Northwest Trail Alliance - OUR MISSION

To create, enhance, and protect mountain bike riding opportunities; to advocate for trail access; 

to promote responsible mountain biking; and to build, maintain, and ride sustainable trails.
DECEMBER 2015 NEWSLETTER
Upcoming Events
December 8, 6-8 PM
MtBike League Night - Social Night
1969 NE 42nd Ave - Portland


January 26, 7-8pm
General membership meeting
NWTA Board of Directors Elections
1969 NE 42nd Ave - Portland
Volunteer

 Opportunities
NWTA Volunteers
STUB STEWART - NEW TRAIL - LARGE BUILD DAY - 
DECEMBER 12, 2015

If you like to build flow trails with berms and table top jumps, this project is for you.


We need dirt diggers to help shape the new lower section of Green Horn, a NEW section of trail below the free-ride area.


The trail has been cut in, and we need help shaping and sculpting the berms & jumps.  To do the heavy lifting we will have all the NWTA machines on site (ST240, Ditchwitch and the Canycom wheelbarrow).


In addition to using hand tools we will also need equipment operators.


Regardless if you are a seasoned trail builder, or new to trail building, we need your help.   There are projects for all skill levels.


Please RSVP so we can get a headcount, and properly pre-plan and stage tools.  Event location, time and more details can be found on our calendar.


STUB STEWART BUILD DAYS
This is a recurring event and the first build day will start  Sat, Oct 17, 2015, and repeat every other Saturday until state trails day (Saturday, June 4, 2016).  See our calendar for details and updates (including cancellations)


SANDY RIDGE TRAIL MAINTENANCE DAY AND SHUTTLE
DECEMBER 5, 2015
See our calendar for more details.


STUB FEST 2016
We are looking for people who want to help plan, fund raise, and market the next event.
Contact: Ted Dodd  tedd@nw-trail.org


RIDE LEADERS
Looking for "grassroots" group ride leaders. Volunteer to go riding and share your passion with
fellow mountain bikers. It's an easy volunteer role that is important to building community within
NWTA. Contact: Ted Dodd tedd@nw-trail.org
Thank You To Our Sponsors
The Northwest Trail Alliance would like to thank our sponsors for their generous support. Without their help, it would be impossible for the NWTA to accomplish our mission of creating and protecting mountain biking opportunities.


Bike Gallery
Oregon Parks and Recreation
Hopworks Urban Brewery
Yakima Racks
Evolucion Innovations
Intel employees through the Intel Volunteer Grant Program
Oregon Road Runners Club
Grand and Benedicts Construction
Many individual, private donors
 
NWTA Board Of Directors Elections
Are you a great leader? Do you have an aptitude for fundraising, volunteer coordinating, communications, or other skills that strengthen the board of a nonprofit organization?


NWTA is seeking applicants for the 2016-2018 NWTA Board of Directors.  Board members provide guidance on the direction of the organization, serving two year terms. Elections occur at our January membership meeting. To apply, you can submit your resume and a short bio (150-250 words) to president@nw-trail.org by January 8, 2016.  Additional information on board member responsibilities can be found on our website.  We look forward to meeting NWTA's upcoming leaders.
Planning For 2016 Has Begun
On Saturday, November 7th, 2015, a group of NWTA volunteers met to start the planning process for NWTA's 2016 events.


2016 EVENTS (Save The Date)
Sandy Ridge Shuttle - Saturday, May 14
Stub Fest (National Trails Day) - Saturday, June 4th
Falls Creek Campout - Saturday, July 23rd
St. Helens International Festival Of Trails (SHIFT) - Aug 19, 20, 21
Sandy Ridge Shuttle - Saturday, Sept 17th
Take A Kid MTB Day - Saturday, Oct 1st
Mt Hood trail project - TBD


NWTA is comprised of 100% volunteers; it takes an army to put on these events successfully!  If you are motived and want to give back to the sport you love, you are invited to join us.


It's extremely rewarding to be a part of trail building events.  Volunteers are needed for all aspects of our group's activities and events.  If you have a passion, or a skill you want to share, please consider volunteering to support the sport we all love.


