It’s official!

Feels like a good time for some good news!

I am absolutely thrilled to report that the Ucluelet First Nation has voted in favour of a formal land use agreement! Recognizing the need for consent to ride and improve the existing trail system on First Nation land was a founding principal of the society and as such this represents a huge landmark for UMBA. We are looking forward to future collaboration and would like to give a huge shout out to Carey Cunneyworth whose work inside UFN has been instrumental in pulling this together.

Our work on establishing inclusive machine built trails within the adjacent Barkley Community Forest is ongoing and we could really use your help! We have a goal of applying for grants by this fall in partnership with the municipality however we are still in the lengthy process of finalizing our BCF land use agreement. Any support that you are able to show right now will make a huge difference in the speed of our work.

Please pick up a membership if you don’t already have one and take the time to advocate to our municipal council.

Markus Rannala

President, UMBA

Spring Update

Greetings fine people, feels like time for another update on all of the exciting progress!

The UMBA board has been busy over the last few weeks assembling all the working pieces of a non profit society. Needless to say it has been a learning experience for us all, but also very rewarding to see things come together! As of this week we have:

  • Secured an insurance policy.
  • Opened a bank account.
  • Nearly completed a website equipped with PayPal for our membership platform.
  • Entered into discussion with both UFN and the BCF regarding stewardship / possible construction of sanctioned trail networks.
  • Secured administrator status on Trailforks in order to make much needed updates.

Soon we will be offering memberships to the public and as things return to normal, resuming weekly rides and community work parties.

A big shout out to the volunteers that came out last week to help remove all of the first generation features and debris from the trails. Providing active stewardship of existing trails will be the cornerstone of building our relationship with local landholders!

Stay Tuned,

Markus Rannala

President, UMBA