We’ve had a truly exceptional year for trails and mountain biking in the Roaring Fork Valley! This wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of our volunteers, Annual Members, individual Donors, Business Partners, and granting foundations. As we look towards 2019, we need your help and creativity to continue our efforts to create and sustain the best possible mountain bike trail system and experiences in our region.
The Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association serves the communities from Aspen to Glenwood Springs, New Castle and beyond. Since forming as a non-profit in 2008, our volunteer efforts have been bolstered by support staff to greatly increase our impact and make significant progress on our mission’s work. With your annual support, we’ll continue our work and accomplish even more!
During 2018, our advocacy, design, and coordination efforts + our highly valued public land manager partnerships resulted in many trail projects including: the new South Canyon Trail System (Tramway, Lighting Bug, & Coal Camp),improvements to Prince Creek including an extension of the Father of Ginormous, the Next Jen trail, and the Dinkle Link. Our New Castle Trails committee completed the Colorow Flow Trails (Goose & Maverick), while Aspen area riders welcomed the Upper Hummingbird extension and the revamped Upper Plunge. Volunteer trail work hours continued to increase this year due to our volunteer incentive Bike Giveaway program. Our first year Trail Agent program (trained independent volunteers) logged over 600 hours, while our first year Seasonal Trail Crew tackled over 1,500 hours of maintenance on high use and remote trails. Looking towards next year, we will see more trail improvements throughout our region. Imagine what else we’ll accomplish with your support!
We believe that World Class Trails benefit our local communities. Modern trails lead to healthy and vibrant local residents while offering an economic boost to our tourism dependent region. Our work is a public benefit that effects economic development, encourages healthy lifestyles, and increases the environmental stewardship of public lands. By focusing on trail experiences for both new and younger riders we are increasing the number of people who will benefit from our shared public lands.
As our region’s population and visitation increase, while federal land manager’s budgets simultaneously decrease, the need for volunteer and professional stewardship of our public lands also continues to increase. Our advocacy outreach and education efforts lead to a greater understanding by land managers of the value provided by modern, high quality, bike-optimized trails. As most of our trails are multi-use, our work benefits all trail users by reducing conflicts and improving experiences on the land.
Our efforts to organize the mountain bike community have already resulted in increased stewardship of trails. Our planning work to set the stage and gain approvals for trail system improvements is now ongoing throughout the valley. We are leading the charge to design and implement trail systems that will cater to youth riders, visiting tourists, and long time enthusiasts.
In order to continue our advocacy and education work, and to complement our Annual Membership and Business Partnership Programs, we are seeking generous Direct Donations to support RFMBA’s ongoing and future work. Rise to our biggest challenge by sponsoring an additional 2019 Seasonal Trail Crew member today! Patrons at the highest level support training, equipment, and all costs for a seasonal trail crew member that will positively impact trail conditions throughout our region.
Significant support for programs that increase volunteer stewardship, like our Trail Agent Program, or generous gifts towards specific trail construction projects (please ask us about our RFMBA Trail Fund) will also directly impact our effect on our local communities.
We would love to share the specifics of our many trail planning and program initiatives with you. If you have any questions or ideas about local trails or our mission, please contact us. Thanks for your interest in providing better trails for everyone!
Thanks for your support in 2018! Now it’s time to focus on 2019!
PS: While this appeal is for your direct support of RFMBA’s general operations, you’re always welcome to Join Us by becoming an RFMBA Annual Member.
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