BUILD.RIDE.PROTECT

Spring has sprung, so we are looking to grow our SDMB committees. We hope some of you are willing to help our committees accomplish more great things in the months and years ahead. In the past, we had some very active people on our committees, but COVID impacted committee participation.

We are looking to get back to having well-staffed committees again, and hope that many of you would be interested in helping out. The SDMB Board has done a great job of filling gaps and keeping things moving, but we are at the point where we need your help. IT TAKES A VILLAGE! We are looking for self-starters, folks that can look at a committee description and say: “This is how I want to support SDMB!” and act on that ambition.

Here are the opportunities for you to get involved that won’t require a lot of time.

Advocacy Committee

            This committee advocates for mountain biking and discusses strategies and implements ways to promote the development of new mountain biking trails with Pima County, Tucson and Marana. Major initiatives include the “Be Cool” trail safety and etiquette initiative; the SDMB Bike Ambassador program; and offering bike skills clinics through our MTB Bike Academy. Some members also participate in the Network for Arizona Trails which advocates for trails statewide and supports an effort to establish an Office of Outdoor Recreation at the state level (like 22 other states have). We submitted comments for the Coronado National Forest Trails Plans related to MTB trails on Mt. Lemmon. There are opportunities as well to participate in the Network for Arizona Trails annual summit. To ask questions or volunteer, contact the Advocacy Chair: Kent Loganbill at: Kent7varden@gmail.com

Trails Love Corp

            This committee spearheads our efforts to build and maintain MTB trails in the greater Tucson area. Some examples are the new trails SDMB helped build at Enchanted Hills, the Explorer and Portal Trails at Kennedy Park and the reopening of trails at Mt. Graham. Committee members can be trained to be crew leaders and help with trails initiatives like “Brushtober Fest,” new trail construction under the guidance of Pima County Parks & Recreation, and other local land managers. To get involved in this committee or ask questions, contact Michael Mucker at: eyebikepa@gmail.com

Outreach, Diversity & Inclusion

            This committee is working to diversify our membership as well as ways to make mountain biking more attractive to a broad range of groups—young people, handicapped and physically-challenged, minorities, and special needs, among others. We want to diversify our board, but we also want to find ways to engage with urban youth (through the 100-Acre Wood Bike Park, for example), hand cycle users, underserved audiences, and other groups. We also want to be sensitive to designing and building trails that are attractive to beginners, intermediate and advanced riders, and those riding adaptive hand cycles. To find out more or volunteer, contact chair Ruth Cañamar at: rcanamar@gmail.com

Development & Fundraising

Our committee is forward looking and seeks to help define SDMB’s sustainable future. We do this through partnership development, process improvement and the creation of new initiatives such as trail projects. If you’re interested in development, you may spend time helping to engage our sponsors and land manager partners. You may help us revamp our sponsorship program which is in the works. We take on special projects like merchandise procurement to make sure SDMB is getting the best value and we are working on supporting our membership team in revamping that program. Fundraising is a natural extension of Development as we need funding to support our general operating costs, for our projects (like skills clinics and bike ambassadors), for trail work day incentives (lunches/refreshments/prizes) and for new trail projects like consultation, design, and construction costs. This will involve grant writing, private donor solicitation, fundraising campaigns. To find out more about Development and Fundraising at SDMB, contact the committee chair, Nathaniel Gordon at: gordee151@gmail.com

Time Commitment:

For all committees, the commitment would average around 2 to 3 hours a month and probably 2 to 3 weekends a year. If you want to do more, that is up to you. The more people on the committee, the less work it will be for everyone. No experience needed.

Compensation:

The pay? Knowing that you are making Tucson a better place to ride! Priceless.

Tucson has a huge opportunity to make this area one of the top cycling destinations in the country, and you can be the reason.

We hope that many of you will join one of our committees and help us maximize our impact in the greater Tucson area.