2019 CRAMBA Fall Membership Drive!
When you join or renew your CRAMBA membership in October, you’re entered to win a Yeti Beti or SB6! Your membership supports projects like the Stony Creek Sheldon Trails Redevelopment. More people joining = more resources = better trails.We are halfway into the 2019 Fall membership drive and are already at 36 joins/renewals! Do you think we’ll top last years 90?Join or renew here: CRAMBA.org/join
October 2019 Membership Meeting
The October 2019 CRAMBA Membership meeting was called to order by Brian McPherson at 7:07 PM and 31 people were in attendance. Board members present were Brian, McPherson, Steve Vigneau, Michael Reeves, Wade Robbins, Michael Green, and Roger Class.MEMBERSHIP: We currently have 454 members and the fall membership drive is underway. October of 2018 CRAMBA had 90 renewals and new sign-ups. This October we have 22 already. Prizes can be won during the Fall membership drive, they include a Yeti bicycle, Bike Flights packages, Western Spirit Cycling Adventures, and Jenson USA gift cards. For chance to win these prizes and contribute to CRAMBA's projects, visit CRAMBA.org/join. Anytime you renew, it adds on to your current membership, and you can win great prizes.SIGNAGE: New signage has gone up at CRPT, Bloomer, Holdridge, River Bends, and Pontiac Lake.STONY CREEK REDEVLEOPMENT: The initial RFP was sent out and they received zero bids for the project. All the trail builders are tied up with other projects at the moment. The RFP will be reposted with a longer window.ADDISON OAKS RACE: This years new course layout was a success and next years date will be Sunday September 13th. CRAMBA raised approximately $2500 this year from the race.MASSIVE FALLOUT: This years event was a little wet but the trails were mostly good, and way better than last year. Changes for future MFO's are being discussed. For example, having it start and end at Addison Oaks and having a post ride party. There may also be a gravel road options (i.e. 22,36,62 mile courses) for those that do not necessarily like to ride single track. Multiple routes for different lengths of single track are also being considered. Including a 90 mile course with River Bends, CRPT, and Bald Mt South.AY! CRAMBA IT'S COLD OUT: Is coming up date TBD.MiSCA RACES: The MiSCA Races at River Bends and Addison Oaks were a great success with over 300 racers at each event. Bloomer race is this upcoming weekend and CRAMBA is fully supportive of these events.TRAIL UPDATES: The new trail in Lapeer is coming along great and has a large group ride on Wednesday Nights. Let's try and get up there and ride that trail.Columbus Park has had some bridge work and is coming into shape. I believe he said there is 2.5-3 miles of trail there now.POSSIBLE CRAMBA REBRANDING: It has been suggested that maybe CRAMBA look into rebranding to include all trail users. I am sure there will be more discussion on this in the near future. Stay tuned.ELECTIONS: The new members of the Board will be as follows; Brain McPherson, Steve Vigneau, Michael Green, Wade Robbins, Mike Reeves, Ken Markiewicz, and Mark Padin. The positions they will take on the board will be determined at the next board meeting this Thursday 10/10/19.
Addison Oaks Fall Classic is less than three weeks away!
Coming up, September 8th, is the Addison Oaks Fall Classic! Register in advance to save $5 off day-of rates.Never done a race before? Come on out and give it a go in either the First Timer (one lap) or Beginner (two lap) categories and see just how fun a mountain bike race can be!Racing not your thing? We could use your help with volunteering at the event. Sign up below.RaceRegister to race online here.
VolunteerSign up to volunteer at the event.
Shelden Trails Redevelopment Plan Released!
We know you've been waiting for it, and here it is! Click here to download the full PDF detailing all the proposed trail routes for the Shelden Trails Redevelopment at Stony Creek Metropark!The Metroparks are still finalizing construction timing, so stay tuned for that, but if you're curious where the new routes will go, the recommended phases of construction, and which trails will be closed as part of making it all happen; here it is!
Looking Back at 2018
Happy New Year from CRAMBA to you and your family!We hope you've had another great year of riding and having fun on the trails. 2018 was a great year for CRAMBA and we want to share with you some of the big things we accomplished together.Thanks to our volunteers, donors, members, and hard work with partners we were able to:
- Keep our trails in great shape and ready for all to use.
