Had an amazing crew of folks come out for the Red Ridge work day. We had optimal conditions for working the #brownpow. Only had two trees (that we know of) to cut out but we were able to link up the top mile of the trail with the 2 miles of trail that we worked last year. What's more we had a number of folks that will have a 2:1 advantage in the raffle for the Carbon sled from Specialized MTB and Copper Spoke Cycles! Thanks to all the volunteers that came out. David, Tracey, Mike, Scott, Austin, Don, Lindsay and Tara. You all are machines! Lots of love! Next work day is this weekend so if you want to win more tickets, Come on out!! #earnyourturnsbro #dowork #tastydirt #sogood #alltimeallthetime

ADVOCACY GROUPS across this Country benefit from these programs. Trail development and maintenance efforts can be funded through grants from the Recreational Trail Program. Monies collected from OHV tags/gas taxes are how these grants are funded. If you have ridden one our passion projects, namely Red Ridge or CDO, you can see these funds at work and how they transform our outdoor experience. These funds are at risk of being cut. A few elected officials see the value in funding public lands and are offering up legislation that could expand the amount of money put towards funding the RTP. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE AND ASK THEM TO COSPONSOR THE BILL. Check the link for more details. THIS IS IMPORTANT IF YOU ARE USER OF PUBLIC LANDS/TRAILS.

https://www.americantrails.org/…/action-alert-contact-your-…

Last Sunday marked the beginning of "Saw Month" as we have to get all the dead fall cleared before March 1st which is the start of Owl breeding season. We took a top to bottom stroll on Green Mountain Trail and cut 5 trees out and removed 6 more that were hazards. Also did some repair work where a tree had fallen and taken out about a foot of dirt from the tread. Also got some more brushing and raking done. GM is running #sogood!! We have two more saw days scheduled before the end of the month. Feb 23rd and 29th. If you'd like to join, check out torca.org to rsvp. These days also count towards your two raffle tickets for the Carbon Stumpy or Enduro courtesy of Copper Spoke Cycles! The more days you show up to, the more tickets you get. Next saw day is Feb 23rd. If you want to attend, you must rsvp to trails coordinator at Vernieaikins@gmail.com
#treefree #buckit #buckyeah #dowork #onedaypledge#treesdontclearthemselves #backcountry #dainty #notalkjustaction

Remember when we said now is a great time to become a member? Here's why! Our friends at Copper Spoke Cycles share in our mission and vision and they want to see big things happen in Tucson. So they are putting their money where there mouths are and tossing us a Carbon fiber Stumpy, Stumpy EVO or Enduro in the color and size of your choice. There are three ways to win this dream boat.

#1 Become a member or renew your membership in 2020 and get one ticket into the raffle.
#2 Buy extra tickets at https://torca.wildapricot.org/store and even get a block of tickets at a discounted price. Members get an even deeper discount!
#3 And this is where it gets fun. Come to a work day in 2020 and get 2 raffle tickets per work day! So throwing dirt, pays off in a big way! Even better, you still get to count your days towards the work incentives from EVOC QARV Imports Troy Lee Designs Bike and Five Ten.*

We have some lofty goals in 2020 including the a Comprehensive Trails plan being submitted to the The Forest Service - Coronado National Forest and we should be scheduled to complete the restoration of Red Ridge by the Summer. Both of these things will need the support from the community and the easiest way to do that is to become a member. So if there was ever a time do so, why not win a sick sled while you're at it? #earnyourturns #dowork #shutupanddig #trailsdonfixthemselves #ittakesavillage

We're off to a great start in 2020 and had a tremendous day with ladies of Bell Joy Ride. The dates below are the planned days through May. Our next work days fall under Saw Month(February) to remove deadfall before the Owl Breeding season. Saw month  has three dates and you must rsvp and be cleared by our Trails Director to attend. Vernieaikins@gmail.com  These days are subject to change due to weather and vehicles, so please check back before the work days. Remember that the campouts count as two days towards your trail incentives!

