State Parks: No Changes to Trail Plan

State Parks has responded to BONC's request to amend a trail plan and the answer is no.

As you may know, State Parks plans to implement changes to trails at Empire Mine. After attending public meetings and studying the plan, BONC found many of the proposed changes to be worthy of our support, but other parts of the plan to be worrisome, as certain trails were to be decommissioned. BONCers and others sent in many comments to address these concerns.

The initial response to our letters was disappointing in that State Parks offered to make no changes whatsoever to the plan. We followed and expressed our disappointment in a formal letter from BONC.

State Parks has finally responded and the news is not good. Again, they make no offers to amend any section of the plan. View the letter (2.4MB PDF).

South Yuba Ride - May 2nd

Please join us on the monthly BONC ride on Saturday, May 2th @ 10AM on the South Yuba Trail!

This is a special ride, as the Redding Mountain Bike Club will join us. We'll offer various ride options from *advanced to beginner*. The beginner group will be a No-Rider-Left-Behind ride. When we finish, we'll gather to enjoy some complimentary food prepared by BONC. My daughter is threatening to bake and sell some of her cookies, so bring some $ and your sweet tooth.

Please bring a bike, helmet, water and mid-ride snacks. If you want to join BONC, we'll have memberships available. See you there!

Meet near the South Yuba Campground (in the parking lot with the BLM toilets). Getting there:

From Nevada City, follow Highway 49 to North Bloomfield Road. At 7 miles, you'll cross the one lane bridge. At this point, it is approximately 1 1/2 miles on a dirt/gravel road to the campground. Note that cell phones do not work in this area. Map of the area (1MB, PDF):

BONC Now a 501c3

Today, BONC received notification from the IRS that our organization is a legitimate 501c3 non-profit! What does this mean? We can now apply for grants to fund trail projects. Also, donations to our group are tax deductible.

Credit for landing this non-profit status goes to Shannon Wright. The approval process can take up to a year, but Shannon completed an application that was so complete and professional that the federal government approved it almost immediately. Shannon worked very hard on this. Big kudos to her!

I look forward to applying for grants for various projects. If you have grant writing skills you care to donate to our causes, please let us know.

BONC: Party and a Movie

Bicyclists of Nevada County is hosting a fun get together for members, former members, friends, and, well, *all* Nevada County mountain bicycle riders on Saturday, May 9th at 6:30PM. You and your friends are invited!

First, we eat and drink at this potluck and BBQ dinner. BONC will provide a very brief update (less than 20 minutes) on recent activities and new initiatives. Share your ideas with BONC members and directors. When it gets dark enough to watch the movie outside, we will enjoy KLUNKERZ, an independent film that documents the early days of mountain biking in Marin County (buy this DVD). Please bring something to eat and / or drink, but more importantly, bring yourself and a friend. We'll have a grill going for food that needs it (and what food doesn't, really?).

Everyone is welcome. Donations to BONC are optional but gladly accepted. To learn more, join the BONC email list.