- Build and install an information kiosk and bike repair stand at the Pontiac Lake trailhead.
- Reroute a chronically muddy section of trail at Pontiac Lake.
- Build a banked-curve, walled S-bridge at Clinton River Park Trailsover a perpetually muddy area.
- Add 150 yards of new trail at Clinton River Park Trails to avoid an old dump and make for a more fun climb/descent.
- Donate $3000 to support Shelden Trails Redevelopment at Stony Creek Metropark.
- Purchase a SnowDog tracksled for grooming snowy single track for fat biking.
- Open the first phase of the CK Canal Loop at River Bends featuring three beautiful, sustainable bridges over wet spots.
- Replace missing trail markers at Bloomer Park, and bring on new volunteer Co-Trail Coordinator Chris LaBaere.
- Raise $5855 at the Addison Oaks Fall Classic!
- Host the annual ¡Ay CRAMBA It's Cold Out! winter fat bike party at River Bends Park.
- Host another episode of Massive Fallout, our annual autumn multi-trail ride spanning Stony Creek, Bald Mountain, Bear Creek, and Addison Oaks.
- Continue work with the Metroparks and Applied Trails Research on the Shelden Trails Redevelopment Project at Stony Creek Metropark, resulting in the concept design for new trails!
We're looking forward to continuing our work in 2019, starting off with grooming trails for fat biking, hosting another ¡Ay CRAMBA It's Cold Out! event, donating new signage to a number of the trail systems we support, continuing work on the Shelden Trails Redevelopment at Stony Creek, and doing our best to enhance mountain bike access to trail systems throughout Southeast Michigan!Please join us for our next Chapter Membership Meeting happening next Tuesday, January 8th, at 7pm at CK Diggs in Rochester Hills!Then, we hope to see you at ¡Ay CRAMBA It's Cold Out! happening on Saturday, February 2nd, at noon at River Bends Park. Click here for more information.
Stony Creek Shelden Trails Redevelopment Concept Design Announced!
You wrote, you showed up, you donated, and the Metroparks listened. The concept design put together by Applied Trails Research for the Shelden Trails Redevelopment Project at Stony Creek Metropark has been approved by the Metroparks Board of Directors!Click here to read the update from the Metroparks and download a PDF of the whole plan: Stony Creek Metropark Shelden Trails Update #1So what's next? CRAMBA will continue working with the Metroparks to support the design, construction, and maintenance of these new loops. We hope for construction to begin late Summer of 2019!
CRAMBA Fall Membership Drive
Join or renew CRAMBA in October and you're entered to win a Yeti Cycles SB5 or SB5 Beti C-Series GX kit, plus a $2,000 JensonUSA shopping spree, a Western Spirit cycling trip for two and a BikeFlights shipping voucher for two.Visit CRAMBA.org/join
Massive Fall Out is upon us!
Hope to see a lot of riders at MFO tomorrow morning! The trail marking is being finished as I type, and folks are preparing food and drink as well. Keep your fingers crossed that the weather holds. Please remember the running event at Bloomer Park, and give them some space. Also, please be careful riding past the Rochester Library, watching for pedestrians.
March CRAMBA Board Meeting
Meeting was held at Steampunk. In attendance were Steve Vigneau, Kristen Berry, Brian McPherson and Mike Reeves.Meeting was called to order at 7:08 PM by Steve Vigneau.-Trail Days are currently being established. Look for them to be added to the calendar in the very near future.-Steve V. is kind of taking the lead on figuring out the Golden Volunteer program to see how we can best utilize it. Look for more on this later.-We are looking into the possibility of using Trail Forks for trail conditions, etc. Other chapters are successfully using this.-Stony Creek Metro Park trail improvements continues to move forward!-Bike park project at River Bends also continues to gain momentum, now with Shelby Twp. on board.Meeting was adjourned at 7:53 PM
National Mountain Bike Patrol new patroller orientation
Our next scheduled New Patroller Orientation is scheduled for May 6th 2pm at Shelby Twp Fire Station #1. Located at 6345 23 Mile Rd, Shelby Twp, MI 48316Enter the West entrance.
