We are in the midst of a surge of interest and enthusiasm surrounding our sport of mountain biking. One of the things that seems to be motivating people the most is the chance to build and ride on new trails. Just a couple of weeks ago, Tupelo Community Forest opened to the public, and judging from the posts on social media, many of you have gone for a ride! And at our Daniels Road Trail Day so many of you helped start to rake in our new connector trail. More trails equals more fun!

Just down the road from Daniels, another exciting opportunity is shaping up for mountain bikers. The Graphite Range Community Forest is being developed as a 202-acre multi-use recreational hub for history, hiking and mountain biking. 

Private donors have contributed $150k from December to April and the US Forest Service awarded a grant of $391,000. The next goal is to raise $20k in donations by June 4, which is National Trails Day. Now it’s time for the SMBA community to get involved! 

Many of our SMBA members have already donated–thank you! And for those who haven’t donated yet, please do! Any amount matters. If every SMBA member donated even just $5 or $10 we could really make an impact.

If you have already donated (or if you are donating now), please let us know by sending an “I’ve donated!” email to smba@saratogamtb.org or letting us know on social media. We can use our membership as a strong, positive voice in support of more trails! The direct link to donate is:

https://saratogaplan.org/saratoga-county-community-forest/

In the Saratoga PLAN donation form, please write “I’m a SMBA member” in the “Notes for donation” box. We want our conservation partners to know SMBA is actively involved!