Beacon Hill Camp Sekani FTTR Project

Fat Tire Trail Riders has been awarded from the NPS' Rivers, Trails and Conservation (RTCA) technical assistance program. We recieved the award for our plan to make the mountain bike trails at Beacon Hill an official, recognized trail network-mountain bike destination.

The National Park Service Technical Assistance program is a mentorship program, where the RTCA acts as a catalyst to help assemble the necessary pieces to for us to have a successful project. It is not a financial award; rather, they designate a staff person to assist us in a variety of ways, including providing assistance in conceptual planning, mentoring us in organizational development and capacity building, helping us navigate the planning process for our project, helping us identify potential funding sources for the project, developing a plan for involving the public in the process of creating the network, and helping us take our ideas and convert them into actions.

Tthe criteria:
1. The project seeks to meet specific goals and measurable results that protect natural resources or enhance outdoor recreation activities, which this project obviously does.
2. There is a desire to have significant public involvement in the project, which we will be seeking;
3. That we have evidence of widespread community support-- we have lots of community partners who are working with us on the project, including the INWTC, the Spokane Regional Health District, Spokane Parks and Rec, REI, Mountain Gear, Wintersport Ski Shop, the International Mountain Bike Association, and Pete Rayner, a local developer who has plans to develop part of the area.

They also preferred projects that provide physical connections between natural resources; in this case, we are connecting 3 city parks, the centennial trail, and the Spokane River. Finally, preference was given to projects that partnered with a health program; in our case, we are going to be working with the Spokane Regional Health District, who will provide us with any resources they deem helpful. They recently chose the neighborhood surrounding Beacon Hill as a target area for increased public health initiatives, and special effort is being taken to educate residents in the area about active lifestyle choices.

Meghan Pinch University of Washington, Candidate for Master's in Urban Planning, 2008

For more information on this project visit FTTR website at: http://www.fttrc.org/rides/beacon/beacon2.cfm