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24 | Nov | '14
Bryan Rivard
By using it to link your Fred Meyer Rewards card! Watch the 2-minute video below by BryanR to see how easy (and impactful) linking your card can be. And if you don't have a Rewards Card you can get a digital one online and link to us that way! It's a great way to benefit Evergreen that only costs you 5 minutes of time. And with Thanksgiving shopping happening this week it's a perfect opportunity to help fund the trails you love! Take a few minutes and sign up today! www.fredmeyer.com/communityrewards
15 | Nov | '14
Bryan Rivard
Last Friday over 140 people—more than 3x last year’s attendance—came together to hang out and celebrate the hard work and dedication of Evergreen's incredible community of volunteers.  Volunteers, Evergreen staff, and board members spent the evening catching up, talking trails, and making plans for the coming year—all while enjoying pizza sponsored by Element Cycles, beer from Bellevue Brewing Company, and some great mountain biking movies.  Attendees were even treated to a premier of the latest installment of the Peak to Creek series provided by our friends at Freehub. The night allowed the Evergreen board and staff to publicly thank the volunteers who are the engine behind Evergreen. “Without your time, commitment, and passion” said  Executive Director Glenn Glover “there would be no Evergreen.  It’s all of our work together that has turned us into a powerhouse for mountain biking in Washington.”
13 | Nov | '14
Bryan Rivard
For Western Washington riders, old man winter has finally reared his GoreTex-covered head, raising an important question-where's the best winter riding?   Fortunately there are a number of well-draining routes to check out, and some popular trails can be ridden year-round.  We've gotten a number of questions about Tiger trails closing--so here's the scoop on that. DNR will keep Tiger open (with input from Evergreen) as long as conditions allow.  Once riding becomes too damaging, the trails will be closed.  But just because one trail closes doesn't mean they all do-we'll keep you updated! And please remember that, while we can't prove it, in all likelihood Trail Gnomes don't exist.  If you see that your riding is shredding trail, please turn around and find another route.  Volunteers and work crews labor hard to keep these trails spiffy for everyone so please don't make it harder than it needs to be!  Here are some favorite winter rides from the Trail Guide:  
11 | Nov | '14
Bryan Rivard
Washington's recreational immunity statute greatly limits a landowner's liability when they open up their properties to the public for recreation--like mountain biking--without charging a fee.   However, if landowners and land managers don't fully understand recreational liability in Washington, then they will be less likely to allow access out of fear.  While this may not be a hot topic at parties, thanks to Evergreen it was at the biennial Washington State Trails Coalition Conference this past October.   Evergreen board member and attorney Andrew Rigel led a standing-room only presentation along with representatives from The Mountaineers and The Access Fund.   Topics included an interpretation of the statute (RCW 4.24.210) itself along with a review of case law, additional risk management tools that can be used, and the risks versus benefits of encouraging recreation. The WSTC Conference, held in Bellingham this year, brings together organizations from across Washington to discuss all aspects of trail-based recreation and had over 300 attendees. 
06 | Nov | '14
Bryan Rivard
When Evergreen Program Manager Mike Westra and Education and Volunteer Manager Mike Sidwell visit a school, it's not usual for them to have tools in tow.   Last week they teamed up with Kirkland-based Environmental and Adventure School--an experiential learning school that focuses on the interdependent relationship between people and the environment--to participate in a service learning program.   Service learning combines classroom instruction with community service--a core component to EAS curriculum--and Evergreen staff was more than happy to provide an opportunity.  Under the direction of crew leads, students from 6th-8th grade spent three hours a day at Duthie (for the entire week) learning to be responsible stewards by performing maintenance work, learning about sustainable trails, and having fun outside.      Students had fun while learning.  "It's a great opportunity to help students connect with the outdoors and learn at the same time," says Mike S "we look forward to increasing out work with schools in the future."   If you'd like to get more information about how your school can engage in service learning opportunities with Evergreen, contact Mike Sidwell at .
06 | Nov | '14
Bryan Rivard
The new Tiger descending trail just passed its 12th week of construction and it's a great time for volunteers to get involved!  The mini-excavator has completed its work on the first section and now crews are hand-finishing excavated sections-and we want to invite you to join a work party and add another great trail on Tiger! And the best part about work parties is not only are they a great way to give back-they're also a ton of fun!  Spending the day outside is awesome anyway, but when it's with a group of fun, passionate people building a trail for anyone to enjoy-it doesn't even feel like work!   And few things feel better than the pride of knowing you helped build the trail you're riding.  You don't need to have experience to come help-there's a job for everyone and all ages and abilities are welcome!   This trail is a perfect one to lend a hand as a volunteer!  Not only is it our main focus on Tiger Mountain this winter, but when completed it will be the most technically challenging authorized trail in the Puget Sound area!  Come be a part of history; work parties are starting now, so keep an eye on the calendar, and we'll see you on the trail.
