July 28, 2003 (North Vancouver, B.C.) – The North Shore Mountain Biking
Association (NSMBA) today announced plans to hold a volunteer trail day on
August 10, 2003 to put the finishing touches on a new multi-use trail
located in Mt. Seymour Provincial Park. The yet unnamed trail is being
built in cooperation with BC Parks and the District of North Vancouver,
with trail building expertise and volunteer labor provided by the NSMBA.
This important new trail marks the first time that BC Parks has allowed a
multi-use trail to be constructed at the request of the mountain biking
community.

During the August 10th trail day, dozens of volunteers from the NSMBA will
groom and prepare the new trail for eventual opening in mid-August 2003.
The multi-use trail is designed for use by all Park users including
cyclists and recreational hikers. Since breaking ground on July 14th, 2003,
the NSMBA will have contributed well over 100 volunteer hours to building
the new trail.

“This is the first time that BC Parks has allowed a new trail to be built
within a provincial park with input from mountain bikers and a non-profit
organization such as the NSMBA,” said Sharon Bader, President of the NSMBA.
“We are extremely excited to be part of this project and thank BC Parks for
their vision in allowing the North Shore Mountain Biking Association to
contribute to designing and building this trail. We hope that both
recreational mountain bikers and hikers will enjoy the new trail for many
years to come.”

Background

The completion of the new multi-use trail will also involve reopening a
section of the Empress Trail, which formerly ran through BC Parks land when
it was originally built in the early 1990s. Later, in 1997, BC Parks
mandated that all mountain bike trails be closed and only multi-use trails
be maintained. The Empress Trail on Mt. Seymour was then re-routed through
District of North Vancouver land as part of the Northlands Golf Course
perimeter trail. In 2003, the District of North Vancouver initiated the
construction of a small subdivision in this area that resulted in the need
to re-route a section of the Northlands Golf Course perimeter trail and
close the Empress Trail. To accommodate user access to the lower Mt.
Seymour trails, a new multi-use trail running through District of North
Vancouver and BC Parks land was proposed.

Following a period of negotiations between the NSMBA, BC Parks and the
District of North Vancouver during 2002, it was decided that a new trail
would be built that would also incorporate a section of the former Empress
Trail. The new trail crosses the fish-bearing Taylor Creek, which required
the building of a new bridge to address environmental concerns. Under the
supervision of BC Parks, volunteers from the NSMBA have provided labor and
expertise in building the new bridge and multi-use trail. A map and further
background information about the new trail can be found at
www.nsmba.bc.ca/cms/pdf/EmpressReroutefeb.pdf.

About the NSMBA

The North Shore Mountain Biking Association (NSMBA) is a non-profit,
charitable organization devoted to trail maintenance and mountain bike
advocacy. Founded in 1998, the NSMBA currently represents over 500
recreational mountain bikers who are dedicated to maintaining the
world-famous mountain bike trails located in the North Shore of British
Columbia, Canada. For more information about the NSMBA, visit
www.nsmba.bc.ca.