Author: Robert Bittner

The Trailies will be back at CicLAvia in August!

The Santa Monica Mountains Task Force and the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council are teaming up again for a public outreach at CicLAvia on Sunday, August 17th.

We had great helpers at the San Fernando Valley event in December 2024, whose efforts paid off in attracting over 500 visitors to our information booth to learn about trail stewardship opportunities in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Our 2025 outreach will be along one of CicLAvia’s most popular routes: Culver City to Venice Beach. This 10 mile route runs from the Culver City Arts District to Venice Beach. Along the way, you’ll pass the old Helms Building, the Culver City movie studios, the Mar Vista Farmers Market, the Venice Canals, and the boutique shops at Abbott Kinney, before reaching Venice Beach and Muscle Beach. A truly eclectic microcosm of the melting pot we call home.

In return for supporting this incredible event, we have again been allocated space for our trail work information pop-up booth near one of the route’s major hubs. Lights, cameras, and loads of action (and many costumed participants) make this a fun time all around!

We need volunteers!

As before, we have two roles to fill:

Assisting with Traffic Control
Slow and stop participants at the traffic crossing when vehicles are allowed to pass. Barriers will be in place to slow them as they approach. You get to wave foam fingers, flags and such to make sure they pay attention. We need 5 people per shift. All traffic supporters will receive a snazzy yellow and blue CicLAvia Volunteer t-shirt to wear during your shift, which you get to keep.

Staffing the Booth
Work the outreach table by telling active, curious people about what we do. We need 2 people per shift.

There are three shifts available, all of which are three hours:
8:30am – 11:30am
11:00am – 2:00pm
1:30pm – 4:30pm

All volunteers will be provided lunch.

Can you help? We need your response by July 17th!

SIGN ME UP!

Please help us spread the word about the Santa Monica Mountains’ incredible volunteer trail crews. You can contact either of us if you have any questions or would like to sign up to help out on Sunday, August 17th.

Robert Bittner – Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council
(310) 941-9459
rsdinc86@gmail.com

Rachel Glegg – Sierra Club
(310) 985-2826
rachel.dorman@gmail.com

Thank you, CicLAvia volunteers!

The volunteer trail crews of the Santa Monica Mountains Task Force (SMMTF) and the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council (SMMTC) teamed up for a public outreach at the San Fernando Valley CicLAvia event in December of 2024.

Over 500 people visited our information table to learn about what we do for the benefit of all visitors to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Some visitors signed up for our newsletters, while others joined our crews to help with trail maintenance in the subsequent weeks and months.

CicLAvia events involve closing off 5-10 mile stretches of roadway for human-powered movement, helping to catalyze vibrant public spaces, encourage active transportation, and promote good health among the participants. The concept started 50 years ago in Bogota, Columbia. The first Los Angeles-based event was in 2010, and has grown to eight sites a year.

Participants range from runners to walkers, wheelchairs to skateboards, bicycles to unicycles, and so much more. You can feel the joyous energy as you move to the rhythms of others who celebrate being out and about simply for the sake of pleasure.

Our volunteers’ activities included ensuring participants paused when motorized traffic was allowed to cross the route, and to staff our outreach tables.

The organizers and affiliated organizations were thrilled with our efforts, and are excited to see us return in the future.