Eons ago I was talking with Smoke at a trail day and his suggestion was that people that rider regularly donate either a day's wages or a day's labour to support the trails. That should be on top of buying a local trail org membership and trail pass. There might be a good chance that some local dentists (or any other business) fall into those categories and don't advertise their support. While I agree with Andrew that using the local trail org sponsor list is a good way to find a biz you may need the services of, I also see tashi's point that just because someone isn't listed as a sponsor it doesn't mean they aren't doing something to help out. Picking up the phone or checking a website might get you those answers, but it might not if the person answering the phone may not know either.
IMHO there's far more responsibility on riders to put in the work to maintain a resource that they use for free. How many of your riding buddies show up to trail days or go out 1-2 times per year for half a day even to do simple things like work on drainage or filling in mud holes? My personal thought is people should give back 10% of the time they spend riding or an equivalent dollar amount based on what they earn. Ride 100 hours this season? Then do 10 hours of labour or donate say $500 depending on what you earn. If everyone that rides pulls their own weight there would be ZERO issue with being able to fund trail crews and pay for office staff to run the org's. Consider that tonight when you're brushing your teeth and you look in the mirror. Is the person staring back at you doing their part or are they taking advantage of other people's (mostly) unpaid labour?
May 9, 2022, 3:29 p.m. - Mark
Eons ago I was talking with Smoke at a trail day and his suggestion was that people that rider regularly donate either a day's wages or a day's labour to support the trails. That should be on top of buying a local trail org membership and trail pass. There might be a good chance that some local dentists (or any other business) fall into those categories and don't advertise their support. While I agree with Andrew that using the local trail org sponsor list is a good way to find a biz you may need the services of, I also see tashi's point that just because someone isn't listed as a sponsor it doesn't mean they aren't doing something to help out. Picking up the phone or checking a website might get you those answers, but it might not if the person answering the phone may not know either. IMHO there's far more responsibility on riders to put in the work to maintain a resource that they use for free. How many of your riding buddies show up to trail days or go out 1-2 times per year for half a day even to do simple things like work on drainage or filling in mud holes? My personal thought is people should give back 10% of the time they spend riding or an equivalent dollar amount based on what they earn. Ride 100 hours this season? Then do 10 hours of labour or donate say $500 depending on what you earn. If everyone that rides pulls their own weight there would be ZERO issue with being able to fund trail crews and pay for office staff to run the org's. Consider that tonight when you're brushing your teeth and you look in the mirror. Is the person staring back at you doing their part or are they taking advantage of other people's (mostly) unpaid labour?