BOULDER, Colo. (July 1, 2020) — The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) is pleased to announce ten Dig In projects are now live and open for fundraising. Dig In is a new online donation platform for mountain bike trail projects launched in partnership with Shimano. The platform will support IMBA Local Partners’ efforts to create, protect and enhance more trails close to home in communities across the country.
“We’re thrilled to officially launch Dig In and help our IMBA Local Partners boost funding for more trails close to home,” said Dave Wiens, Executive Director of IMBA. “Adequate trail funding is a consistent uphill grind that mountain bike advocates know all too well. Dig In is one more way IMBA can leverage its national network to better support and better fund more great mountain bike trails, by leveraging both public and private funding.”
The ten Dig In projects support work by IMBA Local Partners for a bike skills park construction project in Cincinnati, Youth Conservation Corps assistance in Vermont, Recreational Trails Program grant matching in Virginia, and more; all supporting more trails close to home. In total, the projects require $514,000 to be fully funded. Each project is eligible for matching funds from Shimano. The more individual donations each project raises, the more total funding each project receives. This quarter’s ten featured projects are summarized below.
Donations for the current projects will be accepted July 1 through September 30, and a new round of projects will be live for fundraising October 1. IMBA Local Partners can apply for the fall round of Dig In beginning August 1. New projects will continue to be posted quarterly and project applications will be accepted quarterly. IMBA’s previous Dig In fundraiser in fall 2017 was a one-time effort to raise funds for 68 projects in 31 states. It raised $122,000 for 500 miles of new trail, maintenance for 140 miles, ten new bike parks, and three projects supporting high school mountain biking. Now, Dig In has evolved to support ongoing funding for more trails.
“We are able to match up to $50,000 in donations in 2020 and expect more matching dollars in 2021. By providing a national platform to promote local projects, this program has the potential to provide hundreds of thousands of dollars directly to IMBA Local Partners for trail projects each year,” said Anthony Duncan, IMBA Director of Local Programs.
Summer 2020 Dig In Projects:
- Mount Airy Skills Park and Trails Project – Cincinnati, OH (Cincinnati Off-Road Alliance)
- Cincinnati Off-Road Alliance is working with Cincinnati Parks on developing the Mount Airy Forest Skills Park and Trails. This project will provide a low-risk and easily accessible learning environment for kids on bikes. The park will play a key role in helping develop the programming necessary to encourage kids to ride and develop their skills.
- Trail Creek Bridge Project – Victor, ID (Mountain Bike the Tetons)
- The project in focus is the construction of a 60-foot bridge across Trail Creek within the Southern Valley Recreation Project site in Victor, and will connect new trails to existing trails. The project has been partially funded through an Recreational Trails Program grant and a number of small private donations. Dig In funds will help pay for the cost of bridge materials.
- Patuxent River State Park Trail Project – Damascus, MD (Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts)
- Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts is helping fund the first seven miles of trails for hiking, running, biking, and equestrian use at Patuxent River State Park in Maryland. This project will provide additional trail infrastructure along the borders of Montgomery and Howard counties with emphasis on diversity and inclusion of underserved communities who do not have access to local trails or are forced to travel to enjoy sustainable, natural surface, multi-use, public trails.
- Bridges and Berms Project – Ridgeland, MS (Tri-County Mountain Bike Association)
- The Ridgeland Trails were constructed in 2007 with bridges and berms built with treated pine that have begun to deteriorate. Funding is needed to rebuild these features.
- Western Heritage Park Trail Project – Mineral Wells, TX (Weatherford Mountain Bike Association)
- Funding will support the purchase of tools for maintenance crews and signs for the Western Heritage Park Trail in Mineral Wells. At approximately 4.35 miles, the soft-surface nature trail benefits the mountain biking, hiking and trail running communities of Mineral Wells and the Palo Pinto County region.
- Narrowback Trail Connector Project – Rockingham/Augusta Counties, VA (Shenandoah Mountain Bike Coalition)
- Narrrowback Mountain is one of the most popular places to ride in the George Washington National Forest. The Coalition has received a Recreational Trails Program grant through the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation to construct three miles of new trail to connect the Narrowback Tower Trail with the newly constructed Wolf Ridge Parking lot. Funding will support the monetary match required for the grant.
- Rattling Creek Trail System Expansion Project – Lykens, PA (Susquehanna Area Mountain Bike Association)
- Susquehanna Area Mountain Bike Association’s vision for the expansion would provide additional access to the Rattling Creek IMBA EPIC from surrounding towns, connectivity to the Lykens Valley Rail Trail and double current trail mileage by establishing trail connections that support future trail development within Weiser State Forest.
- Walden Ridge Park Trail Construction, Phase 1 – Chattanooga, TN (SORBA Chattanooga)
- Located less than ten minutes from downtown Chattanooga, the 200-acre Walden Ridge Park will offer our community between eight and 12 miles of gravity-oriented mountain bike trails with 800 feet of elevation loss, for beginner to expert riders. It will also boast a rock climbing zone and hiking trails.
- Pine Hill Park Trail Buildout Project – Rutland, VT (Pine Hill Partnership)
- Due to COVID-19, the Pine Hill Partnership needs to replace approximately 2,500 lost volunteer hours to complete the Pine Hill Park Trail project. The plan is to address the backlog of trail maintenance and new trail development by hiring the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps.
- Brundage Mountain to Bear Basin Trail, Phase 2 – McCall, ID (Central Idaho Mountain Bike Association)
- This project will fund the 3-mile second phase trail of an 8-mile project that will connect the existing U.S. Forest Service Bear Basin Trail system. It is a stacked loop non-motorized trail system just west of McCall, and will connect into a variety of lift-accessible and cross country trails at Brundage Mountain Resort.
