SCR 94: California Mountain Biking and Trail Stewardship Month.

WHEREAS, Mountain biking represents a vibrant lifestyle, sport, and culture in California and the broader United States; and

WHEREAS, Mountain biking promotes a healthy lifestyle and contributes to positive physical and mental health outcomes, thereby reducing individual and community health care costs; and

WHEREAS, Mountain biking has many disciplines, including trail riding, cross country, cyclocross, downhill, enduro, gravel, adventure, bikepacking, dirt jumping, BMX, freeride, and other related off-road cycling activities; and

WHEREAS, Interscholastic mountain biking originated as a high school sport in California in the mid-2000s and has spread across the nation to become the fastest-growing high school activity nationally over the past decade, providing opportunities for youth development, friendly competition, and building independence, self-reliance, teamwork, confidence, and a reduced time spent on electronic devices among our youth; and

WHEREAS, Mountain biking takes place on natural surface trails, unpaved roads, and purpose-built bike park facilities throughout California’s public lands and open spaces, using bicycles designed for off-road use; and

WHEREAS, Trails can provide access to nature, serve as attractions themselves, or both; and

WHEREAS, Modern sustainable trail design and construction methodologies can protect cultural and natural resources, restore ecosystems and habitats, and help prevent catastrophic fires; and

WHEREAS, The California Recreational Trails Act recognizes bicycling and trails as important contributions to the health and welfare of the state’s population and encourages the development by cities, counties, districts, and private groups of recreational and interpretive trails; and

WHEREAS, Mountain bikers have proven themselves to be capable and effective trail stewards and advocates for recreation, trails, and public lands; and

WHEREAS, Mountain biking and trail stewardship serve rural and urban populations and are accessible to all, transcending borders, skill level, socioeconomic status, race, gender, age, ethnicity, and agency; and

WHEREAS, Partnerships between trail stewardship nonprofits and state, federal, and local land managers provide agile, community-based expertise to recreational trail projects on public parklands; and

WHEREAS, California has over 80 bike-friendly trail stewardship organizations throughout the state which steward thousands of miles of trails for the benefit of all recreational trail users; and

WHEREAS, Bike-friendly trail stewardship organizations also organize and host a plethora of community events, including trail stewardship dig days, bike tune-up clinics, bike riding classes, and movie nights; and

WHEREAS, California’s mountain biking industry contributes over $2.3 billion in spending to the state’s economy annually and creates over 17,000 jobs. It generated over $153,000,000 in state and local taxes in 2017 and has grown significantly since then, making mountain biking tourism a potential driver of economic revitalization for California communities, especially those needing economic recovery after natural disasters and ongoing reductions in extractive land uses; and

WHEREAS, June 7 is National Trails Day and June 11 to June 15, inclusive, is California State Parks Week; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby declares the month of June 2025 as California Mountain Biking and Trail Stewardship Month; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.