Jolie Costello: Women’s Mountain Biking Day 2025
More and better trails take a lot more than shovels in hands and dirt to move. Mountain bike and trails advocacy is necessary to ensure that mountain biking is included in legislation and land protection proposals; that bike-friendly policies are taken into consideration and implemented at all levels of government; that pro-bike solutions are included in land management planning; and that local leaders and decision makers have the knowledge and skills needed to be effective advocates for mountain bike trails and access.
IMBA’s Government Affairs team just returned from another successful trip to Washington D.C., working alongside partners to protect and promote trails and recreation. As the recreation community navigates a new administration, the trip had our team reflecting on the recent strengths and bipartisan successes of mountain bike advocates locally, regionally and at the federal level.
Whether it is halls on The Hill, statehalls in each state, or town halls across the country: IMBA, as the nation’s nonprofit dedicated to uplifting the voices of mountain bikers, provides support and training to over 200 local member organizations and statewide coalitions, and leverages our 200,000+ supporters to provide a collective voice for mountain bikers and mountain bike trails.
Locally, Statewide, and Across the Nation…and Back
Advocacy needs to happen at all levels of decision making and at every step of planning for trails. It is needed in many scenarios to protect mountain bike access and improve outdoor recreation infrastructure, including municipal trail development and recreation planning, forest management plans, protecting access for all user types in multi-user systems, and even uplifting positive mountain bike contributions in National Monuments. Advocacy happens in city council meetings, working alongside federal land management agencies, and even through testimony at the nation’s Capitol.
Whatever the situation, a consistent, collaborative approach and reliable presence is needed to protect access for mountain bikers, to develop new, rideable infrastructure, and to improve what we’ve got.
As in D.C., So in Communities Across the Country
Mountain bike advocacy influences policies that flow outwards from D.C. as well as local issues related to access and planning, and the voices of advocates are needed in all levels of government. Access in local communities is regularly impacted by statewide and federal policies, laws, and rules like the BLM Public Lands Rule and the Blueprint for 21st Century Outdoor Recreation. Precedents set at the federal level often impact local policies such as those related to ebike access. Moving the other direction, local advocates are needed to influence federal actions. In just the last couple of years, the collective voices of mountain bikers have had impacts on federal policy like the EXPLORE Act and the Bonneville Shoreline Advancement Act.
IMBA has been engaged in nationwide advocacy for more than 37 years. To meet the stated need for a consistent approach and reliable presence among lawmakers at all levels, IMBA’s Government Affairs team consults with local orgs, organizes statewide advocacy initiatives, and has a permanent presence among policymakers in D.C..
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At the Federal Level
Having a regular presence in D.C. has proven to be essential to IMBA’s longevity and our relevance in advocating on behalf of mountain bikers in federal policy. Todd “TK” Keller, IMBA’s Government Affairs Director, makes his home in D.C. TK makes regular visits to offices of policy makers, maintains positive contact with land management agency leaders, and even testifies in front of Congress.
IMBA also brings local advocates from across the country to the Nation’s Capital for advocacy summits and “fly-in” events, infusing local perspectives into federal policymaking. In 2024, IMBA and representatives from SORBA, Rezduro, Northwoods Trails, Enchanted Circle Trails Association, and Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts met in D.C. to advocate for passage of the EXPLORE Act, containing IMBA’s Biking on Long Distance Trails or BOLT Act.
In 2023, participants in IMBA’s D.C. Advocacy Fly-In events shared their perspectives on what it was like to engage in federal advocacy. Jen Hanks, board member of the Southern Nevada Mountain Bike Association, detailed three advocacy strategies in her recounting of the experience. Ernie Rodriguez, past president of IMBA Chapter, the Mid Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts (MORE), described his experiences enthusiastically: “We get to share FUN!” IMBA’s D.C. Advocacy Fly-In events are impactful for the local leaders who are invited to participate and for lawmakers.
Most recently, in February of 2025, members of IMBA’s Government Affairs and Local teams gathered in Washington, D.C. to discuss goals and strategies focused on statewide organizing and increasing mountain bikers’ ability to impact state and local policy. In addition to planning and strategy meetings, and because of the D.C. location, IMBA was able to engage with a well-loved D.C. event: Hike the Hill.
The American Hiking Society’s Hike the Hill Congressional Reception is an event in which lawmakers, agency officials, and public lands/recreation advocates come together in a social setting to continue conversations about policy, common interest, and the current state of play. It is a must-attend event for myriad outdoor recreation partners every February in D.C. IMBA participates to strengthen and deepen existing relationships and to meet new leaders in the outdoor recreation space.
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Statewide
In late 2024, IMBA’s Policy Manager, Aaron Clark, was recognized for his service to statewide outdoor recreation efforts by the Colorado Department of Natural Resources and Colorado Parks and Wildlife for IMBA’s participation in the Colorado Outdoor Partnership (CO-OP), on both the steering and policy committees. The CO-OP is a collaboration of leaders working on the opportunities and challenges that the exponential growth in population and recreation poses in Colorado for wildlife, waters, economy, and land. The CO-OP acknowledges that outdoor recreation and conservation should reflect, respect, and value the demographic and cultural diversity of our state. IMBA and many other organizations and coalitions, such as the Colorado Mountain Bike Coalition (COMTB), have invested time and energy in making the CO-OP successful to help balance outdoor recreation with landscape conservation. Aaron’s participation on the CO-OP was from its inception in 2016 until 2024. In 2024, IMBA passed the baton to members of the COMTB, the statewide coalition.
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Locally
IMBA provides support, expert knowledge, and policy guidance to local member organizations across the country on municipal and regional mountain bike access issues. Notable local and regional policy successes include protecting mountain bike access and backcountry riding in the Montana/Idaho Lion’s Head through policy; taking an all-hands-on-deck approach to advocacy to protect trails threatened by mining expansion in Salida, Colorado; and showing up for negotiations and city council meetings with partners engaged with expanding funding for trails in the Mad Rabbit. Local advocacy work is always led by the folks who live there, and IMBA provides policy expertise; leverages our long-standing relationships with lawmakers and land management agencies; and utilizes our 200,000+ strong network of mountain bikers to support local trail stewards and advocates.
37 Years and Counting
Like any mountain bike organization across the country, at IMBA, we love to put shovels to dirt to create new and better trails close to home. And we know that Trail Solutions can’t build new places to play in urban settings, with indigenous leaders on native land, or in iconic backcountry-esque settings rideable from local’s front doors without solid advocacy at the local, statewide, regional, and federal levels. Relationship building, consistent and reliable presence, policy expertise, and collective representation are just a few of the assets IMBA brings to trails and outdoor recreation policy across all levels of government. We’re thirty-seven years strong in the “advocacy game,” and are showing no signs of slowing down.
