Happy Trails!

We’re putting the final touches on our 2011 trail season and we have a few exciting and humbling highlights we’d like to share with you. For starters, we hosted 18 Trail Daze events between the months of April and December (5 in Tahoe Forest and 13 in Plumas Forest). Combined, these volunteer workdays attracted 491 volunteers and produced 3,728 labor hours. These same devoted volunteers travelled 63,201 miles to help maintain and enhance our treasured trails.

And while these numbers are impressive, they’re also important. Because as part of our grants and agreements with the Forest Service, we’re required to provide a 25% in-kind contribution, which can be achieved through volunteer labor, travel, materials and tools. Our 2011 in-kind contribution towards federally funded trail projects is $175,362.

Producing an in-kind contribution of this magnitude not only requires a dedicated volunteer base, it demands a passionate and professional staff, and a sizable amount of food and beer. At the peak of this year’s trail season, SBTS employed 17 Plumas and Sierra County residents (there are currently 5 of us) with an annual payroll of $372,000.

The cost for hosting and feeding volunteer work crews in 2011 amounted to $10,355. Unfortunately, we cannot apply for federal funds to feed hard working volunteers, which is why we need your financial help.

Here’s your chance to leverage your funds (and get a tax deduction)
Our 2012 schedule features 11 Trail Daze events on trails in wild and picturesque places. In order to keep our trails healthy, we need to raise $10,000 to feed volunteer work crews.

Thanks to Santa Cruz Bicycles, every donation received between now and December 31st will be matched dollar for dollar (up to $5k) to support our trail maintenance program. This means that if you give $100, your gift will double to $200. Please give as generously as you can, we can’t keep our trails maintained without your help.

To double your financial contribution and make our 2012 trail season a success, donate now

Thank You,
the SBTS Crew