Training will last 2 hours. At 4pm there will be a group ride at River Bends Park if trail conditions allow.Please bring your bike, helmet and any medical training you have to the training. You must have CPR/First Aid certification. If you do not hold this, there is training starting at 10am. Please contact us for more information.Please RSVP by email bikepatrol@cramba.org or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/168769593926803/If you have any questions please ask, otherwise we will see you Saturday April 30th. Please share this email with anyone else you think might be interested.View our brochure[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=negBTR1m4wc[/embed]
January 2018 Chapter Meeting Minutes
CRAMBA Chapter Meeting Minutes 1/16/18The meeting was held at Rochester Mills Beer Co. and was called to order at 7:05 by Steve Vigneau.27 members were in attendance.Previous meeting minutes were not read.STONY UPDATE-Bids are out for design to several companies.-Construction is expected to begin in 2019-The Metro Parks are writing grants to fund the project-The Metro Parks see the restructuring of the trails as necessary, to the future of the park-CRAMBA is giving $3,000 to the Metro Parks for development with more to come in the future.-The redesigned trail will begin and end at a parking lot and one of the goals is to allow fatbikes in the winter, and not interfere with the XC skiers.IMBA Local-Complete revision of IMBA by using local organizations such as MMBA.-The old system was IMBA took 50% of the annual donations. Now they will be taking $12 per donation, no matter how much the donation is. This could be as much as an extra $7,000 for CRAMBA.-You should notice no difference in the annual donation processREI Grant-$5000 was donated by REI and split between PLRA and Holdridge-We are also hoping for a 2018 grant as well.CHRIS WESTERLUND / EVENTS-Should have the events schedule finalized around late January early February-Chris also reported that CRAMBA reached its 2017 goal of expanding membership from 400-500 members.RIVER BENDS REPORT-5 or 6 grooms so far this year-Will not be grooming unless we receive over 4" of snow-New trailer for the snowmobile is working great. Old trailer will be sold for a nominal fee.-The park director wants to develop another area of the park. Plans are being made to possibly develop a bike park in this location within River Bends. Another meeting is planned for February. More to come.-Going to continue working on additional trail-Ay CRAMBA Its Cold Out is February 3rd and the backup date is 2/18/18. Pot luck, beer and wine allowed, bonfire, and multiple bike shops will be setup.-The weekly group rides on Tuesdays are still going throughout the winter.ADDISON REPORT-Grooming has been going on-Still waiting for clearance on additional 1 mile of trail to eliminate the asphalt section.CRPT REPORT-Approval has been received to work on problem sections this summer, trail dates to be announced later-Possible addition of 3 or 4 curved bridges-Will be losing the funding received from the annual 5k Run.BIKE PATROL-42 members logged 2,224 hours and 13,000 miles-Looking for new patrollers around April or May.MEETING ADJOURNED AT 7:48Nest Chapter meeting will be April 17 at Rochester Mills Beer Co.
CRAMBA in 2017: Year in Review
Thanks to all of you -- CRAMBA's members, volunteers, and donors -- 2017 was another great year of Mountain Biking and Advocacy here in Southeast Michigan.Our next in-person Chapter Meeting will be next Tuesday, January 16th, at Rochester Mills Brewery. The meeting begins at 7pm, and please arrive a bit before the start to allow time for ordering food and tasty beverages!Here's an update on the more notable successes in 2017:Stony Creek Redevelopment Update: Volunteers continue to work with the Metroparks on the redevelopment of the mountain bike accessible trails at Stony Creek Metropark. We are currently planning for a professional design in 2018 and construction in 2019, funded by donations and grants. To help kickstart the design phase, CRAMBA has pledged $3,000 towards this first part of the project and will continue financial, planning, and technical support through project completion.Trail Improvements: During trail work days CRAMBA volunteers made numerous improvements to our local trails, including a new rock bridge and Wrong Way signs at Stony Creek, building rollers and skinnies to fix wet areas at River Bends, rebuilding berms at the Clinton River Park Trails, and restarting trail development at Columbus Park.IMBA Local Update: Early in 2018, CRAMBA, a chapter of IMBA, will move to IMBA's new Local Program. This is the next generation of the Chapter program and the most visible change will be a switch to a low fixed cost per member per year. At current member counts and contribution levels we estimate this change will bring around $8,000 of your membership dollars, per