Legal non-motorized biking, hiking, and running trails provide enormous physical, social, economic, and environmental benefits to the Columbia Valley.
That is why you should attend the seventh annual general meeting of the Columbia Valley Cycling Society on Monday, March 26, 7 p.m. at the Invermere Lion’s Hall.
The evening will be a high-paced affair, which will begin with free pizza and a showing of the inspiring movie Pedal Driven.
The movie chronicles the town of Leavenworth, Washington which has had several of the same challenges experienced by cyclists and non-motorized users attempting to gain legal trail access in the Columbia Valley. It will leave viewers with a better understanding of what the club is doing and the kind of local trail network we are working to achieve.
At 8 p.m. the wordy portion of the meeting will begin in earnest with the goal of wrapping everything up by 8:30 p.m.
The past year was a busy and successful one for the volunteer club. Among our major successes were:
• legal designation of the Kloosifier Trail on the Toby Bench, only the Columbia Valley’s third legal public mountain bike trail
• development of a partnership with the Village of Radium Hot Springs and the Radium Rotary Club to build a pump track bike skills area
• commencement of a collaborative attempt with other users to develop a backcountry management plan
• commencement of work toward the legal designation of the Brewer Creek high alpine mountain bike trail and a legal trail between Invermere and Panorama
• redevelopment of the club’s website by C-it Productions of Radium Hot Springs
• over a month of work at Mt. Swansea by our professional trail building crew in the fall of 2011 that included the rerouting of a section of long-existing trail out of an area of sensitive owl habitat, while improving rider experience
• development of a new mission statement; and more.
In 2012 we will keep that momentum going and hit the ground running in April as our trail crew begins the new work season at the newly-legalized Kloosifer Trail.
Hope to see you at the AGM. For more information contact Adrian Bergles, president of the Columbia Valley Cycling Society at cvcyclingsociety@hotmail.com.