Indiana Governor Awards $250,000 to Hoosier Mountain Bike Association

For Immediate Release
05-28-08
Contact: Mark Eller
markeller@imba.com
303-545-9011

Earlier this May, Governor Daniels announced the award of trail grants to 28 different projects across Indiana ‹ including $250,000 in funding for the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association (HMBA). This funding, along with $150,000 of in-kind donations from the mountain biking community, will be used to build new shared-use trails at Versailles, OšBannon Woods and Harmonie State Parks. In total, more than 20 miles of new trail will be created.

Indiana is also investing $750,000 for the paved Salt Creek Trail that will connect Nashville to Brown County State Park (BCSP), where HMBA is currently executing a $150,000 Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grant and a $10,000 Bikes Belong grant. A successful combination of professional trailbuilders and HMBA volunteers has already created more than 20 miles of world-class trails at BCSP.

These projects will provide incredible recreational opportunities for local residents, and will also likely draw national-level attention to Indianašs outdoor recreation offerings. HMBA will work with the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) to put trails on the ground quickly and further develop the statewide infrastructure for shared-use trails.

HMBA plans to base their trail design and construction on IMBAšs best practices. This ensures that the trails will enjoyed by generations to come. HMBA will be looking for local support to help build these and other trails throughout the state. Professional trail builders will work along side volunteers. Since volunteers will provide much of the basic labor, the professional trailbuilders will be free to focus on the skilled tasks that maximize trail mileage while at the same time building world-class trail features.