Mad River Riders-Fundraising Appeal
Corporate Sponsorships
Proven Trail Network Builders and Stewards
The Mad River Riders started in 1986 with 10 miles of trails. Today, we've grown to over 60 miles of trails and over 700 members. Volunt eers log thousands of hours each season building and maintaining trails and leading community programs. To support this growth in mileage and usage while continuing to build new trails, our organization needs to compliment membership revenue and the grants we occasionally win with recurring sponsorships and donations. T hese much-needed funds will go to support 4 core operational needs:
1. Trail Maintenance and Development
$75,000 to enhance, protect, and stabilize our existing 60 mile trail network Provide all weather access to the Enchanted Forest/Tucker Hill (Camels Hump State Park) trailhead area Expand safe, land-owner approved trailhead parking and connectivity to simplify access to Valley trails Robustly maintain our 60 Mile network of trails with a seasonal maintenance crew Stabilize deteriorating trail conditions throughout the network to promote a healthy watershed, and enhance user experiences Enhance, pavement free trail-to-trail connections throughout the Mad River Valley. Enhance connectivity to parking and core businesses within the Mad River Valley and to our neighbors on the Velomont Trail, which is working to link the length of Vermont with multi-use trails, similar to the Long Trail and the Catamount Trail. 2. Community Programming and Development
The Mad River Riders Rippers program has seen incredible growth the past few seasons. The program is currently free of cost to any child who would like to participate. Loaner bike program has been established, and should expand inventory to better serve those in need of a bike for the riding season. We established a first-aid and coaching training program to employ youth coaches for a more robust programming slate.
3. ‘Bridge the gap’ on the VOREC Bridge Project:
The Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC) grant provides 75% of the funds needed to complete the bridge over the Mill Brook connecting the trail network to MRV businesses. The economic impact of this project will be a substantial boost for the Mad River Valley community. However, We need an additional $150,000 to realize the vision of being able to travel the entire network from a single parking area. VOREC grant funded the bridge. The Mad River Riders needs to raise money to finish this project (scheduled to be completed by 2023). The Riders also need to raise funds for ordinary present and future maintenance needs.
4. Endowment Development
Predictable and recurring funding sources will enhance our ability to execute planned projects. Our goal is to encourage recurring donations from individuals, local businesses, and other sources to participate in a monthly contribution campaign to help propel the organization to serve our community more consistently.
Long term trail protections are a necessary part of planning, funding, design and stewardship of our networks. We have largely focused on public land trail development, due to permanent protections and funding options. While we have the most miles of forever-protected trails of any VMBA chapter, half the Riders’ network is still unprotected. All of our connectivity is threatened due to this and we still do not have a single intermediate or easier connection within the Valley.
