Walking the Talk

COSMBA proudly reaffirmed its commitment to Colorado Springs' parks by being the first organization to re-sign its “Friends Agreement” with PRCS for 2025. This agreement outlines the rules, expectations, and roles for groups supporting our parks through volunteerism and is required for any organization working on park properties.

This agreement is significant for several reasons.

The Friends Agreement establishes shared goals towards cooperation which COSMBA sees as crucial in rebuilding relationship between Parks staff and mountain bikers. We value this agreement and its importance. While we may not always agree with city staff, we will never use it as leverage to get our way.

The Friends Agreement is also fundamental to COSMBA's advocacy.  Local riders and COSMBA members collectively contribute approximately $44,000 in free labor toward trail maintenance PER YEAR—a substantial accomplishment. This investment strengthens our voice when decisions about new trails and open spaces are made allowing us to rely on our demonstrated commitment and strong relationships rather than yelling or making threats. This is the key to our success.

Our goal for 2025? Speak softly and carry a big shovel. 

Finally, the Friends Agreement reflects our outdoor ethic.  In 2023, neighbors around Blodgett Open Space openly targeted mountain bikers as uncaring for public lands. They assume that the higher speeds that come with our chosen hobby indicates we are incapable of enjoying nature and that our connection to open spaces are simply transactional. As riders know, nothing could be further from the truth.  The fact that we are committed to be “Friends of Parks” is an indisputable sign that such judgement is rendered with prejudice and ignorance.  On the contrary, COS riders put more time and effort into trail maintenance than any other user group. 

Help us in this fight!

It’s important that we continue to demonstrate to the city that mountain bikers are committed to support their management of our natural resources. Moreover, we must remind them that there is massive interest in mountain biking and great recreation experiences. As our volunteer hours increase, it only stands to reason that our influence and voice are respected because of the effort we put into our dreams. 

Equally important is our trail etiquette when it comes to winning the public debate. Fear of trail conflict is the number one repeated reason that hikers and residents speak against mountain bikers.  It’s important at we do what we can to be mindful of our speed and demeanor when riding multi-use trails.  It’s also important to respect other users by yielding and sharing trails.  Feelings of entitlement and indifference are projected and absorbed by other trail users.

Remember, your actions can have a big impact on those around you and how those individuals may vote when it comes to things like bike parks and future trails.