Come to the National Bike Summit
The National Bike Summit, sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists, will be held March 20-22, 2012 in Washington DC (http://www.bikeleague.org/conferences/summit12/index.php) and you should be there! If you want to know why, read what MaryEllen has to say about her experience at past Summits:
"The 2012 Summit will be my third as an attendee and as the coordinator for Connecticut. I agreed to serve as the state coordinator again because I want our state to have a strong presence at the Summit and at the March 22 meetings on Capitol Hill with our state's Congressional delegation. At my first summit in 2009, I was dismayed that only two people from Connecticut attended while other states, including small states like ours, had much larger delegations. In 2010, that number increased to 13 - let's top that this year!
"Your attendance is important because the summit is such a great learning experience, in terms of the presentations, advocacy training and energizing effect. Having a good showing from Connecticut is important when we talk with our elected officials about legislation we want them to sponsor and strongly support. Making the case to our Congressional delegation effectively will be critically important this year. Almost all of the money spent in Connecticut on bicycle projects is federally funded - and those funding programs are at serious risk of being discontinued.
"Bike clubs, trails organizations, bike shops and towns (yes, municipal and state employees from other states attend), please consider sending one of your enthusiastic members to Summit. It's an investment that will reap many rewards. Bike shops should check with NBDA about scholarships.
"To learn more about the summit, please join me on the call. If you can't make the call, let me know of your interest and we'll figure out a way to connect. "
For more information, contact MaryEllen at methibodeau@bikewalkct.org
