This month's question comes from longtime member and NSMBA supporter Andrew Major, who asks: I really wanted to ask if the NSMBA is keeping on the awesome Trail Crew of Sean & Pat in 2016?
Andrew, Yes! Our awesome trail crew will be back in 2016.
We currently have funding and a trail plan that will keep our builders busy into the spring of 2016, and we will be fundraising through the winter in order to ensure that our trails get the maintenance that they need throughout the remainder of 2016. The NSMBA Trail Crew is comprised of 3 individuals, Digger, Pat and Sean who work alongside our Program Manager, Mark, whose position also includes a significant trail component. Members of the trail crew work between 20 hours and 40 hours per week, depending on project requirements and funding, and are supported by an army of volunteers. The NSMBA is a volunteer run organisation and as such, our Trail Crew can often be seen leading groups on the mountain, and being assisted by members of the community.
The NSMBA is working towards a model where we can employ builders on a full-time basis, year round, in order to meet the demands of our community and our trails. To achieve this long term goal, we rely on our funding agreement with the District of North Vancouver, and the generosity of our sponsors. The money received from these parties is used by the NSMBA in order to develop and deploy the trail management program. We also appeal to our community at the end of each calendar year with a fundraising campaign. Our current project, the Heritage Campaign, aims to raise funds for the restoration of long standing and feature rich trails on the North Shore.
In addition, the NSMBA is always looking for enthusiastic trail builders to join our team, we encourage all members to join us for our next round of Trailbuilder Academy sessions in the spring, where you can learn how to build trails to NSMBA standards.