{"id":18710,"date":"2017-08-01T09:26:55","date_gmt":"2017-08-01T16:26:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=18710"},"modified":"2024-09-21T13:37:43","modified_gmt":"2024-09-21T20:37:43","slug":"member-portrait-katie-bike-advocate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/member-portrait-katie-bike-advocate","title":{"rendered":"Member Portrait: Katie “Bike Advocate”"},"content":{"rendered":"

REI Member since 2013<\/p>\n

Tell us about yourself.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

My name is Katie Harris and I live in Washington DC. I\u2019m the Trails Coalition Coordinator at Washington Area Bicyclist Association, which we call WABA\u2014I get to work with a great initiative called the Capital Trails Coalition, a collaboration of public and private organizations, agencies and citizen volunteer groups working to complete the regional trail network. When I\u2019m not riding my bike, I\u2019m also interested in kayaking, fly fishing and mountain biking.<\/p>\n

Why is \u201coutside\u201d important?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Outside is important to me because it\u2019s where we go when we need to get places, like transportation, but it\u2019s also important when we need to experience places.<\/p>\n

Our outdoor culture in DC extends to transportation\u2014more people are choosing to bike to work every year and that\u2019s where my organization, WABA and Capital Trails Coalition comes in. With that growing demand, we know people need safe and convenient places to walk and bike. It\u2019s really important that we\u2019re watching that trend of people choosing to commute by bike, and holding the region accountable for providing safe places to do that.<\/p>\n

And for me, outside is so often where I learn about myself\u2014whether it\u2019s hiking or camping or even just riding my bike, it\u2019s where I go to I learn to push myself, but also where I go when I need to slow down and get rejuvenated.<\/p>\n

What does \u201coutside\u201d mean in an urban environment like DC?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

DC is an incredibly active city. I think we get a lot of flak for being too buttoned up or too corporate, but, in fact, the outdoor community is really thriving. Rock Creek Park<\/a> is our most famous urban park, but we also have some hidden gems<\/a> like the Anacostia River<\/a> and the National Arboretum and a slew of national parks. A lot of the green space in DC is federal land, so it\u2019s managed by the National Parks Service.<\/p>\n

\"Anacostia<\/p>\n

How did you get involved in the cycling community?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

I\u2019ve been riding bikes since I was a little kid. Riding a bike was one of the first lightbulb moments of empowerment for me because I could depend entirely on myself to get places. It\u2019s such a feeling of freedom. I got bit by the bike touring bug when I was in college. I found myself riding across the country in 2013, and I\u2019ve done shorter tours on the East Coast since then.<\/p>\n

I started working in bike advocacy in high school. Our local bike and pedestrian planner in my hometown saw me picking up trash on the side of the path near my house and created a job for me as a pathway ambassador. I got to ride my bike and haul this cool trailer of tools and maps. I took care of the trail and talked to people and answered questions. I was the liaison between trail users and the local government, which I really loved. That was my first taste of advocacy work. Since then I\u2019ve worked at the national and regional levels.<\/p>\n

Why do you find multi-use trails vital?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Trails are really vital transportation arteries of this region. People use them for just about everything: commuting, recreating, walking their dogs, losing weight, bringing their kids to nature, experiencing the region\u2019s national parks and the list goes on. The reason we\u2019re spending tremendous energy and time on building out our regional trail networks is that trails connect us. They connect us to our places of work and worship, they connected us to our neighbors and friends, they give us places to spend time with our family.<\/p>\n

In the work I\u2019m doing, we\u2019re envisioning an equitably-distributed network that\u2019s accessible to people of all ages and all abilities. We want it to be a reliable transportation option. It\u2019s important to us that it links diverse communities and is sustainable in the long term, transforming public life in the region.<\/p>\n

\"Street<\/p>\n

What is your favorite piece of gear and what\u2019s the story behind it?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

My touring bike, my Surly Long Haul Trucker, is my favorite piece of gear. And it\u2019s more like a piece of me. It\u2019s been nearly everywhere with me. It\u2019s helped me get up the mountain passes in the Cascades, it\u2019s been my loyal companion on long stretches of highway through the Midwest and now it\u2019s my steadfast commuter bike in DC.<\/p>\n

What does being an REI Co-op member mean to you?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

It means being part of a community that values the outdoors and values stewardship. The biggest thing it means is making the world, both broadly but also in our backyards, a better place.<\/p>\n

\"Katie<\/p>\n

Looking for more inspiration? Read other REI Member Portraits\u00a0here<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Not a member? Join today! Learn more\u00a0about\u00a0REI Membership<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

REI Member since 2013 Tell us about yourself. My name is Katie Harris and I live in Washington DC. I\u2019m the Trails Coalition Coordinator at Washington Area Bicyclist Association, which we call WABA\u2014I get to work with a great initiative called the Capital Trails Coalition, a collaboration of public and private organizations, agencies and citizen […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":18713,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[2274,726,570,109,2217,651],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-18710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cycle","tag-capital-trails-coalition","tag-force-of-nature","tag-member-portraits","tag-member-stories","tag-rei-cooperative-action-fund","tag-women"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/member-portrait-katie-bike-advocate","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Member Portrait: Katie “Bike Advocate”","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/member-portrait-katie-bike-advocate","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/member-portrait-katie-bike-advocate"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/07\/Skrobecki_11292016_0206.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/07\/Skrobecki_11292016_0206.jpg?fit=1500%2C900"},"articleSection":"Cycle","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Aer Parris-Hoshour"}],"creator":["Aer Parris-Hoshour"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["capital trails coalition","force of nature","member portraits","rei co-op member stories","rei cooperative action fund","women"],"dateCreated":"2017-08-01T16:26:55Z","datePublished":"2017-08-01T16:26:55Z","dateModified":"2024-09-21T20:37:43Z"},"rendered":"