Goals for volunteering:
1) have fun with friends;
2) carry out the mission of NWTA - to create, enhance, and protect mountain bike riding opportunities, advocate for trail access, promote responsible mountain biking, and to build, maintain, and ride sustainable trails.


As an example of having fun volunteering, at this last planning meeting we combined the work of planning with riding and social time. We planned the upcoming events, met with land managers, enjoyed a BBQ and went for a ride.  Oh... and we had  tasty beverages next to a toasty wood stove.


We are assembling teams to work on all our upcoming projects.  Let us know when, where, and how you'd like to help.  You don't have to commit to doing it all. 


It's amazing what NWTA can accomplish in a year.  Especially when there are multiple groups of people working on individual projects that are inline with our group's mission.


TOGETHER, WE create, enhance, and protect mountain bike riding opportunities.  WE advocate for trail access. WE promote responsible mountain biking.  WE build, maintain, and ride sustainable trails that WE all enjoy.  In short, WE give back to the sport we love.


If you want to get involved, contact Ted Dodd: tedd@nw-trail.org
Planning Begins For New Trail Development In
Stub Stewart State Park
New trails in Stub Stewart?!  NWTA is excited to announce that planning has begun for new single track trails in a currently undeveloped portion of Stub.  The new section (roughly 350 acres) is just south of the existing mountain bike only area, and is being referred to as "South Stub-MTB Phase 2."  The goal is to build 8 miles of new single track trail in this area.


The process began this past November with a scouting trip of the new area.  Ted Dodd (NWTA board member) and Jason Wells (IMBA Trail Solutions), along with a small group of volunteers, bushwhacked through the new area to scope out the terrain and strategize trail layout and design.


Jason Wells is a highly respected professional trail builder from IMBA Trail Solutions whose experience includes building at Sandy Ridge, Post Canyon, and many other locations around the country.


By hiring professional trail building help, and engaging a large volunteer effort, we hope to build these new trails in one season.


We will begin our fund raising efforts in the first quarter of 2016.
Massive Crew Kicks Butt at Growlers
A massive crew of 110 people showed up at Growlers in Castle Rock, WA on November 21st for their annual Fall work party. Between 4-5 miles of new trail were cut, and a few miles of existing trails were maintained.  If you haven't been to a Growlers work party, days like this have become the norm at Growlers; I think we sometimes assume it's like this everywhere.  Jim Lemonds, the Godfather of the Growlers network, was talking with another work party participant at the after party who had an interesting comment - He said "he is doubtful that there is a group anywhere in the U.S. that can move as much dirt by hand in a single day as we do."  Jim had  huge props to everyone who showed up.  If you hear anyone talking about how simple it is to build and maintain trails, remind them of this - between their recon, the Chainsaw Massacre, and the Mega-Build, they have approximately 500 hours invested in their trails.


Next work party is this Sunday, Dec 6th, to help clear a section of the trail that was damaged due to some recent logging.  For more info, please contact Jim Lemonds at seattle0@hotmail.com. 
League Night Invite
For this month's MtBike League Night, we will be getting together for socializing and a tire swap.  Bring in some tires that you no longer want (preferably, not your bald 1.8 Mythos from 1997) to swap with others.  The tires that don't get snagged will be donated to the Community Cycling Center. They have asked for a small donation to off-set the costs of recycling tires they cannot use so we will have a donation jar for them should you be in the giving mood.  Join us Dec 8th, Velo Cult, 6pm-8pm. Bring your NWTA/IMBA ID for happy hour pricing on beer all night.
End Of The Year Giving
Please remember NWTA when you do your end of year gift giving. When you donate to NWTA,  you're giving a gift that has a lasting effect.  We create, enhance, and protect mountain bike riding opportunities, advocate for trail access, promote responsible mountain biking, and build, maintain, and ride sustainable trails. 


Its simple and easy to donate.  Thanks for helping support our mission, and your sport.
LOVE TO RIDE? GIVE TO RIDE!

1. Become a member.

2. Donate through our website to fund our work. 

3. Volunteer to build trails or to help on an advocacy committee. 

 
Join NWTA Today!
BECOME A MEMBER NOW!


Northwest Trail Alliance | P.O. Box 1846 | Portland | OR | 97207