06 | Nov | '14
Bryan Rivard
October was NOVA grant review month, and a great example of how much more respect and credibility mountain biking is getting in Washington.   NOVA, or the Non-highway Off-road Vehicle Activities program, provides funding to develop and manage off-road recreational opportunities-like motorcycle, equestrian, hiking, and of course, mountain biking.  Evergreen has been working hard to ensure that mountain bikers are well represented in recreation funding, and it has been paying off.  This year there were applications for $1.1mil worth of grant projects which would specifically benefit mountain biking in our state.  This is a dramatic increase from $490,000 in applications for similar projects in 2012 and $325,000 in 2011.  Evergreen and our chapters are building strong relationships with land managers, and continuing our efforts to show the need for more trails with state agencies in Olympia-and it's paying off.  There were numerous comments from land managers tying new trail opportunities to the expanded maintenance work now being done by mountain bikers, and with a projected 12,000 donated volunteers hours for 2014, Evergreen volunteers can take pride in that. While not all of these projects will be funded this cycle, it is a clear indicator that the needs of mountain bikers are being taken seriously.  Evergreen will continue this successful effort, building relationships with land managers and agencies across the state--thank you for your continued support.  
04 | Nov | '14
Bryan Rivard
The Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance and Lisa Miller are pleased to announce the formation of a new organization called the Washington Student Cycling League. Two years ago the Washington Student League, guided by Lisa Miller, was created as a program within Evergreen to provide a holistic mountain bike program for students in grades 7-12.   The partnership allowed Evergreen to further its goal of expanding the sport while the league received support that included financial stability and access to an extensive community of riders. Both Evergreen and the League have experienced steady growth in the following years.  Now, with the continual increase in popularity of mountain biking as a sport, the league has grown large enough that it is ready to run as an independent nonprofit organization.  The new Washington Student Cycling League replaces Evergreen's Washington Student League, which will cease operations immediately. "I'm pleased that we were able to foster this youth cycling program over the last few years and I'm confident that it will thrive on its own now" says Evergreen's Executive Director Glenn Glover. "We look forward to finding creative ways to partner as we both advance mountain biking in Washington." "I am very proud of the community and the program that we have built under Evergreen. We are changing lives and seeing the impact of our work in our community is astounding," says Miller."Our team of League supporters is excited to continue the mission and vision of empowering youth through cycling." The new Washington Student Cycling League will begin operations on November 3, 2014 and registration for the Spring League season will open on December 1. The new League will be under the continued leadership of Lisa Miller who will serve as the organization's Executive Director. For more information on the new Washington Student Cycling League, visit www.washingtonleague.org
04 | Nov | '14
Bryan Rivard
Remember your first mountain bike?  Those big tubes, 21 gears, and that cast-iron frame?  Born of cutting edge, NASA technology (thicker tires and flat handle bars) it allowed you to break away from the road, onto the dirt, and into the sport that you love today. That bike helped you learn switchbacks, weight transfer, and how poorly your body bounced on packed dirt.  It taught the reward of a hard-fought climb, and the thrill of a ripping descent.  You learned together-and worked those trails like one body. But as the years went on, you may have found that disc brakes, rear shocks, and lighter frames took your riding to new levels-ones that you just couldn't reach with your old bike.  Maybe it just didn't seem like as much fun as your new bike.   So it slowly moved further back in the garage.  But you never stopped using what you learned together.  Remember our first website?  That flashy 1998 technology that offered you all the Washington State mountain biking info your AOL dial up could handle?  Well we learned a lot there too.  Visitors to the Evergreen site may have noticed a big change this past weekend-and now we're pleased to officially announce the new  Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance page! After 16 years of duct-taping-and-crazy-gluing the previous site, we're excited to take what we've learned and launch the new go-to-resource for Washington State mountain bikers. The new site not only looks sweet, but it also brings a ton of new features and loads of behind-the-scenes functionality to help us better serve our community.   We've kept much of the old site structure but have added in a blog for articles and releases, updated information pages, integrated it with our Trail Guide, and even included social media feeds so you can follow pictures and activities--plus much more.  It's a very exciting time to be a member of Evergreen, and we're glad you support us as we deliver on our commitment to better riding around the state.  As we continue to grow, we always appreciate those who've helped us get there.  Maarten van Dantzich, who kept the previous site going as long as it did, as well as Pavel Dolezel, who spent endless hours building the site you see now--were indispensable (as were countless others).   As the old site takes it's place further back in the garage (so far back you cant see it) and as Evergreen moves forward, we'll continue to use what we've learned together to serve Washington mountain biking for years to come.  Interested in volunteering your time to improve the site? Please contact us!  Notice a bug or a need for functionality?  Contact the webmaster.