year, back to CRAMBA.MMBA Update: CRAMBA continues to be a member of the MMBA, our state-wide mountain biking advocacy organization, and will continue financial support in 2018.REI Grant: Funded by a $5,000 grant from REI, CRAMBA volunteers installed new kiosks and bike repair stands at the Pontiac Lake and Holdridge Trailheads!River Bends Grooming & New Trailer: Thanks to a generous donation CRAMBA has a new drive-on-drive-off trailer for storing and transporting the River Bends Snow Bike Route (RB-SBR) grooming equipment! Jeremy Verbeke and Mark Senyk have been hard at work keeping the snow on the RB-SBR groomed and riding great.Chainsaw Training: This past Spring CRAMBA hosted a Forest Safety Instruction class for Southeast Michigan chapters at River Bends Park. Attendees received S.A.W.W. Level One instruction covering proper safety techniques, Personal Protective Equipment, and safe operation of chainsaws for trimming, felling, and clearing trees.Membership: CRAMBA currently has around 500 paying members, with an average membership level of $46.95. To support ongoing projects such as Stony Creek we are looking to increase this number in 2018.Successful Events: In 2017 we continued to host a number of successful events, from our fundraising Addison Oaks Fall Classic race to Massive Fallout, the GoT MTB clinics, ¡Ay CRAMBA It's Cold Out!, and Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day. These events will continue in 2018; check out the CRAMBA Calendar or each event's page for info as they are scheduled.Weekly Group Rides: The regular CRAMBA-supported Tuesday Night (River Bends) and Wednesday Night (Stony Creek) rides keep rolling! If you haven't attended one of these rides, come on out and meet some of your fellow CRAMBA members. While the Wednesday night ride at Stony Creek is on hold for winter, the Tuesday Night Ride at River Bends is going strong on the RB-SBR. Check out the CRAMBA Calendar for more info.
CRAMBA and Stony Creek Update
CRAMBA has been working closely with the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority in support of the Master Plan goal of trail redevelopment at Stony Creek. We have been meeting regularly and the project is moving along wonderfully, with current plans for trail design to occur in 2018 and construction in 2019.Along with other user groups, we have sent the following letter to Metroparks Director Michael Reese as additional documentation of our support. This letter outlines our support and CRAMBA's four primary goals during this redevelopment:
- Establishing a cohesive single track loop
- Allowing winter-time fat bike access
- Increasing single track trail mileage
- Modernizing trail design
Click on the image or here to read the full letter of support. Stay tuned, as there's going to be a lot more to come!
2018 CRAMBA Board Election Results
On October 19th we had our quarterly Chapter Member Meeting up at Addison Oaks. The weather was amazing and we had approximately 20 people in attendance at the meeting. As usual for our October meeting we held board elections, with some board members remaining on the board, new folks volunteering to the board, and others stepping down.In result, the CRAMBA chapter board is now comprised of the following five individuals:Kristen Barry, Brian McPherson, Erick Mile, Mike Reeves, and Steve VigneauSpecific positions have not yet been determined; this will be worked out at our first board meeting. As we get this worked out we'll be adjusting the access to different portions of Basecamp and email addresses.I would like to extend a very heartfelt thank you to those of you who have volunteered your time and resources to be on the CRAMBA board. From membership growth to financial organization, from race planning to ensuring that our trail coordinators have the resources they need, we've gotten some great work done. While our members may not see the item-by-item grind that we do to keep the wheels on and move mountain biking forward here in SE Michigan, they are loving the results and we all are better for it. And we've got more to come.Mike Fitzpatrick: You've brought an amazing number of people into CRAMBA, both via the Guinness Bikers and your outstanding membership efforts. You've also donated some incredible materials and equipment (such as the two fat bike trail groomers) to CRAMBA which have allowed us to step up our trail game enormously, and the use of your pub as a regular meeting space was excellent. Not to mention the incredibly tasty, perfectly poured pints of Guinness! Thank you, Mike. We are incredibly fortunate to have had you as part of our team.Jeremy Verbeke: Since joining CRAMBA, as River Bends Trail Coordinator and grooming our first fat bike trail, with your outstanding work expanding the CRAMBA Bike Patrol into the nation's second largest Mountain Bike Patrol group, and countless more things beyond that, you've done amazing