The Northwest NC MTB Alliance, a regional chapter of the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA), partnered with McDowell Technical Community College and brought more than 250 registered participants and their family members to Old Fort and McDowell County this week for what SORBA has described as a full-week of “trail stewardship” at the gateway to the Pisgah National Forest, where miles of new hiking and biking trails opened just this year.
SORBA is a major national mountaineering organization with over 8,000 members in 40 chapters across the south. Camp Grier and the G5 Trail Collective are close partners with the Northwest NC MTB Alliance, and were cosponsors for this year’s summit.
In addition to the two-day summit held at McDowell Tech, many participants opted to take one or more classes focused on trail development and sustainability during the early part of the week: Sustainable Trail Maintenance and Safety—Trail Crew Leader Training; Basic Chainsaw Maintenance and Safety (US Forest Service Certification) and Bridge Building for Trails.
“SORBA is extremely grateful to partner with McDowell Tech for our supplemental educational sessions during this year’s Summit,” said Philip Darden, Executive Director of SORBA. “The help we received from staff, volunteers, and local riders this week has been incredible. Thank you for being an important part of educating our volunteers and elevating trail education in the region.”
“This summit and our partnership with these organization affirms our commitment to becoming an integral workforce development partner with those building trails in the Pisgah National Forest, as well as other National Forests throughout the region,” said Dr. Brian S. Merritt, President at McDowell Tech.
“It also reinforces our commitment to ecotourism and growth of the local economy, particularly in and around Old Fort. There is a significant economic impact to McDowell County when people travel here for trail construction classes, and more particularly, for outdoor recreation opportunities in our area. Across North Carolina, outdoor recreation is estimated to be a $28 billion dollar industry, and the statewide network of trails is considered a significant part of that industry.”
MTCC Coming to Old Fort
Construction is expected to start later this year on renovation of the old Rockett Building in downtown Old Fort, which will eventually be the centerpiece of classes in trail construction and sustainability for the McDowell Tech Trail School. Summer classes for the Trail School are currently scheduled on the main campus beginning in May, with hands-on training throughout the county. Classes are open to local residents, trail devotees, volunteers, federal and state employees and those who want to establish careers in trail development and sustainability.
“With the huge backlog of maintenance needs in trails across the United States, we are lucky that the National Forest Service has funded the first new trail construction in years right here in the Pisgah National Forest,” said Merritt. “We are grateful to our partners at G5, Camp Grier, and others to be a small part of building our local economy. It is the “Year of the Trail’ in North Carolina, but we plan to leverage and multiply statewide efforts and initiatives for a lifetime of benefits here in the shadow of some of the most beautiful and inviting trails in the nation.”
For more information on the Trail Construction and Sustainability Program at McDowell Tech, visit https://mcdowelltech.edu/academic-degree-programs/cewd/trail-construction-and-sustainability/ , or contact Jeremy Poore at 828-659-0468 or by email at [email protected] .
