Scott Brown, owner of The Base Camp, has supported BikeNet for many years as a sponsor and ticket outlet for Ales for Trails; and last September, The Base Camp became a corporate member of BikeNet.

 

Scott and his wife Deb are avid outdoors people, with paddling, fishing and hiking being their main activities- and they raised their children to love recreation as well.

Scott remembers discovering the Billings outdoors as a youngster on his prized possession: a lime green Schwinn Varsity bike, where he cruised the town when traffic was much less of an issue than it currently is.

 

Scott grew up in Billings and moved to the the popular recreational cities of Missoula for college, and later, to Helena to open his first store.  People were skeptical when he opened the store in Billings in the 1980s, reasoning that Billings was not known as a outdoors town.

 

Scott says that BikeNet has helped change that perception of the Magic City and now has a reputation for being a much more active, outdoorsy community.  “Riverfront Park and Lake Josephine have also contributed to that,” he adds.

 

When asked why he has given so much to the trail system through BikeNet, Scott describes how the trails give children and families a way to be active, and hopefully, that activity and love of the outdoors will last throughout their lifetimes.

 

Scott noted a trend in today’s youth: that many are getting less active and outdoorsy, and more involved in the virtual world of electronics.  “There

has been a noticeable drop in participation in any outdoor activity over the past four to five years,” Scott says, and that has impacted the outdoor equipment industry. A major focus in the outdoor industry is to engage young children in bicycling and other outdoor sports that promote outdoor recreation.

 

Many cities have not expanded to meet the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists, which may be another factor in the dwindling activity among youngsters, but our trail system enables people to bike and walk safely, away from traffic.  Scott can attest to that: “my granddaughter lives in a town where the city streets are too busy to bike. Even the side streets aren’t very safe for very small children learning to ride.” He made a reference to the article from last month’s newsletter in which Tony Prill described teaching his children to ride on the Billings trails: “I want to do that for my granddaughter here in Billings.” Scott says he is looking forward to teaching his granddaughter to ride her bike on the Billings trail system.

 

It’s easy and rewarding to become a BikeNet corporate member! Click here for more information.