CA Trails & Greenways Celebrates its 40th Anniversary!
Highlights and reflections from Pomona, California
Last month, the CA Trails & Greenways Conference celebrated its 40th Anniversary, drawing trail professionals, stewards, and advocates from across the state to Pomona, CA. This annual gathering is more than just a conference; it’s a touchstone for our movement. It was at the 2019 Trails and Greenways Conference that CAMTB was unofficially formed, uniting mountain bikers statewide with a shared vision for better trail access, more sustainable stewardship, and a stronger voice in Sacramento and beyond.
This year’s conference was a powerful reminder of how far we’ve come and how much mountain bikers now shape the conversation. CAMTB board members and Teen Ambassador Diem Schneider were on hand, connecting with trail leaders, land managers, California State Parks leadership, and partners from every corner of the trail community. The mountain biking community’s presence was unmistakable. Our priorities were front and center in workshops, panels, and hallway conversations, and not surprisingly, other trail user groups shared those priorities in attendance.
On the (Legislative) Trail Workshop with Outdoor Alliance, CORP, and CAMTB
CAMTB, Outdoor Alliance, and the California Outdoor Recreation Partnership (CORP) teamed up to lead a workshop on the fast-changing policy and legislative landscape for trails and public lands. CAMTB’s Steve Messer highlighted both the successes of 2024 and the challenges now facing mountain bikers: the passage of the EXPLORE Act, new national monument designations, and the major win of California Proposition 4. But he also sounded the alarm about new threats to those hard-won monument protections, with Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands National Monuments facing potential rollbacks through administrative action or lawsuits. The takeaway was clear, mountain bikers can’t afford to let up on advocacy, and our voices are needed now more than ever.
Matthew Blain covered the California state legislation, including the State Trails Conservancy Program, SB287, which we are actively supporting this year. In fact, it passed out of committee with testimony from our Executive Director, Michael Anzalone, during the conference.
The legislative workshop didn’t stop at the policy talk. Instead, conference attendees took action on the spot, generating 30 postcards to California Senators in support of the RTP Full Funding Act of 2025, showing that grassroots advocacy is alive and well in our community. Legislative analyst Keith Cialino helped demystify the legislative process, giving mountain bikers apractical tools and timelines for engaging with the state legislature as effective advocates.
Chris Orr Recognized with Lifetime Professional Achievement Award
Beyond the legislative workshop, the conference celebrated trail champions like Chris Orr of IMBA Trail Solutions, who received a Lifetime Professional Achievement Award for his incredible 30 years of trail stewardship. Jim Hasenauer, co-founder of CORBA and IMBA and a veteran mountain bike advocate, delivered a stirring plenary reflecting on the conference’s 40-year evolution: mountain bikers are now making significant contributions, collaboration across user groups has increased, and the public demand for trails continues to outpace supply, something that hasn’t changed much in 40 years.
CAMTB Members and Partner Featured During Conference Education Sessions
Hands-on workshops were a highlight for many, including Chris Orr’s session on trail assessment at Bonelli Regional Park – the future mountain biking venue for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. CAMTB’s expertise was also front and center in the well-attended panel on fire-hardened trails and California’s Joint Strategy on Sustainable Recreation and Forest Resilience, with Steve Messer joining Stew McMorrow of Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship and John Wentworth of MLTPA. Susie Murphy, Chris Orr, and Travis Mason of USFS Region 5 hosted a session on the US Forest Service, Region 5 agreement with IMBA Trail Solutions to conduct trail construction and maintenance workshops with Forest Service units around the state. (Sadly, this successful program faces an uncertain future with the changes to USFS policies.) These sessions drove home the importance of sustainable, resilient trail design that supports both recreation, resource, and wildfire management, key issues for California’s future.
Inspiration and Encouragement from California Natural Resources Agency and CA State Parks Leadership
The conference closed with Secretary Wade Crowfoot announcing a new Trails and Greenways program within the California Natural Resources Agency. The program will manage the $100 million investment from Prop 4 Climate Bond funding, which CAMTB and our partners championed last year, and was ultimately approved by voters last November. This is a major step forward for California’s Outdoors for All initiative and a testament to what mountain bikers can achieve when we work together. CAMTB board members were able to spend quality face time with both California State Parks Director Armando Quintero and Secretary Crowfoot.
Looking back, it’s clear that the California Trails and Greenways Conference is where mountain biking advocacy in California found its statewide footing, and every year since, our impact has only grown. CAMTB is proud to represent the mountain biking and trail stewardship community at this gathering, to celebrate our wins, confront our challenges, and keep building a future where every Californian can experience the joy of riding great trails.
