December 15, 2020 Trail EAffect Show Page ABOUT THE EPISODE In 2018, ORA Trails, in partnership with the City of La Crosse Parks, was awarded an IMBA Trail Accelerator Grant, that provided planning services for a 5.5-mile trail system within Grandad Bluff Park in the City of La Crosse, Wisconsin. The goal was to provide trails in an underutilized park that had rogue and social use issues. Aside from a great view from this bluff, there were no other recreational amenities offered. Now the system has been completed and legalized. We discuss the timeline of how this played out. Topics covered in this episode: Jed Olson – Newly hired executive director for the Outdoor Recreation Alliance of the 7 Rivers Region – ORA Trails The concept of a trail system within a city park that offers 550’ of elevation gain, excellent views, and is located right in the middle of the community. This is the exact plan that when completed offered “More Trails Close to Home”. The timeline from Concept to Complete How attending IMBA Trail Labs in Bentonville, Arkansas helped provide insight to being awarded the Trail Accelerator Grant Hiccups and lessons learned through the process What people can expect from this trail system – Hint – it’s got something for everyone. From Beginner level trails suitable for the Family and Strollers to Some technical “Black Level” shared use trails. This is a shared use system, and was intended to be that which has been a huge success in terms of getting the residents of La Crosse outside an into an area that most would not have gone to in the past.  Looking forward in the La Crosse Area with ORA Trails RELATED SHOW NOTES Driftless Dirt Podcast Episode Two with Jed Olson: http://theoutdoorroute.com/listen/driftless-dirt/jed-olson-of-velocity-projects/ The Outdoor Recreation Alliance of the 7 Rivers Region: www.oratrails.org Velo-City Projects: https://www.velo-cityprojects.com/ IMBA Trail Accelerator Grant: https://www.imba.com/trails-for-all/trail-accelerator-grants The Gateway Project (renamed from Grandma’s Gateway): https://www.imba.com/blog/keeping-grandmas-dream-alive-la-crosse-wisconsin Support for Trail EAffect Comes from Smith’s Bike Shop in La Crosse, WI: https://smithsbikes.com/ This show has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services, for more information go to: Evolution Trail Services: www.evotrails.com Contact Josh at evolutiontrails@gmail.com  If you have any questions about Mountain Bike Radio in general, please contact Ben at Ben@Mountainbikeradio.com   -------- ABOUT TRAIL EAFFECT Trails build community and Communities build trails. What came first you may ask… Host Josh Blum digs into the stories of how trails effect and affect the people and places we call home and those we might like to call home. -------- ABOUT THE HOST Josh Blum is a father, husband, and doer of stuff - paired with Advocate, Builder of Trails and Community. Originally from La Crosse WI, Josh has been enjoying the outdoors, trails, and mountain bikes since a young age. Always curious and learning about better ways to improve trail users’ experiences. Josh is employed by WisDOT, and is the owner / operator of Evolution Trail Services.