February 18, 2011

The Northwest Trail Alliance has been a great partner over the last few years, especially in our work to explore opportunities for increased off-road cycling in Forest Park and other parts of Portland. An alliance of mountain bikers and off-road cyclists, NWTA advocates for increased and improved riding opportunities in  NW Oregon and SW Washington.

Today's Oregonian features a great story about how the group has grown in the past year, seeing membership nearly triple - the group now has about 400 members. To capitalize on this momentum, NWTA is getting ready to hire its first paid employee to focus on helping the organization grow even more.

These days, we're working with NWTA on the Gateway Green project, which is moving into the next phase of fundraising, and we're working with them to build a new Bike Skills Area in the East Portland area.

We know that better biking opportunities in Forest Park have long been a priority for NWTA - we're looking forward to enhancing the bike experience there by improving fire lanes. After we complete a wildlife study and a vegetation monitoring program, we'll look at additional improvements and trail proposals that came out of our Singletrack Advisory Committee.

Photo courtesy NWTA