Island mountain biking group looking for volunteers for BC Trail Day
This Saturday is BC Trail Day and Victoria's South Island Mountain Bike Society (SIMBS) is hoping to mark the occasion by maintaining popular trails for the benefit of all local riders.
To celebrate, the local organization is looking for volunteers to help with trial building and maintenance work at the Hartland mountain bike park on Sunday.
Work will include trail grading, restoration and remediation along with collecting garbage that blows onto the trails from the Hartland dump.
BC Trail Day is a province-wide initiative dedicated to celebrating and caring for B.C.’s trail systems, educating about responsible recreation and helping more British Columbians enjoy trails and outdoor spaces.
Alon Soraya, the president of the South Island Mountain Bike Society, says caring for the trails is a priority.
"In order to have the best possible experience on the trail and to maintain the ecological integrity of our parks, it’s critically important that trail maintenance and monitoring take place on an ongoing and continuous basis," he said.
Some of the maintenance this weekend will take place at two of the park's most popular trails, Sofa King and Organ Donor.
Anyone interested in volunteering is asked to RSVP by emailing trails@simbs.com as soon as possible, by Friday, June 4 at the latest.
SIMBS will assign participants to projects on a first come, first serve basis. Dress for the weather, bring water, wear sturdy shoes and bring your own mask and work gloves says the group.
SIMBS is a non-profit, volunteer-powered organization that promotes mountain biking on South Vancouver Island. In addition to maintaining the trails at Hartland, SIMBS advocates for the needs of the broader off-road cycling community in the region.
"It’s really cool, especially after a year of social distancing, to be out there doing something like this," said Soraya. "And knowing that others across the province are also participating in their own way in their own setting."
The South Island Mountain Bike Society holds monthly trail maintenance events if you can’t make it out this weekend. More information can be found here.
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