Your response helps IMBA sharpen our advocacy
Volunteers and forest service employees gather before a trail work day. Federal land management agencies including the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the National Park Service (NPS) have laid off about 10% of their workforces.
Many, many mountain bike advocates, trail champions and local leaders have worked closely with federal land management agency staff for more than 35 years. Agency employees are essential partners and allies in trail stewardship and mountain bike access. They are dedicated professionals, and they’re our neighbors: they live in the communities they serve. They know the landscapes intimately, care for them tirelessly, and share many of the same values as the outdoor recreation community—because they are part of it. The work of land management agency staff is essential to keeping trails healthy, accessible, and protected for everyone.
What do these layoffs mean for trails and mountain biking? In the broadest sense: maintenance, permits and visitor services will be impacted for mountain bikers and for all trail users. Exactly what that looks like will vary by community based on local and regional agency priorities. This is what we need to understand more clearly. By learning more about how cuts are affecting your local community, IMBA can have a clearer national picture of these impacts to tailor our resources and advocacy accordingly.
If your local trail organization stewards trails on federal land, can you answer a few questions about how your community trails are […]
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