Coler Mountain still recovering after storms, hopes community will help with cleanup

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A popular mountain biking spot was left severely damaged after the Memorial Day weekend storms, and tomorrow on International Mountain Biking Day, it’s hoping the community will help raise money to continue clean up.

Coler Mountain Bike Preserve in Bentonville is well known by mountain biking enthusiasts for its beauty, challenging bike trails, and its campsites.

Trail managers say after the storm, they estimated over 1,000 trees have fallen, leaving many popular trails closed due to unsafe conditions.

Jude Hebert is an assistant site manager at Coler Mountain Bike Preserve in Bentonville. He says the morning after the storms came through, he expected some damage but wasn’t prepared for destruction.

“It was devastating. It was a lot to take in. And these guys have been spending all their time working on trails and making this place better and better and better. And then one night, and it’s gone,” said Hebert.

He said what he saw was shocking.

“I pulled into the campground the first day. I was told there was trees and stuff down, and I just didn’t understand what that meant. And it meant that there were tree roots picked up that were taller than me,” said Hebert.

Since then, cleanup has been underway, but aside from volunteer work, the Peel Compton Foundation has had to fund the cleanup efforts independently with no added government assistance. The foundation says without that assistance, it’s going to take a lot to rebuild Coler Mountain.

“We’ve been helped out a lot by the community, which we’re very thankful for. But it was a lot. There was a lot of damage probably over 1,000 trees,” said Hebert.

So far, an estimated 65% of the trails have been reopened, but there’s still more work to be done. July 20 is National Mountain Biking Day, and Coler Mountain is asking its visitors to show a little extra love through donations.

“It’s an online fundraiser where we’re just trying to raise funds to help cover the cost of cleanup here,” said site manager Matt Timboe.

Timboe says the fundraiser is about more than just cleaning up Coler Mountain, but about restoring a place that is meaningful to many.

“This place is important to so many different people. Everybody that I see out there has a big, giant smile on their face. People come from all over the world to come here, to come to Bentonville, but to Coler, it’s a destination for mountain biking and for outdoor enthusiasts,” said Timboe.

The online fundraiser will officially launch tomorrow. Specific donation levels will be listed for things like removing a tree, cleaning half a mile of trail, or maintaining trail equipment.

You can find the fundraiser here .

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