What is a Bike Skills Park?
It’s a looping trail system of rollers banked for biking with small jumps, wooden decks and obstacles to learn basic mountain biking skill. The parks are a fantastic place for young and old to learn new biking skills. What's also really great about bike parks is that they are relatively easy to build, maintain and reclaim (if needed) because it's really just a bunch of dirt!
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T-Shirt Fundraiser
April 30, 2025 President's Report
Prepared by Lianna Grice, Pedal Junction President
Date April 30, 2025
Subject: 2024 President’s Report
Highlights
Below is a summary of our accomplishments over the past year:
Events
Thank you to the 2024 Board of Directors, Sarah Chisholm, Karin Voogd, Kari Johnston, Emma Upton and Mike Gemmill, for your support of Pedal Junction. Additional thanks to Kari and Mike for coordinating the Lotteries Yukon funding application, Karin for completing our Societies Yukon registration and starting our bank account and Sarah for coordinating the YESAB review.
Date April 30, 2025
Subject: 2024 President’s Report
Highlights
- Events - Pine Lake Pathway Palooza, community bike nights, end-of-season parade, bike tune ups
- Projects - incredible amount of effort put into Community Development Fund and Lotteries Yukon funding applications to construct a Bike Skills Park in Haines Junction
- Fundraising - Trail Care Day, spring litter clean up, bartending local events, t-shirt sales
- Celebrating our first year as a society and visibility within the Haines Junction community
Below is a summary of our accomplishments over the past year:
Events
- Pine Lake Pathway Palooza (TCT Trail Care Day) - June 1, 2024
- Estimated attendance 125 people, including cyclists, walkers, runners, skateboarders and a few horses
- A 6 km bike, run, and walk event followed by a community BBQ, encouraging active outdoor participation
- Community Bike Nights - Every other Thursday from June to September
- Seven bike nights were hosted in 2024
- A fun, inclusive gathering where cyclists of all ages ride together, practice skills on wooden ramps and teeter-totters, and explore different skill stations
- End of Summer Bike Parade - September 26, 2024
- A 5 km celebratory ride through the village streets, bringing together a lively crowd to mark the season's end
- Bike tune-ups - May 5 & 31, 2024, June 1, 2024
- Hands-on workshops where volunteers help community members repair and maintain their bikes, ensuring safe and accessible cycling for all
- There is overwhelming community support for the Bike Skills Park project. We received 91 letters of support and kudos from the Village of Haines Junction Mayor twice in public council meetings.
- The YESAA review process was completed and a decision document issued by YESAB on September 25, 2024. YESAB and the Decision Body, Yukon Government Energy Mines and Resources, Land Management Branch, recommended that the project proceed subject to the specified terms. The terms include protections for Little Brown Myotis, nesting birds and First Nations heritage resources.
- Progress continues towards securing a lease for the land selected for the Bike Skills Park. Pedal Junction has identified a two hectare parcel between Otter Crescent and Jackson Street that the Yukon Government will lease to the Village of Haines Junction, who will then sub-lease it to Pedal Junction.
- Funding applications were submitted to both the Community Development Fund (CDF) and Lotteries Yukon.
- Unfortunately, our 2024 CDF application was screened out early as we do not have tenure for the project site.
- A Lotteries Yukon funding application was submitted on April 14, 2025. The total project cost is estimated to be $175,00 with $137,000 requested from Lotteries.
- Pedal Junction was successful in raising over $4000 in the 2024/25 fiscal year. The largest sources of income were the Pine Lake Pathway Palooza ($2000 grant and $215 donations) and Spring Litter Clean Up ($1200 grant).
- Our t-shirt sales campaign kicked off on February 28, 2025. The t-shirts feature artwork by Shadunjen van Kampen and will profit $15 per shirt.
- We have become the local go-to for event bartending services.
Thank you to the 2024 Board of Directors, Sarah Chisholm, Karin Voogd, Kari Johnston, Emma Upton and Mike Gemmill, for your support of Pedal Junction. Additional thanks to Kari and Mike for coordinating the Lotteries Yukon funding application, Karin for completing our Societies Yukon registration and starting our bank account and Sarah for coordinating the YESAB review.
Our Mission
We seek to further active transportation and bicycle initiatives for all ages in and around Dakwakada/Haines Junction.
How will we build a Bike Skills Park?
We have formed a society (Pedal Junction), and now we're asking community partners to help us identify suitable land, do some fundraising and apply for funding (like to YG's community development fund). And then we'll design it, build it, play in it and maintain it.
It's going to be great! And we want you to be a part of it too!
It's going to be great! And we want you to be a part of it too!
Want to help out and/or do you have ideas for how it should be built?
Complete the short survey to have your say!
Who are we?
We are a group of dedicated volunteers who already have a history of success organizing fun biking activities in our community.
We're also the volunteers who in 2023 hosted the Community Bike Nights! Last year the Haines Junction community demonstrated an interest in cycling programming and infrastructure. Throughout the spring, summer and fall a series of 8 volunteer-led Community Bike Nights were held on the Spruce Street cul-de-sac. These events brought together cyclists of all ages to ride bikes, play on wooden ramps and teeter totters and try out different skill stations. The season finale, a Bike Parade through the Village streets, brought out a great and energetic crowd of people of all ages and life-stages. We estimate that the average participation in Community Bike Nights was 15 people per night, and the Bike Parade drew more than 20 riders.
We're also the volunteers who in 2023 hosted the Community Bike Nights! Last year the Haines Junction community demonstrated an interest in cycling programming and infrastructure. Throughout the spring, summer and fall a series of 8 volunteer-led Community Bike Nights were held on the Spruce Street cul-de-sac. These events brought together cyclists of all ages to ride bikes, play on wooden ramps and teeter totters and try out different skill stations. The season finale, a Bike Parade through the Village streets, brought out a great and energetic crowd of people of all ages and life-stages. We estimate that the average participation in Community Bike Nights was 15 people per night, and the Bike Parade drew more than 20 riders.
