New Bicycle Skills Park Opens to the Public
New Bicycle Skills Park Opens to the Public
A budding partnership between the Mother Lode Land Trust and Amador Trail Stewardship culminated in the May 24th ribbon cutting ceremony of the new Bicycle Skills Park. Riders of all ages came out to celebrate with the community and ride their bikes around the new trails. Rental bikes were also on hand, free of charge for those wanting to try out the park. The new bike park has a track that includes rollers, berms, and balancing features which allow new riders to learn how to safely handle their bikes, develop mountain biking basics, and gather experience to transition to bigger and longer trails. More advanced riders “took to the hill” and rode the more difficult trails on the adjacent 200-acre C&C Ranch. Located at 1334 Jackson Gate Road, the C&C Ranch Bicycle Skills Park is open to the public 7-days a week from dawn to dusk.
This Bicycle Skills Park was made possible through community collaboration and many hours of tireless volunteer work. A Memorandum of Understanding was created between the Mother Lode Land Trust (landowner) and Amador Trail Stewardship (project partner) for the development of the site which enabled Amador Trail Stewardship to secure a $5,000 grant from Athletic Brewing out of San Diego from their “2 for Trails Program” that helped cover the infrastructure costs at the park. Local businesses pitched in with donations or discounted rates to help with construction. Special thanks to: Grady Landscaping, Rubini Tree Service, Jackson Bike and Board, and Coffee Tree for their generous contributions! Amador Trail Stewardship Volunteers and coaches donated time to develop the site. Bradley Booker led the group who in the end most likely broke a record for the most volunteer hours ever worked on a project. Without his hard work, the vision of the Amador Trail Stewardship Board of Directors, none of this would have been possible.
Amador Trail Stewardship (“ATS”) is a local, Amador County based non-profit committed to bringing outdoor recreation opportunities to the residents and visitors of Amador County by providing access to and maintenance of multi-use trail systems the enhance our local economy. ATS’s Amador Mountain Biking Club helps Amador County youth learn the safe practices, skills, and etiquette to become lifelong riders and ambassadors of mountain biking. Amador Mountain Biking Club aims to instill youth with healthy lifestyle practices, empathy and graciousness towards all trail users, and active participation in making positive changes in their community. The new Bicycle Skills park gives the Club a place to introduce youth to their programs. Amador Mountain Biking Club meets each Wednesday at 5:30pm for club rides open to all ages, through August. Visit www.amadortrailstewardship.org for more information.
Mother Lode Land Trust (“MLLT”) is a locally based regional non-profit Land Trust whose mission is to preserve the historic character of the Mother Lode. This is achieved by placing conservation easements on agricultural land and open space; and by purchasing special places outright so the public can enjoy them for generations to come. MLLT owns two Preserves in Amador County that are open to the public for passive recreation: Erickson Ranch in Sutter Creek and C&C Ranch in Jackson. Hiking, mountain bike riding, and horseback riding are all allowed uses on the Preserves. The C&C Ranch on Jackson Gate Road was donated to MLLT in 2011 by the Chichizola-Cuneo Family and is home to the Amador Community Garden, Master Gardener’s Heritage Rose Garden, the Historic Chichizola Store (Zola Exchange), and now the Bicycle Skills Park.