Hi all and thanks for your engagement in MVPF! There is a lot going on and I can't wait to give you an update!
First up, the Little Mountain HOP Project.
Image courtesy of Mount Vernon Parks & Enrichment Dept.
We are very excited about the Heart of the Park project! This most recent conceptual design shows what will be a state of the art facility including parking lot, bathroom facilities, gathering areas, and a mountain bike skills park. The City of Mount Vernon Parks and Enrichment Department is applying for a matching funds RCO grant, to which MVPF is pledging $50,000! Grants are awarded in August, and work would start in 2019. MVPF has contracted with Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance for a high level conceptual design for the Skills Park and connections to the existing trail network.
Trail Building
Volunteers from Sakata Seed
The weather has been slow to come around this spring, and we are all anxious to hit the ground running and get after the many great trail building and maintenance projects we have in the works.
Starting last Friday with a sponsored private work party with Sakata Seed we tackled some maintenance projects on existing trails to clean up and repair some of the winter’s toll on our dirt. Things have held up surprisingly well despite storm events which have caused flooding and washouts on local roads but some of our classic trails are ready for a little TLC in the way of tread repair and resurfacing. More on that in May! In the meantime, we will return with our regularly scheduled work party on Saturday, Apr 28th and continue work fine-tuning the “flow trail”- which we anticipate completing later this spring. This session is being sponsored by Haeleum technical tees - their shirts were voted best bug repellent shirt (really!) by Outside magazine!
When the sun does shine this time of year it warms up fast making the next few months peak trail building weather. Dirt is in primo condition as well- moist and easy to work with. We hope you can join us out there and enjoy the feeling of the forest waking up from what has been a long winter.
Next up, Edgewater Park.
MVPF's Trail Corps teamed up with Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group to take part in their annual Earth Day event at Edgewater Park. The docket included establishing new trails through sections of the park, performing trail maintenance, removing invasive plant species and planting new trees, trash removal and other activities. Our Friends from the Skagit Valley Disc Golf Association were also there doing a disc golf demo for a bit of fun.
MVPF's conceptual plan for trails and surrounding brush mitigation for walking and disc golf use.
Here's a peek at what we see as a major improvements to this 55-acre, "diamond in the rough" park. We are excited about the potential there and can't wait to get started on a meaningful and much needed renovation project.
Lastly, our Educational Outreach Project.
We are excited that, for the second year in a row, MVPF will facilitate a field trip for ALL 5th graders in the Mount Vernon School District along with Mount Vernon Christian and the Home School Network. About 400 kids in all!
School by school, kids will get the opportunity to head up to Little Mountain for a day of the outdoor learning and recreation.
Our group has created a fun, educational booklet for each child to keep that includes activities and learning opportunities that we believe will enhance the lives of these kids. A big thanks to Skagit Regional Health for supporting this important project. SRH shares our belief that the health benefits of leading a healthy and active lifestyle are indisputable, and that good habits start young!
Support your Mount Vernon Parks Foundation!
If you are not yet a member of MVPF, do please consider it. We have our sights on a couple of exciting projects like the ones listed above and would appreciate any contribution you see fit. (Click here).
Happy Trails!!
Danny Pickering, President
Mount Vernon Parks Foundation