Work Days Scheduled

• February SAW MONTH (Feb 8th, Feb 23rd and Feb 29th)
• March 28th and 29th Red Ridge Campout #1
• April 18th and 19th Red Ridge Campout #2
• May 2nd and 3rd Red Ridge Campout #3

2019 was such a great year! Everyone says that, but we thought we'd quantify it for you! Here's how it broke down "by the numbers". We are thrilled to announce that we eclipsed 2018's numbers and are really excited about 2020 and what it holds for mtbers! We're continuing to throw awesome prizes at those hard workers that show up and throw dirt from our amazing partners Troy Lee Designs , Five Ten and EVOC packs! Much love respect and gratitude to our awesome volunteers. Let's see if we can shatter these numbers in 2020! #earnyourturns#nodignoride#volunteer#bethechange

Total Volunteer Hours

2019: 2402.5

2018: 1332

Unique trail workers

2019: 113

2018: 78

Men to Women participants

2019: 79 male participants v 34 female.

2018: 54 male participants v 24 Female

10 people earned EVOC packs

3 people earned the next level with Five Ten shoes

and 1 person earned their Troy Lee Designs Bike A2 helmet.

Official Work Days:

2019= 20

2018= 16

As a follow up to our post about drawing attention to the area in the subject line and the use of social media on unsanctioned trails, it's regrettable that we inform you of the recent closure of Secret and 1918 Trails in the Bigelow/Bear Wallow area. Due to increased recreational use of unsanctioned trails, potential adverse effects to the Riparian Area and the MSO, the Forest Service has now officially closed the area to all recreational activities. In an email from Sarah Corning, USFS Volunteer Coordinator, they have confirmed the definition of vehicles to include bicycles. Please see attached closure order and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE stay off these trails. TORCA is about to invest a significant amount of time, energy and money into the submission and hopeful implementation of a Comprehensive Trails Plan and any efforts to ignore or subvert this closure order, works directly against our efforts. Below we have spelled out the particulars of the closure. Please be aware that enforcement efforts are being ramped up by PCSO, USFS LEO and AZGF. Steep fines can and will be issued for non-compliance.

As we have stated before, if you want to avoid these sort of issues, get involved and be a part of the process. Please direct any questions to Vernieaikins@gmail.com.

TRAILS CLOSED- 1918 NOTE: While "Secret" Trail is not officially closed, it is still UNSANCTIONED and subject to the same closure if we don't respect the order.

EFFECTIVE: October 1 2019-September 30th 2021

RATIONALE: To Protect the integrity of Riparian Areas and the Mexican Spotted Owls as well as public safety as it relates to  Forest Fires.

ENFORCEMENT: Fines include $5000 per individual/$10000 per organization and/or 6 months imprisonment.

PSA and CAUTIONARY TALE

We at TORCA have been around for a bit. Some of us for the better part of 10 years. Digging, learning the ins and outside of advocacy, meeting with land managers, fund raising to support our efforts, educating the public on good practices and stewardship etc etc. We're not expert trail builders or even expert advocates. We're not really experts at anything except caring. That said, as the insurance commercial says, "we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two". With that in mind, we'd like to share a true story from many years back. A cautionary tale if you will. About a decade or so ago, some mtbers from out of state moved to Tucson and fell in love with Mt. Lemmon. They longed for more trails like the ones they rode in the PNW and without understanding the implications of their actions, started building a Freeride trail on Mt. Lemmon. The trail had ladders, drops, jumps and steeps and the buzz about this trail called Hemmroid trail or "Hemi", quickly spread. As the word spread, so did its popularity.

