Mission:
To promote environmentally responsible development of recreational and competitive mountain biking trails in north west Washington, to grow and adapt, and to maintain, develop, build, design and monitor the use and condition of such trails. Purpose: To successfully execute our goals we also must connect with mountain bikers, residents, other land and trail users to preserve the culture and motivations for each community of users. To sustain past, present, and future development of trails: education, culture, and a diverse volunteer base are necessary.
Statement of Need:
The growing sport of mountain biking has blossomed into many diverse disciplines , riding styles, and from this variation the needs of each group have to be addressed by their community of riders. Whatcom Trails was founded in 2008 as a non-profit organization in the State of Washington to address the concerns of the downhill and freeride mountain bike community. These concerns include large issues pertaining to opportunities and access to downhill mountain bike trails, educational support for volunteers maintaining and building trails, as well as providing a voice for an undeserved community of mountain bikers in Whatcom County.
Program Description:
Creating a “communication” hub via WhatcomTrails.com, our members and partners can have access to trail building education, support for contacting land managers, as well our community of builders and riders can now operate more efficiently, sharing pertinent information regarding mountain biking. Whatcom Trails also works with residents, business, other trail users, land managers, and partner mountain bike organizations, to establish a positive role in our community, supporting our goals with the community they are valuable to. Through the value of volunteer labor, fund raising, our trails will be sustained by our user group. Our program as Whatcom Trails is as simple as creating a network of community officials, land managers, and mountain biking communities to create opportunities that will develop and foster the culture of downhill mountain biking.
Target Audience:
Our goals will serve more than the obvious mountain bikers. We aim to help relieve land mangers of the cost of maintaining, building trails for recreational use through community fund raising, and volunteer labor. Residents of Whatcom county will benefit as well from the mission of Whatcom Trails by having access to information, tools to contact members our riding community, to express their concerns. Economically, these programs serve local businesses, bike manufacturers as a necessary outlet for their goods and services. Specifically we aim to serve the local community of gravity mountain bikers, by addressing the concerns of the overarching community.
