Idaho trail enthusiasts encouraged to buy specialty license plates

BOISE - Backers of the nation's first mountain bike specialty plate are encouraging trail enthusiasts of all kinds to buy the mountain bike plate and raise funds for preserving, protecting and creating multi-use trails in Idaho.

"We really want everybody - from hardcore mountain bikers to hikers, equestrians and mom's who ride bikes with their kids on paved trails and everyone in between - to buy the plate," said Geoff Baker, an active rider who crafted the legislation authorizing the new plate.

"Plate sales and the trail-enhancement funds created as a result will benefit all non-motorized trail users, whether they're riding bikes, hiking, walking their dogs or riding a horse," he said.

Baker said he hopes the plate puts Idaho on the map as a key destination for cycling and mountain biking. Early sales of the license plate are encouraging - 110 plates were sold in the first month they were available in January 2011, according to the Idaho Transportation Department, and another 58 were sold in February, making it the third best-selling Idaho specialty plate in 2011 behind the wildlife and collegiate plates.

To learn more about Mountain Bike Idaho, how to get your plate and how to show your support, visit www.MTBID.org.