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Log inCreative park managers lure new users, put them to work
Creative park managers lure new users, put them to work
by Outspoken on Sun Apr 20, 2008 9:47 am
Creative park managers lure new users, put them to work
By DIERDRE FLEMING
Portland Press Herald
Bradbury Mountain State Park encompasses just 610 acres, but it has been the prototype for what the state hopes to accomplish at all of its parks.
With park attendance in decline and the Maine Department of Conservation trying to reverse that trend with block-style parties at its state parks, one man has found what may be a solution to the problem on his own.
Former Bradbury park manager Michael "Mick" Rogers happened upon the passion of urban mountain bikers and used it to triple attendance at Bradbury Mountain in three years.
Simply put, Rogers gave the people what they wanted. All he did was ask --and listen.
Now the state is trying to apply Rogers' approach at public parks across Maine.
"Bradbury Mountain park was in decline, and it just had a lot of opportunity. Mick was very creative as a park manager and saw those opportunities," said Conservation Commissioner Patrick McGowan. "All park managers are looking at new types of users."
Rogers said he learned about mountain bikers' enthusiasm for the park's rugged and rocky terrain by accident.
"An equestrian asked for trails. And I thought, 'If we develop trails for (the horse riders), we might as well for mountain bikers,"' Rogers said.
When more bikers started using the park, Rogers went about building an extensive network of single-track and double-track mountain biking trails --now more than 17 miles long. And he did so largely through volunteer work.
"He'd get the user groups together and find out what they'd like at the park, and then he'd figure out how to do it with little or no money," said Zach Pilgrim, a former ranger at Bradbury Mountain and a bike mechanic at Bath Cycle and Ski.
"When I first started, we had main trail days, then we had more trail days. Then, people adopted a trail last year," Pilgrim said.
"The trail network expanded. The next summer, it got really busy with bikers, dramatically. It is only getting more and more," he said.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=181880&ac=Outdoors
By DIERDRE FLEMING
Portland Press Herald
Bradbury Mountain State Park encompasses just 610 acres, but it has been the prototype for what the state hopes to accomplish at all of its parks.
With park attendance in decline and the Maine Department of Conservation trying to reverse that trend with block-style parties at its state parks, one man has found what may be a solution to the problem on his own.
Former Bradbury park manager Michael "Mick" Rogers happened upon the passion of urban mountain bikers and used it to triple attendance at Bradbury Mountain in three years.
Simply put, Rogers gave the people what they wanted. All he did was ask --and listen.
Now the state is trying to apply Rogers' approach at public parks across Maine.
"Bradbury Mountain park was in decline, and it just had a lot of opportunity. Mick was very creative as a park manager and saw those opportunities," said Conservation Commissioner Patrick McGowan. "All park managers are looking at new types of users."
Rogers said he learned about mountain bikers' enthusiasm for the park's rugged and rocky terrain by accident.
"An equestrian asked for trails. And I thought, 'If we develop trails for (the horse riders), we might as well for mountain bikers,"' Rogers said.
When more bikers started using the park, Rogers went about building an extensive network of single-track and double-track mountain biking trails --now more than 17 miles long. And he did so largely through volunteer work.
"He'd get the user groups together and find out what they'd like at the park, and then he'd figure out how to do it with little or no money," said Zach Pilgrim, a former ranger at Bradbury Mountain and a bike mechanic at Bath Cycle and Ski.
"When I first started, we had main trail days, then we had more trail days. Then, people adopted a trail last year," Pilgrim said.
"The trail network expanded. The next summer, it got really busy with bikers, dramatically. It is only getting more and more," he said.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=181880&ac=Outdoors
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Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
