Friday, September 9, 2022
NEMBA Adds Four New Chapters: Belfast Area Maine, Martha’s Vineyard, Seacoast New Hampshire and Southcoast Massachusetts
In 2021 and 2022 the NEMBA Board of Directors voted unanimously to approve new chapters, Belfast Area Maine, Martha’s Vineyard and Southcoast. These new additions bring our total to 33 chapters throughout New England. We are excited to onboard these new chapters and strengthen & grow their local efforts. A community meeting will be held in both areas to announce the new chapter and build local support.
New and existing members can now select Belfast Area, Martha’s Vineyard, Seacoast or Southcoast as their primary chapter, or as an add-on chapter. We look forward to working with the leadership of these new chapters to grow our regional efforts while directly improving local efforts as well.
From Louis Hall of Martha’s Vineyard:
Our hopes are to build a more positive community presence on Martha’s Vineyard by developing stronger relationships with land management organizations, spearheading collaborative community trail building and maintenance projects, supporting young riders, developing a trail advocacy committee that could help steer the Islands trail network and lastly developing connections with NEMBA chapters off island. One of the most exciting parts of this project is the idea of leaving the island's limited trail system and adventure together to ride with other chapters.
From Chris Gardner of Belfast Area Maine:
Belfast Area NEMBA will exist to build the joy of being outdoors, mountain biking, public service and community mutual respect. We believe in building lasting partnerships, inclusivity, and providing education and access to trails. We cooperate with municipal, private and non-profit land owners in developing trails and shared use spaces for mountain biking. We have an M.O.U. with the city of Belfast to build trails on a 20 acre parcel. We are also working with Coastal Mountain Land Trust to try and gain permission from neighbors to connect CMLT properties from this city-owned land. We’ve had our first trail work day, with more planned for the future. We also plan on hosting rides, clinics, and collaborating with local schools to develop youth groups.
From Tim Mallard of Seacoast NH Area New Hampshire:
Our mission will be to bring health, positive and proactive culture, as well as trail stewardship to the Seacoast. Many of us use mountain bikes not only as a hobby, but as a tool to escape and reset from our busy and stressful world. We are all better humans after a good ride! We owe it to our younger generations to leave the trails better than we found them. Every activity we host or promote will lay the building blocks for future riders. If we do our job right they will be inspired and prepared to look after the trails long after us old folks are gone. A strong trail system builds a well balanced community, families, and economy. It would be an honor to take part in leading a formal effort to join NEMBA and bring a long lasting positive impact to our area.
From John Tomawski of Southcoast NEMBA:
Southcoast NEMBA located in Massachusetts north of Buzzards Bay will have a local mission/vision that aligns with NEMBA’s mission statement. We will preserve and share our local trail systems with the local community, and be transparent with our operation within it. Local engagement with similar local organizations such as cycling, dirtbike and hiking groups. Due to the growth of mountain bike riders in the area of Massachusetts between the current SE MASS NEMBA and Cape Cod NEMBA chapters, we felt it was necessary to create a local chapter for these members to have more local representation within NEMBA.
