Building a better future

By Vickie Aldous
Ashland Daily Tidings

Mountain biking has always been viewed as a sport for unfettered adrenaline addicts, but a local group of bikers is combining fun with responsibility.

	Southern Oregon Mountain Biking Association member Bob Quaccia, 52, of Ashland rides down a trail near Lithia Park. Quaccia has been mountain biking for about 20 years. Satsuki Doi | Ashland Daily Tidings

With 80 to 100 active, dues-paying members, the Southern Oregon Mountain Bike Association - or SOMBA - holds myriad races and rides throughout the year, from the Full Moon Night Ride to escape summer's heat, to the Fall Freeze Poker Ride with prizes for the top hands.

Yet, on many weekends, members leave their mountain bikes in the garage, grab up tools and spend the day digging and scraping to maintain existing trails and create new ones under the guidance of the U.S. Forest Service or Ashland Parks and Recreation Department.

"It's a high-quality group of people with an interest in what they do," said Tom Lupes, recreation manager for the Ashland, Applegate, Illinois Valley and Galice Ranger Districts. "Their interest in promoting safe and responsible mountain biking pleases us. It's a real pleasure to see individuals who are interested in the public lands. They have a lot to offer and are making a contribution."

In keeping with SOMBA's "share the trail" ethic, the organization welcomes other trail users to its work parties.

A trail reconstruction work party earlier this month at Applegate Lake attracted 24 volunteers, including mountain bikers, runners and hikers, according to Dana Bandy, SOMBA trails advocacy co-chair.

Bandy said with Forest Service budgets on the decline during the past several years, it's even more important for citizens to step forward.

"The Forest Service has suffered a lot of cutbacks. They don't have the manpower to maintain the existing trails, let alone build new ones," Bandy said.

Lupes agreed it is becoming increasingly difficult for the agency to meet the needs of the recreating public.

"It's not getting easier, especially with the increasing interest in the great outdoors. The use is not slacking off - if anything, it's increasing," he said. "With any reduction in funds, it becomes more important for those types of interested parties to get involved."

In addition to maintaining and building trails, experienced SOMBA members put a good deal of energy into educating mountain bikers to not take matters into their own hands by building illegal trails.

Bandy said Forest Service and parks department staff work hard to cooperate with mountain bikers and understand their desire for more trails.

"They are bending over backwards to help us. Land managers are happy with new trails when they're done properly and through the proper channels," he said.

While going off trails and wearing out a new path - or even scraping a new one - may seem like an easy and harmless way to create an exciting route, resource damage can be substantial.

"It doesn't take many mountain bikers getting off existing trails to cause quite a bit of damage, depending on the soils and steepness," Lupes said. "Damage can be caused with the single passage of a bike."

Rainfall redirected down an illegal trail quickly leads to erosion, he said.

The Ashland Watershed, with its highly erosive granitic soils, is especially prone to damage, according to Lupes.

Repair of illegal trails diverts agency resources away from maintenance of legal trails, he noted.

When building a new trail approved by the Forest Service or parks department, SOMBA volunteers are careful to follow proper trail-building principles, Bandy said.

Participants are given an orientation before work even begins.

Trails are cut along slopes rather than straight down, with the surface angled slightly downhill to allow water to sheet off rather than form ruts. Volunteers also dig down to a hard surface, according to Bandy.

"The end result is a trail that can last generations without a lot of maintenance," he said.

Lupes said he appreciates SOMBA members' efforts to educate mountain bikers, both during work parties and by example.

"Responsible use is contagious," he said.

SOMBA will hold its next work party on Saturday, April 24, in the Ashland Watershed. For volunteer information, contact Dana Bandy at 488-2453.

For race and ride information, call Thom Kneeland at 488-7784.

Information also is available on the Internet at www.somba.org.