COTA 2018 Annual Report

COTA's 2018 achievements and plans for 2019:
In 2018, in addition to the ongoing tasks of clearing and maintaining hundreds of miles of trail, we:

• Held 33 trail work events, including Trail Love Spring and Trail Love Fall, to build, maintain and enhance our extensive and well-loved network by removing braking bumps, improving trail features and drainage, and more.
  
• Completed additional trails in the Bend area including Ticket to Ride, Voodoo Child, Pine Drops, the extension of trail from Pine Drops to Phil's, and Lone Wolf.  We also built a connector across the Cascade Lakes Highway to FS road 040 (part of the Tangent Loop during ski season) linking Wanoga to Swampy Lakes, rerouted the Storm King crossing near green gate to create a safer crossing a few hundred yards down the highway and built a significant portion of the new and more technically challenging COD trail.  
  
• Received formal approval from the US Forest Service for our Wanoga Winter Fat Bike Trail System.
  
• Supported the NEPA analysis of the proposed Sunriver trail connection to the Duodenum and Catch and Release trails in the Wanoga trail system.
  
• Completed trail work in the Crook County area including 2 miles of rehabilitation on Cougar Trail and 4 miles of Scotty Trail in the Ochoco National Forest.  
  
• Completed additional portions of Crook County’s  Lower 66 expansion including a connecting link of the existing trail to the top of the rim.
  
• Completed layout of the Cascade View trail system west of Cline Buttes in Redmond.
  
• Rehabilitated portions of Redmond’s  Radlands trail system and built out the new Duck & Cover Trail.
  
• Made a financial donation to City of Redmond to support the build and completion of the Homestead Park Pump Track.
  
• Continued work on the 242 Bike Park in Sisters.
  
• Worked with the Sisters Trail Alliance on a coordinated trail development plan for trail construction in the Sisters Ranger District.
  
• Added a new COTA chapter in Madras.
  
• Began design and planning work with the city of Madras for trail system in the Madras East Hills.
  
• Expanded our membership, now reaching more than about 1,100 members
  
• Increased our social media presence by improving and expanding content.  We saw growth rates of 9 percent this year in Facebook followers, 87 percent in Instagram followers, and 6 percent in Twitter followers.
  
• Our Meetup.com page now has 1,275 members, a 59% increase this year.
  
• In partnership with the equestrian and hiking community, we developed new trail etiquette materials including a tri-fold brochure and a professionally produced video highlighting mutual responsibilities during encounters on the trail.
  
• Created a five year strategic plan and designed and implemented comprehensive work plans for trail management and began work on the same for financial management and outreach.
  
• Upgraded and implemented our Trail Steward Training Program, offering three levels of training.
  
• Advocated for the Big Sky Bike Park in Bend. COTA served on the selection committee for the design team and attended numerous public meetings and design feedback sessions to assure the needs of mountain bike riders will be met in this new bike park project.
  
• Became a member of the steering committee on the newly formed Deschutes Trails Coalition, an advocacy organization dedicated to the long term sustainability of both the forest environment and the trail system within it.
  
• We are participating on the steering committee of the Oregon Mountain Bike Coalition, a statewide organization assembled in 2017 to provide advocacy and support for mountain bike trail organizations throughout Oregon.
  

In 2019 we plan to:

• Begin the development of additional trail improvements in the trail system west of Bend.
  
• Develop and install additional signage for the Swampy Lakes area and upgrade signage throughout the trail network
  
• Complete rehabilitation work on the Potlid trail.
  
• Complete planning for converting Crook County’s  Bandit Springs winter trail system into a summer trail system.
  
• Work with the Ochoco National Forest Trail User Group to develop an agreed upon proposal to develop additional trails with a focus on creating loops and connections between the Cougar, Scotty and Potlid trails.
  
• Continue the Lower 66 expansion in Prineville.
  
• Begin construction on the first phase of the Cascade View trail system on the west side of Cline Buttes.
  
• Continue to make improvements to the Radlands trail system in Redmond.
  
• Create a Madras trail system in the east hills of Madras.
  
• Complete Bike Park 242 in Sisters and work toward the development of additional trails at Peterson Ridge (in partnership with the Sisters Trail Alliance and the Forest Service).
  
• Continue our campaign of education on the protocol and spirit of sharing & protecting trails
  
• Respond to member and public input on future management of over 700 miles of single track trails in partnership with the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, Oregon State Parks, Crook and Deschutes counties, the City of Madras and other land managers.
  

cota_annual_report__1_.pdf
File Size:	85 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

---