Category: Work Days

Feb 08 2011 February 8, 2011 November 26, 2015 by JeremyC

Workday 2/12/11 at Blue Clay

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From Barry Wray:

There are less than 4 weeks until the first race of the year at the Blue Clay Bike Park! There is a lot of work out there we can do to improve the trail and help make it possible to ride sooner after it rains. So, we are going to have another work day at Blue Clay Saturday morning (2/12/11) from 8:30 am until ?. Please come out and help if you can. Bring work gloves, wheelbarrows, shovels, even an ax if you have it.

BTW, the BC trail is still very wet from all the rain we have had. We worked on rerouting one section of trail this past weekend. The reroute was completed but is still very soft and needs time to dry and firm up. how to determine value of domain name . We put in a temporary ride around until this new section has a chance to dry. Might be a good idea to ride UNCW until the entire trail at BC can dry out.

Thanks and I hope to see a good turnout for the workday on Saturday.

Barry A. Wray
Director CFS BC Trail Care Crew
Cape Fear SORBA


Feb 04 2011 February 4, 2011 February 4, 2011 by Austin Fenwick

Help Safe Routes to Schools and A Blue Clay Work Day

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Hello Cape Fear SORBA! To things of importance today. First our wonderful Director of the CFS BC Trail Care Crew Barry Wray has scheduled a Work Day for Blue Clay this Saturday the 5th (2/5/11) from 9am until noon. However, there is a very high chance of rain that *may* stop us. Please come out and help if possible. Barry will send an email on Saturday morning with conformation that we are indeed working or that we have to cancel due to rain.

Secondly, this is a repost of an email recently recieved from the League of American Bicyclists concerning Safe Routes to Schools.

“North Carolina residents – we need your help!  In the last Congress, Senator Burr (R-NC) was a lead sponsor of S. 1156, the Safe Routes to School Program Reauthorization Act.  Senator Burr is currently considering whether, to again take the lead introducing a bill supporting Safe Routes to School in the new Congress.

The federal Safe Routes to School program provides critical funding to help local schools and communities make it safer for more kids to walk and bicycle to and from schools.  This funding is helping to reduce safety risks, get more kids active, and cut down on traffic congestion around schools.  The Safe Routes to School bill is necessary to help sustain and expand this program.

Please take a few moments to contact Senator Burr’s office to thank him for his past leadership and encourage him to stand up for Safe Routes to School again.  You can either call or email Senator Burr’s office—but time is of the essence, so please take five minutes to do this today!

Thanks in advance for your help.”

As always we are more than just Mountain Bikers, we are cyclists. If possible we should support cycling in all its formations to try and create a healthy more sustainable society and supporting Safe Routes to Schools is just one of those opportunities.

Thanks again Cape Fear SORBA, (Mountain)Bike or Die!

Austin Fenwick

Vice President: Cape Fear SORBA


Jan 31 2011 January 31, 2011 February 2, 2011 by JeremyC

UPDATE: Blue Clay Trail Care Crew Meeting from 1/25/2011

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From Barry Wray:

CFS had the first meeting of the Blue Clay Trail Care Crew on Monday 1/25/11. Twelve of us went over the attached PowerPoint presentation. We identified some items that we will be addressing in the coming months. The first item is to bring the beginner trail back to where it needs to be to accommodate beginner riders. We will continue to remove roots on the trail and bring in dirt and gravel to repair trail damage due to trail compaction from use over the last couple of years. We are planning to have a work day after we get enough dirt trucked in so hang tight on that but if you would like to help before then send me an email and I can meet you at the park and show you where to begin removing roots.

Another immediate item is some maintenance on a trail section that has become an issue. We may start working on that this week. I’ll send out an email when we have a day/time. One thing is for sure…we live in an area with no mountains and very little terrain so we have to have some (most) of our trail on flat ground and we will always be battling with issues like compaction, roots, and water. Mountain bike trails are composed of dirt…if the dirt has too much sand it will be good when we have wet conditions but too soft for dry conditions…if we have a trail with too much clay it will hold water and be wet and slick during rainy times which is not good but it will be good in dry conditions…BC is somewhere in between which is good and bad…so we face a long term battle (unless we give up and build a concrete sidewalk through the woods L) and we will have to try to stay ahead of changing conditions on the trail. IMBA offers advice on how to build a trail system to create good experiences for diverse visitors, minimize user conflict and environmental damage, and hold up in the future. Our goal is to follow their advice and create a unique trail that is challenging yet enjoyable for everyone.

I meet with Andy Johnson from New Hanover County Parks at BC last Friday. Andy reiterated the County’s commitment to BC (they have spent over $45,000 on the park in the last year).  He emphasized we need to identify issues at the park needing attention and submit proposals to him for solutions. He is committed to work on securing funding for the projects that are approved. Some of the projects we are working on now are:


  • Identify what additional signs are needed at the park. The County would like to see mileage markers in place. This has been a long time safety issue that we need to address. What signs would you like to see at the park?
  • Keep up with the monthly trail reports. I’ll be taking on this responsibility.
  • Andy offered a possible workday on April 16th with “free labor” from a local organization (we will have to look at this because we have a race scheduled for BC the next day)…more on this later.
  • Replace the standard portable bathroom with one with handicap access. This was a request by a CFS member that came up during our meeting.  Do you (or anyone you know that uses the park) have a special need?
  • Identify safety conditions around the park that need attention. Know of any?
  • We have submitted sealed engineer plans for changes that need to be made on the very first bridge on the trail. The County has committed to buying the wood we need as soon as we put together a materials list and forward it to them. Once we get the wood we will then start on the construction.  We will also be rebuilding some of the short crossovers on the trail and 1 or 2 more bridges. We have club members who have worked on other bridges but we can always use more help (especially skilled help!). If you can help with the construction let me know.
  • Begin plans for a picnic shelter at the park. Do you have any skills that you would like to volunteer to help plan and build a shelter?


If you are a Cape Fear SORBA member I consider you part of the “trail care crew” so please send me you suggestions. We will be looking for you at our club workdays…or working at the park when your schedule permits…or contributing to the park in whatever way best fits you.


Thanks for your commitment to CFS.

Barry A. Wray
Director CFS BC Trail Care Crew
Cape Fear SORBA


Downloads:
Cape Fear SORBA meeting 1_25_2011


Jan 20 2011 January 20, 2011 January 20, 2011 by JeremyC

WORK DAY REMINDER: BRUNSWICK COUNTY NATURE PARK 1/22/2011

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Cape Fear SORBA will hold a work day at Brunswick County Nature Park.

Date: Saturday January 22nd

Time: 9:00 am

Location: Hwy 133 seven miles South of Leland, near Orton Plantation Gardens.

What to Bring:  Lunch, water, rakes, shovels bush axes, machetes, work gloves, bug spray

Questions: email me at gregb@brinsonandsons.com

If you can only stay a few hours that is fine, all help is greatly appreciated. The club will have some tools there. Hope to see you Saturday.

Thanks
Greg Brinson
President
Cape Fear SORBA