things. It's been a pleasure working with you, and I look forward to our continued work together.Marty Shue: Marty, you've been around CRAMBA and Metro North since I started mountain biking; a reliable, steady stalwart. From putting together the GotMTB clinics and getting more women interested in mountain biking to running Addison Oaks races, from chairing CRAMBA through our transition to an IMBA chapter... It feels like you've done it all because you have. I cannot thank you enough, and all of mountain biking in Michigan owes you a debt of gratitude.Tony McGee: A tremendous thank you, Tony. After joining the CRAMBA board you took on wrangling our relationship with the MMBA and many, many tasks that brought everything together. It was wonderful working with you and I look forward to seeing you on the trails.Alice Jacobs: Thank you for your regular input and for bringing a fresh perspective to the CRAMBA board. Your experiences volunteering with cons and other organizations have allowed us to think about how we work in a completely different way.Nick Shue: Since I started mountain biking, you've been one of those guys who are always there. Whether it's mentoring others on trail layout, sharing lessons learned from past work, putting together group rides, or linking up interested parties to make things happen with all the right people involved... You've done it. Hand in hand with Marty the two of you have been there, leading the Metro North Chapter and CRAMBA into the future and solid organization we now find ourselves in. Thank you, and I really look forward to continuing to work with you.Chris Westerlund: From carrying the torch with Massive Fallout to constantly following up on membership you've been a reliable, helpful part of CRAMBA all while balancing things with work and school. It's been great working with you, Chris and I really look forward to all the great advocacy stuff that we'll be able to keep doing.To Kristen (who is remaining on the board), Erick, Mike, and Brian, thank you for stepping up to help guide and run CRAMBA. From Holly Rec Area grooming to the Stony Creek project we've got a ton of great stuff going on, there's loads of great opportunities ahead of us, and a solid foundation on which to grow. We're going to do great things! I look forward to all of us working together and can't wait to see where we go.
Massive Fallout Quad-Trail Mass Group Ride
Massive Fallout is a large-scale group ride organized by the volunteers of the Clinton River Area Mountain Bike Association (CRAMBA-IMBA). The ride features four prominent trails in Macomb and Oakland Counties: Stony Creek, Bald Mountain, Addison Oaks, and Bloomer. These trails are all connected via a series of roads, paths, and rail trails creating a fun, flexible ride. Whether you’re a beginner or expert, the ride can be configured to your experience level and desired length. The total estimated mileage is roughly 50-60 miles including Bloomer.Maps will be handed out during starting hours. Join us for the mass start to be part of one of the largest mountain bike group rides in Southeast Michigan. If you aren’t familiar with the area, hop on with some of your fellow riders to show you the way.This ride is a CRAMBA event and will be insured under the CRAMBA group event policy. An aid station will be available during the ride. T-Shirts will be available for sale the day of the ride at Stony Creek in the morning and at the Addison Oaks aid station. All proceeds from T-Shirt sales will go to CRAMBA.When: September 30th 2017.Starting Hours: 8:00am – 10:00am, with a 10:00am mass start!Start Location: Stony Creek Metro Park – West Branch Picnic Area CRide Cost: Free! (purchase of Stony Creek Metropark day pass may be required)GPS route:https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13334279Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/485877458416079/Map(Classic): Massive Fallout Classic MapSAG Wagon: Please call
CRAMBA jerseys now available!
Click HERE to order your CRAMBA jersey.
A few details:
- These are Produce on Demand items and will take 7 business days to be produced before they're shipped.
- CRAMBA receives 15% of the retail cost.
- Orders $75 or more will receive free USPS shipping.
- Currently offering club and trail jerseys. If we get enough orders, we can add more items (like shorts!).
2016 CRAMBA Bike Patrol Year in review
The Clinton River Area Mountain Bike Association’s (CRAMBA) National Mountain Bike Patrol has had another successful year providing great service for all trail users in Southeast Michigan.
44 active CRAMBA patrollers put in a exceptional, 2642 hours of volunteer time in 2016 from 1,133 logged patrols! They also logged more than 13,800 miles patrolling trails. Log reports showed trail assistance provided anything from providing maps and directions all the way to stabilizing efforts, 911 activation and patient transfer to local EMS.
