Trails Ambassador Program

Joey Early

Where Local Riders Become Trail Stewards

The Trails Ambassador Program is a way for local riders to help serve as stewards to their backyard trails by identifying and sharing maintenance needs that can be addressed by COPMOBA and the Mesa County trails team. The program launched in 2022 as a way to add value to individual participants, Mesa County, COPMOBA, and the bike community-at-large.

As mountain biking grows in popularity and as trail use continues to rise, the trails of Western Colorado (i.e., Mesa County) need a structured program to help assist with ongoing maintenance and stewardship needs. Our local trails are receiving more traffic, usage, and impact than ever before, and this warrants a partial solution to help ensure a high-quality riding experience is maintained across Mesa County – both for local riders and visitors. Moreover, there is a need for deeper collaboration with the Mesa County trails team to help address the needs of three local trails networks (1) Lunch Loops, (2) North Fruita Desert – 18 Road, and (3) Kokopelli.

Why

• Participants: will receive a voice and influence in trail maintenance decisions and a COPMOBA t-shirt.
• Mesa County: will receive targeted feedback from inner circle of trusted riders on problem spots, community engagement partner, and ad-hoc administrative support (from the Project Lead) in coordination efforts to address areas of maintenance needs.
• COPMOBA: will benefit from additional opportunities to more meaningfully engage with members, opportunity to more effectively coordinate with Mesa County to add positive impact to local trail constituents, and the ability to refine a model that could be relevant for other chapters or future stewardship opportunities.
• Mountain bike community: More “tuned” trails in Grand Junction & Fruita, a way to engage in service opportunities, and opportunity to engage with other passionate members of the local biking community.

WHO’S INVOLVED

• Program Lead: Casey Sande, COPMOBA Board Member and active GVC volunteer
• Program Partner(s): Mesa County Trails Coordinator, BLM-Grand Junction Field Office, and the USFS.
• Ambassadors: 20 GVC members or prospective COPMOBA members who are active in the local biking community.

BECOME AN AMBASSADOR

To become an ambassador, individuals must meet the minimum criteria:

Member of COPMOBA (in good standing and current on dues)
Regularly ride the local trail network between March & November (e.g., 2-3 times per week)
Willing to ride and log problem areas (using Slack) throughout their local trail area at least 2-3x per month between March & November
Committed to lead, coordinate, or assist with 1-2 volunteer events throughout the season (e.g., dig day)
Access to smartphone and ability to share geo-tagged before and after photos
Available for ½ day training session in late March or early April
Personality attributes: trustworthy, reliable, problem-solver, strong communicator
Interested in scouting and reporting trail conditions after major weather events or bike events (e.g., monsoons, Grand Enduro, Roam Fest, Fruita Fat Tire Fest, etc.)
Interest in attending social ride(s) with other COPMOBA members or community members
Willingness to become a certified COPMOBA trail crew leader in 2022 or early 2023