Volunteers provide essential insight and services that support the long term quality and sustainability of the trails in BETA’s networks. As the trail work season winds down, we’d like to thank all of the volunteers, especially the Local Trails Committees (LTCs) and their chairs, who do that important work. Briefly, we’d like to give a special shout out to Alec Betancourt and Chris Gosling of Saranac Lake, Nick Zachara and Stefano Fachin of Lake Placid, Tyler Kepes and Harry Caldwell of Elizabethtown, Patrick Carey of Keene, and Wes Lampman of Wilmington for your leadership, passion and dedication.

High Peaks Wilderness Vegetation Management Training
On September 8, members of BETA staff and the Ski Trails Committee spent a day on the trails with NYS DEC Forester Tate Connor to gain a mutual understanding of acceptable corridor width in the High Peaks Wilderness and how best to achieve that width. This is an important step to allow our staff and volunteers to do ski trails maintenance this season and beyond.

We look forward to the work ahead and appreciate Tate’s guidance.

Ski Stewardship Program 
In the meantime, we’re building a network of Trail Scouts and Rapid Responders to help find and address maintenance issues on ski trails within BETA’s purview. Trail Scouts are committed to visiting the same trails(s) on a regular basis, but especially right after storms, and report their findings to BETA. Rapid Responders are comfortable wielding a hand saw or chainsaw to take care of maintenance issues reported by Scouts.

If you’re interested in joining the volunteer team, more information will be shared soon on our website, socials, and through an upcoming email blast.  You can sign up for our email blasts here.

On Sunday, volunteers led by Chris, BETA's Trail Stewardship Leader, tackled finishing work on the Town Connector Trail reroute in Wilmington.

The crew made quick work of that section and then moved into the Adirondack Land Trust's Three Sisters Preserve. We cleared drainages and addressed brake bumps on berms on the majority of Flobus. We heard from passersby that the ride was already smoother thanks to that work.

​📸 First & second-to-last pictures by Megan, BETA's Outreach Coordinator; all other pictures by Connie, BETA Board Member.

Since our last e-news blast in mid-July, we've hosted four volunteer trail work parties led by Chris, our Trail Stewardship Leader.  We still have at least one more scheduled for this season, so if you want to volunteer with us but haven't had the chance yet, there is still time.  Not to mention, ski trail work will be starting soon...

Without further ado, a rundown of the awesome work volunteers have done in just the last couple weeks:

08/10 | Craig Wood, Lake Placid
Great turn out for this work party sponsored by Capisce Coffee and Espresso Bar. We lopped branches, cleared blowdown, made tread improvements, and cleaned out drainages. Especially gnarly were the culverts nearly full to the top with sediment. It's a good thing we cleaned them out --  it started to rain right as we left!

WHAT'S IT ALL FOR?
Volunteer workdays like these can vary widely in what, exactly, we work on, but they are all important to keep the trails we love in good working condition or to keep new trail construction moving forward with speed.

Some people feel a duty to give back to the trails through volunteering, while others find it satisfying and rewarding in its own right. Some feel both -- that it is a responsibility and a joy to warm your muscles doing hands-on work for the good of the trails and the people who use them. Whatever your reason for donating your time and energy, we appreciate your help to no end. Thank you, volunteers!
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SKI SEASON IS AROUND THE CORNER
While work continues on our bike trails, the BETA team is already thinking ahead and working with the new Ski Trail Committee to plan ski trail work that needs to happen before the snow flies. You'll hear more from us soon about how we're preparing for the 2026 ski season; we won't be able to do it without your help.

That’s what Brooks Reynolds (below, second from the right) said about a volunteer work party sponsored by the Reynolds Group of Lake Placid.  As a family of avid mountain bikers and skiers, the Reynolds use BETA trails often and they’re sure to visit the Jackrabbit this season.

THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS!
In addition to the baseline satisfaction of volunteer work days, this year we’ve had the special pleasure of welcoming a lot of new faces into the volunteer ranks.  We’ve seen a big increase in logged volunteer hours over previous years, too.  Thank you so much to each and every one of you for donating your time and energy to the trails; your hard work is much appreciated by us at BETA and surely by every rider, skier, hiker, or runner who enjoys the trails. 

​If you’ve supported BETA’s work by volunteering in any way this season, please log your hours here: bit.yl/LogHours4BETA.  Doing so helps us track volunteer efforts and apply for more grant funding for trails (DYK: volunteer labor is valued at $38+ per hour!)

THANK YOU, SPONSORS!
In addition to volunteers, we’d like to thank the businesses who sponsored work parties this season: Silver Birch Cycles, Bike ADK, The Reynolds Group, Placid Planet Bicycles, and Origin Coffee.  If you’re business is interested in sponsoring a work party next year, please contact [email protected]

THANK YOU, CHRIS!
Finally, we’d like to thank Chris Gosling for his service as our Volunteer Stewardship Coordinator over the summer.  Your efforts to connect volunteers with trail work opportunities and provide fun and rewarding experiences for everyone was greatly appreciated.  We’re sure to see you on the trail sometime soon!