Trail Fest Brings Community Together

SUNSHINE COAST, British Columbia—It's Friday morning—a school day—and elementary school principal John Lussier crouches down on his knees deep in the woods, clearing away cedar slash with a regiment of second and third graders.

His group constitutes a small part of a trail building army of more than 1,000 kids tramping around the temperate rain forest of Sunshine Coast as part of the second annual Trail Fest 2001.

Doug Detwiller, founder of the successful children's program Sprockids, spearheaded the event. The Back Country Horsemen Association and the Ministry of Forests, Canada's equivalent of the BLM, also contributed.

The three-day event in mid-May harnessed the manpower of eager children for a variety of tasks. Kids from kindergarten

through high school installed nearly 70 miles of trails through the rugged landscape.

"After our group cleared an area around a creek, we dragged fallen cedar over for older kids to build a bridge with," Lussier said.

In addition to collaborating on physical projects, Trail Fest also fortified inter-community bridges—between mountain bikers and equestrians, between teachers and students and between children and parents.

"By working as a unified force these sometimes conflicting groups became familiar with each other, not only on a personal level, but they also became more understanding of each groups' individual needs and worries regarding the trail and elsewhere," Detwiller said.

Allan May, chairman of the Sunshine Coast Chapter of the Back Country Horsemen, which hosted the event on its trailside property, said it was a "great show of cooperation between user groups."

"Maintaining open lines of communication is essential to making multi-use trails work. And although there is a sense of ownership when you work to build a trail, you have to remember that you were not the source, and take others into account," May said.

Colleen Hourigan, an elementary teacher and mother of two, supervised one group.

"I just learned to mountain bike myself. My eight-year-old son Nathaniel is in Sprockids. His interest provided the initial push to get involved with mountain biking and Trail Fest," she said.

Trail Fest connected trail systems between two ferry docks so riders can cross the area without riding on pavement.

Detwiller, who also is a teacher, produces instructional packets for other teachers, event promoters and clubs. Available online at www.sprockids.com, the packets thoroughly explain how to incorporate cycling in the classroom and promote it to community members and school, government and land managers.

Sprockids began years ago to help boost the self-esteem of youngsters through the inclusive, challenging experience of mountain biking. With the support of British Columbia communities and the bike industry, the concept has spread like wildfire. Detwiller estimates that he has sold more than 400 packets.

Yet the majority of teachers and many of the students at Trail Fest were not mountain bikers. Making education relevant and tangible is an important element in Detwiller's classroom and his extracurricular programs.

"The idea is that even though the student is young they can make a positive change. Trail building gives them some visible and lasting results," he said.

Hourigan said most kids left beaming at their accomplishments, intent on bringing the parents back to show off the trail. Two days later, on Mother's Day, many did just that.

Detwiller said advocacy seminars at conventions like Interbike often frustrate him because of their exclusion of children.

"I feel like jumping up and down screaming, you're always talking adults to adults. Your biggest advocates are kids," he said.

Kids often get their parents involved in their activities and this leads to more resources being brought to the various advocacy fronts, he argues.

"A grandfather was out that weekend who hadn't been on a bike in 20 years. His son was there with his two kids. All were filthy dirty, but happy and magical. That's what it is all about," he said.

"I want to be the catalyst to bring the industry and communities together. Our society is desperately looking for that connection. We also need that stress relief. We don't play enough. Mountain biking gives us that excuse," he said.

Judd de Vall, IMBA's international advocacy representative, attended Trail Fest and said preparation for such an event is key.

Clearly explaining a project's objectives and benefits to school and land managers is essential de Vall said.