Wow. Nice dialogue. I have a little time to respond because we're
getting another cold snap. (Tomorrow it's supposed to bounce back to
70, so I can venture out around noon to show a magazine writer some
of our newer trails.) We've had some good fall and winter rains, so
if we get any in late February or early March it should be a boom
wildflower season in late March and into April. Factor that into any
plans you may have to go in search of sunshine and dry singletrack.

My membership lapsed a year or two ago, but I have stayed on the list
to keep in touch, even though I moved to Tucson 10+ years ago. I just
went online and renewed for three years, so now you have to read the
rest of this post.

Before moving to the desert I was on the PUMP board and was the Point
of Interest Representative for Molalla. I was also one of the
founding board members of the Merry Cranksters in Salem.

Regarding the statewide organization. Roger's experience was similar
to one a few of us had in the mid-1990s; we found insufficent support
to keep a statewide mountain bike advocacy organization going.
Mountain bikers tend to think and act locally. Perhaps a bigger tent
statewide group, including equestrians and hikers as well, might be
more effective -- but obviously it would not be able to narrow-focus
on mtb access. I'm taking that approach here in AZ to see if we can
get some meaningful reform (that includes recreation) on state trust
lands, as well as work on funding from the legislature.

Regarding meetings, whoever chairs them needs to be assertive and
maintain control. Schedule a social hour after the meeting so there's
a chance to talk freely. Keep the meetings businesslike and don't
wast people's time. One of the worst things you can do to volunteers
is disrespect them by wasting their time. Meetings that run on and
on, like standing around waiting to get organized at a work event,
are the equivalent of saying, "We don't value your time."

I would suggest that trying to be all things to all people can be
hugely wasteful. Look at the club's bylaws and purpose. Those should
guide club priorities. If there's enough interest in a freeride park
(I think the Collonade is awesome), let the people who have a passion
for it support a subgroup, and support them as you can. But don't let
it become the club's primary purpose.

Engaging new members is important. Whether formal or informal, a
"buddy system" that has board members, past board members and other
long-timers make sure new members feel welcome can go a long way not
only toward retention, but also moving new members into volunteering
and leadership.

My experience, which includes 30+ years of involvement across a broad
spectrum of community and professional organizations, from the local
level to the national, has taught me that people who complain without
offering to help work toward a solution are simply whiners, and
deserve to be listened to politely -- once. After that any complaints
unaccompanied by offers to be part of the solution either should be
ignored or answered with the question, "And what are you willing to
do about it?"

Despite the negative comments about what PUMP hasn't done or been,
from my perspective it's a damn good volunteer organization that has
accomplished a lot, thanks to dedicated advocates who have put in a
lot ot time and energy over the years. Like any volunteer
organization, it can have ebbs and flows of energy/activity. I think
there should be a statue of Theo (either playing guitar or riding his
bike) in the center of the Saturday Market area. He founded and led
PUMP, and basically launched mountain bike advocacy in Portland.
Heck, for a while he WAS mountain bike advocacy in Portland. And he
made it fun. Sum Gai, that Theo.

Hasta pronto,

--mark
Southwest Trail Solutions
http://www.swtrailsolutions.com
Cell: 520-400-2050