Advocacy is one of the most important activities in which NEMBA is involved.  Our primary responsibility is to promote sustainable access for mountain bicyclists.  In the Greater Boston area that responsibility is significant.  Although the Boston area has tremendous parks, this causes the problem of a large metropolitan population trying to recreate on a finite quantity of trails. Because of the proximity to this dense urban area, overuse and user conflict are inevitable, but can be mitigated by trail management and
user education.

Our message to land managers about environmental protection and sustainable use is simple. Because we have over 20 years experience in designing, building, repairing and maintaining sustainable trails, we
can optimize the terrain to support the varied and heavy usage even urban parks encounter. We are able to draw upon the experience and vetted best practices of hundreds of other trail gurus from our
network of organizations all over the country and the world.

Our message to land managers about co-existence is simple.  Because we are riders and we understand what riders want, we can help land managers to manage cyclist use so that conflicts are minimized and cyclists are provided with the experience they desire.  We do this by promoting environmentally responsible use, appropriate bike friendly policy and by educating the cyclists about the issues affecting a park along with the policies and programs put in place to protect it.

Our message to riders is also simple. Because we talk to land managers about their problems and help them find solutions, we can help them communicate the problems and soluitions with the user community. We believe that it is very important for cyclists to be well informed of the issues in the areas where they ride. We also belive riders should ride responsibly and be good park citizens by minimizing the environmental impact they bring to the park and taking care to avoid user conflict.