News

Jesse and Lori with the International Mountain Bike Association rolled into town today. We went out to Dead Horse Ranch State Park to pin flag the trail project for the Trail Building School on Saturday at 9 am and it looks great. Tomorrow is the Better Living Through Trails Presentation at 2. If you were planning on coming but have not registered no worries please. come still. Great food will be provided on Saturday by Crema Cafe and sponsored by Salt River Materials Group. Sunday's post group ride social event will be at Rendezvous in Old Town. We Hope to see you there. Schedule is here: https://www.imba.com/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=266

There was an error in the original release from the PNF in the e-mail address to send comments to. The correct address is: Comments-southwestern-prescott-verde@fs.fed.us 

Please if you submitted comments resend them. The PNF has extended the comment deadline to February 28th to accomodate for the error. 

Are you into seeing 22 miles of new trail adjacent to Cottonwood? We are ...... big time!!! Please send in comments on this proposal to the Prescott National Forest by January 31st. This will be a huge asset to the neighboring communities benefiting their recreation possibilities, health and in so many more ways. Please Click this link to review the Proposal Document with all the info on the project and how to respond. 

Trail day Canceled

As many have heard around town and the recent article in the paper the Coconino National Forest Red Rock Ranger District is considering a closure to cross country travel to mountain bikes. As we all know it is bad riding etiquette to ride rough shod off the trail leaving pointless tracks littering the landscape. What many of you may not know is some great trails could potentially be off limits due to the closure. We have been pushing for no loss of your favorite trails. This coming Monday, February, 11th 5:30 at the RRRD offices just outside of the VOC on HWY179 you will have a chance to hear the details of this potential closure from CNF Staff. The VVCC Board of Directors will have discussion with FS staff and after hearing the details you will have a chance to voice your concerns/ideas.

 The Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition is sponsoring a work day on the Rust Bucket Trail outside of Dead Horse State Park. Come help with trail improvements and reroutes.. Meet at 9:30 on Bill Grey Rd just off of HWY 89A next to:

Immaculate Conception Catholic Church

700 North Bill Gray Road, Cottonwood, AZ

We will car pool in as the road requires a high clearance vehicle.

Volunteers need to come prepared and bring with them: a helmet if available, sun glasses, work gloves, drinking water, lunch, sun screen, a hat, long sleeved shirt, long pants, and wear boots with ankle support.

For more detailed information on locations and to share your interest, please call F. Adrian at 203-7531 or email her at fcadrian@fs.fed.us

January Board Agenda Posted

ADOT’s bicycle and pedestrian plan rolls out public comment period

Agency wants to hear from community members as plan enters final phase

As walking and bicycling for transportation and recreation steadily grows in popularity around our state, the Arizona Department of Transportation continues to advance its Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan to improve safety and multimodal travel options.

ADOT is working on finalizing an update to the plan, which was first established in 2003. Beginning today, everyone has the opportunity to share their thoughts on the draft final report by filling out an online comment form and providing input. The draft final report and comment form can both be found here. The web address is http://www.azbikeped.org/studyupdate/documents.asp. The public comment period runs until Feb. 8.

“We’re calling on the public and members of the bicycling and pedestrian communities to provide us with their ideas on the 24 recommended strategies that are outlined in the draft final report,” said Michael Sanders, ADOT’s bicycle and pedestrian program coordinator. “It’s this kind of feedback that allows us to refine the goals and objectives of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan and continue our work to develop changes in safety, infrastructure, and education, as they apply to our state highway system.”

The recommended strategies fall into three categories: plans and policies; education, enforcement, encouragement and evaluation; and bicyclist and pedestrian infrastructure. All of these strategies are aimed at building on programs and policies that first began in 2003 with the launch of ADOT’s first comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan.

The updated Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan is expected to be finalized this spring. Last summer, more than 1,800 people responded to a survey during the first phase of public involvement for the plan update. The end of 2012 also brought the finalization of the Bicycle Safety Action Plan, a task defined in the 2003 Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. The final report for the Bicycle Safety Action Plan can be found here:   http://www.azdot.gov/mpd/systems_planning/PDF/BSAP/Final.pdf.

ADOT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan was developed as part of a federal long-range bicycle transportation and pedestrian walkways plan. It is also part of Arizona’s Long Range Transportation Plan, also known as “What Moves You Arizona.”

The web address for the draft final report and the comment form is http://www.azbikeped.org/studyupdate/documents.asp. For those who don’t have access to a computer and would like to request a mailed copy of the comment form, you can call (602) 712-8141 or send your request to ADOT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Program at 206 S. 17th Avenue, Mail Drop 310B, Phoenix, AZ 85007. Those who wish to take the survey can also print and mail the form to the above address.

Are you trying to stay up to speed with the RTCA Trails Master Planning Process? We hope you are and want you to have all the info. This Google folder will be full of supporting documents, meeting notes and anything else associated with the process. If you can not find something contact us or the FS. This folder can also be found in the Reference Documents Menu Subfolder. 

cate_bradley@nps.gov

jmburns@fs.fed.us

president@vvcc.us

Great rides this New Years Day about the Verde Valley!!!! Many miles logged today and many more smiles. If you had a resolution to ride more............ you will succeed, we live in AZ and have a great riding community where it is possible to find good company and weather nearly every day of the week! 2013 will be a great year of riding!!!!!!!!

Looking to start the year off right? Here are some of the local rides to to get your fix.

Road ride from the Red Rooster Cafe in Old Town Cottonwood - Meet @ 10am CONTACT - KEVIN DIX - 928-202-1338

Mountain ride from the Bike and Bean - Meet @ 2pm CONTACT - SHOP - 928-284-0210

Mountain ride from Over the Edge Sports - Meet at 12am for "Hungover on Hangover" CONTACT - SHOP - 928-282-1106 (Advanced Ride)

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture

U.S. Forest Service                                                              

Coconino National Forest

www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino                                               

www.twitter.com/CoconinoNF

www.flickr.com/photos/coconinonationalforest

For Immediate Release

October 5, 2012

Public Affairs Contacts:

Brady Smith, Coconino National Forest, 928-527-3490

Brienne Magee, Flagstaff Ranger District, 928-527-8290

Connie Birkland, Red Rock Ranger District, 928-203-7505

December 20th Meeting for Red Rock Trail Planning

Sedona, AZ –Join us December 20, 2012 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm for the third trail and ecosystem protection planning meeting. This meeting will be held at the Hilton Hotel on Ridge Trail Drive in the Village of Oak Creek.  

The Red Rock Ranger District, in partnership with the City of Sedona and the Big Park Council, are seeking to create a non-motorized trail plan that will reflect local values and recreation needs and promote regional benefit while protecting the resources that draw people to this special area. This is the third in a series of monthly meetings to update the trail plan for Forest lands near Sedona and Big Park.  All members of the public are welcome. Your voice, values, and ideas are vital for this collaborative planning effort.  

Agenda for the December 20th meeting will include:

·      Forest Service “trail facts” and standards

·      Discussion of what works and what doesn’t work about the trail system for trail users

·      Discussion about what information is needed to assist the planning process and who will gather it

National Forest trails in the Red Rock area are used by over 600,000 people each year. Trail popularity and use continues to increase particularly for hiking and mountain biking. What will the future of our trails be? What new trail opportunities are appropriate? How can trails be sustainably maintained into the future? These are some of the challenges that can be addressed by this planning process. For more information about the trail planning process please call Jennifer Burns at 928-203-2900 or go to our website at www.fs.usda.gov/coconino click