its day, the Froom mine produced chromite, the raw material used to make chromium, an ingredient in stainless steel, from the early 1900s to the 1940s.  The trail was the access route for horse drawn wagons, and later trucks, to move the ore to the railroad.  With this theme in mind, the trail was named "Old Prospector" and can provide hikers of all ages with a remarkable experience in the natural, verdant surroundings of San Luis Obispo.