A Grateful Farewell to Chris
In early September, Chris Gosling finished up his 2026 trail season. If you had the privilege of working with Chris this summer, you know it as well as we do: he is a skilled, thoughtful trail builder with lots of experience doing the work, teaching the work, and keeping all of us safe during the work. He led more than a dozen trail days over four months, each one tackling important projects and strengthening stewards' connection to the trails. Cheers to a great season – we’ll see you around, but we’ll still miss you, Chris!

Changing Seasons, Steady Trail Work 
As the season washes from summer to fall and bugs are no longer a relentless, buzzing, biting scourge (praise be!), Dusty and Scott are still going strong as they begin their sixth month of trail work. The work they do is physically demanding, carefully executed, and dependent on a slew of factors from weather to logistics to coordination with partners and volunteers. They do it for a love of trails and commitment to our community of trail users and we say: Thank You, Merci Beaucoup, Gracias a thousand times over. 

Events, Funding, and Comms – Oh My!
Since our last newsletter, BETA’s Outreach Coordinator Megan has been busy working with board members to plan and host events like Pedal & Potluck, Hardy Kids MTB Race, a screening of the adaptive mountain biking film Best Day Ever, and BETA’s Community Bike Jam in downtown Lake Placid October 2. Between planning and tabling at events and keeping members informed about all things BETA, she’s enjoying the range of experiences offered by different trails. 

Deadline Approaching for Executive Director Applicants
As we continue an important search for a new executive director, we’d be grateful for your help in spreading the word. The deadline for applications is September 30.

BETA's mission is to unite and strengthen our Adirondack communities through a diverse and welcoming network of bike and ski trails that bring us outside, together. To achieve this, we seek a dynamic and skilled leader to continue BETA's commitment to and investment in the communities we serve. The full job description is available here.

Thank you, as always, for being part of the BETA community and for helping us find a new leader to guide the organization into its next chapter.

​Dear Friends,

In his three years at the helm, BETA Executive Director Glenn Glover helped our organization mature, grow our finances and expand our membership base. Going forward, the foundation he set will serve BETA well as we prepare to transition to a new executive director to lead us into the next phase of organizational development. 

Glenn’s notable accomplishments include continuing to grow the transformational trail network at East Branch Community Trails in Keene, making major trail improvements at Craig Wood prior to thousands of mountain bikers visiting the region for the World Cup races in 2024, working with the Town of St. Armand to secure a state Smart Growth Grant for trail improvements at Mt. Pisgah in the near future, and working with partners to establish a new parking area and trailhead in Keene for the Jack Rabbit ski trail. 

The board and Glenn are working together on plans to finalize a departure date and ensure a smooth transition. The board is establishing a search committee to post the job opening, interview candidates, and bring their top candidate forward to the full board for approval. The aim is to have a new executive director in place by year-end.  

BETA’s mission is to unite and strengthen our Adirondack communities through a diverse and welcoming network of bike and ski trails that bring us outside, together. 

As always, we greatly appreciate the support from our members, and we look forward to continuing to serve our community of trail enthusiasts.  

Sincerely, 
     Bryan Magnus, Co-Chair
     Patrick Carey, Co-Chair

When a new trail opens or a bridge is completed, it's easy to focus on the finished product. What often goes unseen are the months of planning, coordination, and relationship-building by our staff, volunteers, board members, partners, and many others that make those milestones possible.

​That's the idea behind this new column: in each newsletter I'll share a few glimpses into what happens behind the scenes.

DEC Smart Growth Grants
One recent milestone I’m happy to share was signing contracts for our DEC Smart Growth grants supporting the Mount Pisgah and East Branch Community Trails projects. Working through New York State's contracting process isn't quick or simple—in fact, it took months—but reaching that milestone unlocked $225,000 in funding that will help improve our regional trail network, far more than we've received through any previous grant program. My thanks to the Towns of St. Armand and Keene, DEC, and our state legislators for making those investments possible.

The Team at BETA
I'm fortunate to work with an outstanding team that accomplishes incredible things across our trail network and communities. An important part of my role is helping create the conditions for that success. Sometimes that means securing funding or working through administrative hurdles. Other times it's coordinating with partners to solve problems before they affect work on the ground. For example, the bridge repairs that are just getting underway in the Flume have required coordination between DEC, BETA's trail crew, and the ADK trail crew to ensure the project comes together smoothly. You'll see the results of that work in the future, but it's the behind-the-scenes coordination that rarely gets mentioned.

Ski Season Coming Soon
Finally, ski season is only four months away. Even in the middle of summer, we're already thinking ahead to winter. Setting maintenance priorities and coordinating fall work now is critical so our ski trails are ready when the snow arrives. Like many things at BETA, the work behind a great season begins long before anyone clips into their skis.

​We are so excited to have Dusty Grant, Scott "Grover" Citari, and Chris Gosling back on staff for the 2026 season. Dusty has already been out and about doing trail work and meeting with Local Trail Committees to identify priority projects. Chris started his season at the beginning of the month and has been working with Dusty and Community Partners to plan volunteer work days. Scott will rejoin our ranks in mid-May. Good to have you back, fellas!

We all know trails are special to people; did you know that they’re also special to dogs? We’re excited to share a story about the well-behaved dogs who work alongside us on the trail.

Of course we can't claim to be dog mind readers so we’re just making an educated guess, but between their dance of anticipation at the doorway, their alert eyes at the trailhead, and their wagging tails in the woods, we think it’s safe to assume the trails are just as special to dogs as they are to you and me. 

​We’d like to introduce you to some unofficial crew dogs of BETA who’ve “helped” with many of our projects: 

​Each dog has their own outdoorsy style -- taking it slow and steady; zipping after good smells; or finding a comfy spot to take a nap -- but they still have a lot in common, just like us.

We all love the special way trails connect us to nature, to one another, and to ourselves. And we know that dogs, like people, need to be well behaved so that everyone has a great trail experience.

There is one difference that stands out between dogs and people: dogs can’t donate to support the trails, but people can. 

Thanks to the gift of an anonymous donor, all community donations through December 31 will be matched. That means your $50 becomes $100. Your $100 becomes $200. Your gift funds trail projects that will put Spud, Stewie, and Rekker to work.

Thank you for being part of this community.
And thank you for helping write the next chapter.
​
Help us meet our goal of raising $40,000 for BETA's 40th year -- donate today to double your impact.