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CROSS FLORIDA GREENWAY TRAILS RECEIVE INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION
--International Mountain Bicycling Association designates as "epic
ride"--
SANTOS
- The Florida Department
of Environmental Protection's (DEP) Office of Greenways and Trails
recently received the designation of "Epic Ride" for its Cross
Florida Greenway Santos Trail System from the International Mountain
Bicycling Association (IMBA). One of only three sites designated in 2006, the
Santos trails join an elite list of only 40 rides named as
"Epic" by IMBA since 1999.
"The Office
of Greenways and Trails is proud to be recognized for our unique trail
system on the state's premier greenway, the result of hard work by
many," said Jena Brooks, Director of DEP's Office of Greenways
and Trails. "This award is a tribute to the volunteers, who have
contributed almost 1,900 hours in trail maintenance and outreach just this
year."
Recognized in the Fall 2006 issue of "IMBA Trail
News," the Cross Florida Greenway Santos Trail System is described as
being "designed and built for mountain bikers by mountain bikers.
Santos offers a model for the world to follow – it's that
good." The Cross Florida Greenway contains more than 115 miles of
trails for mountain bike riders with attractions for all levels of
expertise, from an extremely popular skills development area to a new
freeride area offering extreme drops and other challenges for more advanced
riders.
Working
cooperatively with the Office of Greenways and Trails, the Ocala Mountain
Bike Association volunteers have contributed hundreds of hours in trail
maintenance and outreach, and recently formed a bike patrol to help educate
and assist trail users on the Santos Trails. Since the completion of the
freeride area in early 2006, visitor participation has increased by close to
50 percent.
"We are very
excited about our ‘epic ride' designation from IMBA, and I
consider it top honors for all the volunteers that have built Santos to what
it is now," said Renee Blaney, President of the Ocala Mountain Bike
Association. "The trail has been upgraded to suit all riders of all
levels. Ocala has become a premier mountain bike
destination."
The Santos Trail
System is near the Historic Santos Recreation Area on the Cross Florida
Greenway, preserving a significant piece of Florida's African-American
heritage. The Recreation Area commemorates the site of Santos, a
predominately African-American community that was displaced by the Cross
Florida Barge Canal in the mid-1930s.
The Marjorie Harris
Carr Cross Florida Greenway is a unique conservation and recreation project
managed by DEP's Office of Greenways and Trails. Traversing Citrus,
Levy, Marion and Putnam Counties, the 110-mile greenway occupies much of the
land that was formerly the Cross Florida Barge Canal. Florida's
premier greenway, the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway stretches
from the Gulf of Mexico to the St. Johns River, encompassing a variety of
habitats and ecosystems and offering an array of trails and recreation areas
for visitors.
The Office of
Greenways and Trails manages eight state trails, including the Marjorie
Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway, and five rail-trails, which are railroad
tracks restored and converted to recreational trails for hiking, biking and
skating. Through Florida Forever, the
state's premier land acquisition program, $4.5 million dollars is
spent annually to purchase land for future trail areas and build and
maintain Florida's greenways and trails.
To learn more about
IMBA, visit
http://www.imba.com/. To learn more about DEP's Office of
Greenways and Trails, visit
www.FloridaGreenwaysandTrails.com.
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