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Singletracks.com Interview: “How Washington’s Evergreen MTB Alliance employs 15+ full-time year-round trail builders”
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Singletracks.com Interview: “How Washington’s Evergreen MTB Alliance employs 15+ full-time year-round trail builders”

30 | Jul | '24
Vivika Stamolis
"Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance employs 15-24 full-time year-round trail builders, with that number swelling to roughly 35 trail builders during the peak summer season. Here's how they do it." - By Greg Heil, Managing Editor

Managing Editor of Singletracks, Greg Heil, sat down with our former Executive Director, Yvonne Kraus, to learn about our growth and our work as the largest statewide mountain bike association in the nation; with our new Executive Director, Eddie Espinosa, leading Evergreen into an exciting future.
 
"Washington State has turned into one of the most compelling riding destinations in the country, due in large part to the work and volunteer base of the advocacy partners and organizations found here. This is how we do it" says Eddie.
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Yvonne, reflecting on her near decade with Evergreen, says she stepped into her role in 2015 with 3 admin staff and 3 trail crew on the team. At the time, we had around 1,800 Evergreen Members. Evergreen had just completed the I-5 Colonnade and the Duthie Hill MTB park, and had just scored brand new contracts to build trails at Tiger Mountain and the Black Diamond Open Space. Mike Westra (then Project Manager, who later became our Trails Director and has been monumental in our trail projects over the years) had a team of 3 trail crew.
 
"The organization was on the cusp of significant growth, and it was time to get organized," says Yvonne. Building on the successful advocacy and community building accomplishments of previous Executive Directors, Yvonne jumped in with both feet, recognizing the potential and opportunities to make a difference in a sport she loved. 

“We grew from a small donor- and grant-funded organization to a now $3+ million not-for-profit by successfully landing bids and proposals and pursuing larger grant sources with multiple agencies and foundations," says Yvonne.

So, here we are in 2024, and we have grown to employ 15-24 full-time year-round trail builders (up to 35 paid trail builders in the summer) plus 14 full-time admin staff, and 30+ seasonal education program instructors and coaches. 

Today, we have around 9,000 Evergreen Members, but that's not nearly enough to cover the work we do across the state -- we estimate Washington’s ridership to be between 500,000 and 800,000 mountain bikers.

In September, we'll have our annual Membership Drive, so get ready to sign up, renew, or invite your friends to join as Evergreen Members. We rely on your Membership dollars to continue the important work we're doing on the trails and for the trails; every day, year after year.

As we reflect on a near decade with our former Executive Director Yvonne Kraus, and we look forward to an exciting future with new Executive Director Eddie Espinosa, we are filled with gratitude for the MTB community and the support we've received to allow us to get to where we are now. Thank you for your involvement and support for the trails! 

Reflecting on a near decade with former Executive Director Yvonne Kraus, and looking forward to an exciting future with new Executive Director Eddie Espinosa.
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