The mission of the CRAMBA Bike Patrol is to Assist, Educate and Inform mountain bikers and other trail users in safe, responsible and respectful use of bike trails and parks. This is accomplished through volunteers “patrolling” local trail systems. The CRAMBA Bike Patrol is not an enforcement agency, yet we Assist all trail users in times of need, Educate users of proper “rules of the trail” and Inform land managers and officials of conditions and concerns of the trails.CRAMBA Bike Patrol has maintained its size as one of the largest patrol groups in the country. Each year we continue to gain new patrollers. Our working relationship with land managers and trail users continues to improve. More people are recognizing what the Bike Patrol provides.We would like to thank some of our sponsors for contributing monetary, equipment and training to our patrol in 2016. Without these sponsors our patrollers would incur even more financial burden for them to volunteer and help others.Back to the Beach Races - Joe BurnsMain Street Bicycles - Steve GealyAmerican Cycle and Fitness - Dan Horsely
The group is planning for training in the spring of 2017 with a tentative date of April 29th to add to our marvelous group of volunteers. For information about requirements and basic program overview, please go to CRAMBA-IMBA’s Mountain Bike Patrol page. If you are interested in joining or have any questions, please send an email to bikepatrol@cramba.org. This is a great opportunity for you if like to ride and like to help others.
CRAMBA Chapter Meeting: January 10, 2017
The CRAMBA-IMBA Board would like to invite you to Rochester Mills Beer Co. on Tuesday, January 10, 2017 for our next chapter meeting. As usual the meeting will start around 7:00 PM, so if you’d like to order food or some of Rochester Mills’ tasty beverages please arrive a bit earlier to get your order in.Kicking off the 2017 year this meeting will consist of the usual trail updates and other and details about other ‘goings on’ within the Chapter, including the results of our board elections for positions such as Chairperson, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, etc.If you have anything you’d like added to the agenda, please send me an email at info@cramba.org no later than Monday, January 9, 2017.!!!!!!!! Remember, $6 Growler Fills on Tuesdays !!!!!!!!Rochester Mills Beer Co (www.beercos.com)400 Water StreetDowntown Rochester, MIMap LinkHope to see you there!
Mountain biking during hunting season
Tomorrow is opening day for firearm deer season. If you ride on public or state lands that allow hunting please be careful. Below are a few tips to make your rides home safely.Here are some safety and common sense tips:• The best and easiest thing to do is ride where hunting is not allowed. But, if you DO ride where hunting is allowed…..• Wear orange and/or bright colors. You can pick up a cheap orange safety vest at most outdoor shops and it’s well worth the investment. Avoid wearing camo patterns on your clothes, Camelbak, etc. Avoid any brown, tan, earth tones, and especially white. You do not want to look anything like the flash of a deer’s tail. During turkey season, avoid red and blue.• Avoid wearing a white helmet, as it could look like the tail of a deer sprinting through the woods. If you do wear a white helmet, tie bright flagging tape or cloth to it for better visibility.• Avoid riding during dawn and dusk hours. It turns out this is prime hunting time, especially during deer season, plus the low light conditions make it difficult to make out colors and shapes in the forest. If you think you might be caught on the trail in the early evening, bring a light or two to make yourself more visible. The best time of day to ride during hunting season is mid-day.• If you’re riding with others, maintain a conversation so as to be heard. Hunters may not like to hear this but making noise with a bell or even your voice will let them know you’re not an animal.• Always carry a cell phone & make notes of your location via signage on the trail.• If you see a hunter, address him or her to make your presence known. Give a wave and make eye contact if you can.• Check for closures with local land managers. Some trails are closed to bikers at certain times to minimize conflicts with hunters. Make sure you know when those times are and observe them.• If you see a deer or a herd, make some noise to let potential hunters know that there’s a human in the area. A loud bike bell works.• Don't forget to protect your dog too—it may be best to leave poochie at home during game season.• Check for closures with local land managers. Some trails are closed to bikers at certain times to minimize conflicts with hunters. Make sure you know when those times are and observe them.• Be courteous and respectful of all outdoor enthusiasts, hunters and non-hunters alike. Remember that hunters usually only have access to public lands during limited times of the year; we cyclists usually enjoy access year round.• Before you head out during hunting season, educate yourself about safe hunting and backcountry practices, know and follow all rules, and be prepared.Above all, use common sense and do your part to share the woods safely—respect each other and the land we share.