Mind you, this was back in 2007(ish) and social media was not what it is today. But YouTube existed and a video started popping up of this new trail. That's when the US Forest Service who knew about the trail could no longer turn a blind eye. As a result, the Forest Service went in with chainsaws and picks and dropped every structure and jump built. In addition, some guys implicated in the video, had disciplinary action taken and were issued large fines for their role in the video. In short, it was not a great day for mtbers as they lost a "one of a kind" trail that today has still not been replicated anywhere in S. AZ.

Fast forward to today and we're feeling a sense of deja vu. Recently, we had an interaction with the LEO on the Mountain. He was the federal LEO and he eluded to trails on Bigelow being in the cross hairs of a possible closure. Yes those trails! While some trails on Bigelow are sanctioned trails ( Bigelow, Kellog, Incinerator Ridge), others are illegal( Secret and 1918). YOU should know this and act accordingly. We're not suggesting you don't ride these trails, just don't be so quick to pull out your phones and chronicle every foot of the trail. We have a meeting scheduled this Friday with the FS to sift through what is fact and speculation and will update you on this topic as information is made available to us.

But there is a lesson to be learned here. ONE, again it's YOUR responsibility to know whether or not the trails you are riding are sanctioned "system" trails or not. TWO, if you are going to ride unsanctioned trails, it's probably a good idea to use discretion when posting pics and videos. THREE one way to accomplish #1 is to get involved with advocacy groups like TORCA to better understand the issues facing mtbers and combat assumptions that lead to issues that could easily be avoided. This is a fight we're likely going to lose and we'll have no one to blame but ourselves. #getinvolved #itsnotthatsimple#killyourphone #killstrava #ignorancekillstrails

In case any of you were wondering what this whole Red Ridge "thing" is all about... We get asked all the time, "Are there any DH trails in Tucson?" Well here you have it! When it's completely rehabbed, it will be a 6.5 mile DH run! It' steep, fast and scenic and if you like adventure, this trail dishes it out. You'll have to work for it on the backend, but we think you'll definitely feel like you underpaid. The trail starts in the Alpine off the back side of Mt. Lemmon and drops down 6.5 miles to the Charleau Gap Rd. You then have a 3 mile climb and then another romp down Charleau Gap rd to the 50yr trail/"Around the Mountain" connector.  

Up until recently, this trail was buried under cat claw and briars. Meaning, if you rode it, you were going to bleed. Thanks to our volunteers and active board of directors, this trail is being transformed right before our eyes and in short time, hopefully by the fall, will be clear of that nasty Cat claw. The TORCA saw team already cleared over 15 fallen trees off of the trail from Top to bottom and with massive turn outs from volunteers, we'll be riding it in no time!

It's a great time to get involved in our work days. If you complete 5 work days between now and January 1st, you'll earn your custom EVOC pack. Bring a friend and that counts as another day towards your pack. Participate in one day and bring 4 friends, you guessed it, you earn your pack! In addition, we have a trail work appreciation day coming up Oct 10th. If you work one day, you get free admission, pizza and 2 beer tickets. Turns out that trail work pays off!

Check out more trail beta here...https://www.trailforks.com/nearby/?activitytype=1&z=11.0&lat=32.48000&lon=-110.81658

Time to renew that membership or thinking of signing up for the first time? What a great time to do so! We're embarking in some really cool projects with Rad Ridge and working on getting YOU more trail opportunities on Mt. Lemmon. But if you needed more reason to support trail maintenance and advocacy, well here ya have it! We've teamed up with Outbound Lighting, a new and innovative company bringing you lighting solutions that are amongst the lightest and brightest in the business. They do this with innovative optics technologies. Right now they are taking pre-orders but we're giving you a chance to win a lighting package including the new compact "Hangover" light! Just either become a new member or renew your membership between now and August 31st and we'll enter you in the drawing. Odds will be better than 1:100! And you still get your TORCA Swag! So support your 100% volunteer trail advocacy organization and win some amazing prizes from companies that recognize the importance of what we do. Thanks Outbound Lighting for the support!

https://www.outboundlighting.com/hangover/…