Volunteer
Shape the future of your local singletrack by volunteering with our crew. Whether you're maintaining berms, assisting fellow riders, or adopting a trail, your efforts keep our network safe, pristine, and open for everyone. Join us in protecting the trails you love, get involved Today!
Join Our Team
Several roles to choose from
Trail Steward
A CLIMB (Concerned Long Island Mountain Bicyclists) Trail Steward acts as the primary point of contact and lead caretaker for a designated singletrack trail network on Long Island. Because CLIMB manages over 175 miles of shared-use trails in partnership with state, county, and local land management agencies (like NYSDEC and Suffolk/Nassau County Parks), the Trail Steward serves as a vital bridge between land managers, the trail-building community, and the general public.
The primary responsibilities of a CLIMB Trail Steward include:
Trail Maintenance & Infrastructure Upkeep
- Routine Inspections: Regularly riding or walking the trail system to monitor conditions, identify hazards (like blowdowns or dangerous erosion), and ensure signage remains clear and intact
- Corridor & Surface Maintenance: Managing seasonal brush trim-back, clearing fallen branches, clearing drainage features to prevent water pooling, and repairing damaged trail tread
- Feature Maintenance: Inspecting and maintaining technical trail features (TTFs) such as wooden bridges, berms, rollers, and jumps to ensure structural integrity and rider safety
Volunteer Leadership & Community Engagement
- Leading Work Parties: Organizing, scheduling, and directing community volunteer trail workdays
- Safety & Tool Instruction: Training volunteers on proper trail building techniques, IMBA (International Mountain Bicycling Association) sustainable trail standards, and safe tool handling (ex. McLeod, Pulaski, loppers, hand saws)
- Community Point of Contact: Acting as the face of the trail system, engaging with local riders, answering questions, and gathering feedback on trail conditions
Land Manager & Agency Liaison
- Reporting & Permitting: Serving as the direct link between CLIMB leadership and local park directors or forestry officials
- Compliance: Ensuring all trail work aligns with official stewardship agreements, environmental protection guidelines, and property boundaries.
- Incident Escalation: Immediately flagging major issues—such as illegal motorized vehicle access, severe storm damage, or hazardous tree falls—to park authorities
Advocacy & Environmental Stewardship
- Trail Sustainability: Designing and maintaining lines that prevent erosion, protect native flora and fauna, and shed water effectively
- Shared-Use Courtesy: Promoting responsible trail etiquette (yielding to hikers/equestrians, obeying directional signs) and enforcing Leave No Trace principles among trail users.
If you're intrested, please contact us below!
Become a Trail StewardTrail Adopter
A CLIMB Trail Adopter is a volunteer individual, family, group, or local organization (such as a local bike shop, scout troop, or riding club) that takes personal ownership of a specific segment or loop within a larger Long Island mountain bike trail system.While a Trail Steward oversees an entire park or trail network, a Trail Adopter acts as the dedicated "neighborhood watch" and routine maintenance crew for a defined section—often ranging from a 1-mile segment to a full 3- to 5-mile loop.
Key responsibilities of a CLIMB Trail Adopter include:
Dedicated Segment Care & Clearing
- Routine Pruning & Trimming: Regularly riding or walking their designated section to clip back encroaching vegetation, briars, poison ivy, and sight-line blockages
- Routine Pruning & Trimming: Regularly riding or walking their designated section to clip back encroaching vegetation, briars, poison ivy, and sight-line blockages
- Corridor Inspection: Checking that trail corridors remain wide and tall enough for safe clearance by riders, runners, and hikers
Early Problem Detection & Reporting
- Rapid Reporting: Serving as the direct eyes and ears on that specific section, quickly reporting major issue such as massive blowdowns requiring chainsaws, severe erosion, or damaged bridge up to the lead Trail Steward
- Assessing Drainage: Checking low-lying areas after heavy rains to clear clogged drain dips or note standing water that needs tread work
Small-Scale Tread & Feature Maintenance
- Tread Care: Performing basic bench-cut maintenance, filling small ruts, and restoring soft or washed-out tread sections using basic hand tools
- Litter Cleanup: Keeping their trail section free of trash, water bottles, and debris to preserve the natural setting and positive image of the park
Ownership & Community Pride
- Flexible Commitment: Giving volunteers and local groups a flexible, manageable way to contribute without taking on the administrative or park-wide responsibilities of a full Trail Steward
- Consistency: Ensuring that large trail systems (which can span 10 to 20+ miles) receive consistent, granular attention that one or two Stewards couldn't manage alone
If you're intrested, please contact us below!
Become a Trail AdopterTrail Ambassador
A CLIMB Trail Ambassador serves as the public face and community liaison on the ground across Long Island’s mountain bike trail networks. While a Trail Steward focuses heavily on the physical infrastructure, maintenance, and land agency management of a specific trail, a Trail Ambassador focuses primarily on people, culture, rider support, and trail etiquette.
CLIMB Trail Ambassadors play a key role:
- Being a friendly, helpful presence on our trails
- Welcoming other riders to the trail and assisting them with directions and local trail information
- Educating the mountain bicycling community about trail riding etiquette, trail access issues, the CLIMB organization
- Noting trail conditions, hazards, illegal activities, etc. and reporting observations to CLIMB Board representatives, trail stewards, land managers, and/or appropriate local authorities
- Assisting riders with basic trail-side bike repairs
- Calling emergency agencies/personnel in the event of injury or other serious events. (Trail Ambassadors are not trained in, nor expected to provide first aid)
Commitment / Time Requirements:
During the course of the regular “season”, from April through October, Trail Ambassadors commit to riding the trails - with which they are most familiar - a suggested minimum of six hours per month, or as much time as your schedule allows. They log their Ambassador riding hours for each ride during the “season”, but are also encouraged to ride and track their volunteer time all year long.
Benefits of being CLIMB Trail Ambassador:
One great benefit that all Trail Ambassadors experience is the satisfaction of helping their fellow riders out on the trails.
Some of the more tangible benefits of volunteering as a Trail Ambassador include:
- Official CLIMB Trail Ambassador placards to mount on bike and hydration pack
- Official Trail Ambassador multi-tool.
- Official Trail Ambassador folding saw.
If you're intrested, please contact us below!
Become a Trail AmbassadorTrail Patrol
A CLIMB Trail Patrol volunteer operates as an official, trained safety and assistance resource on Long Island’s singletrack networks—often affiliated with the National Mountain Bike Patrol (NMBP) framework under IMBA.While a Trail Ambassador focuses on hospitality and social engagement, Trail Patrol members focus heavily on safety, emergency response, trail rule monitoring, and risk management.
Key responsibilities of a CLIMB Trail Patrol volunteer include:
Emergency Medical & Incident Response
- First Aid Assistance: Rendering basic first aid to injured trail users (hikers, runners, and cyclists) until professional EMS personnel arrive. Patrol members carry specialized trail first-aid kits
- Emergency Coordination: Knowing accurate trail access points, emergency extraction routes, and GPS coordinates to guide local first responders (police, park rangers, fire/rescue) to injured individuals deep in the Woods
Mechanical & Logistics Support
- Trailside Repair: Carrying comprehensive toolkits, pumps, chain tools, tubes, and multi-tools to help stranded riders resolve mechanical breakdowns far from the trailhead
- Search & Assist: Assisting lost or disoriented trail users in finding their way back to parking areas, particularly around dusk or on expansive trail networks
Safety & Rule Monitoring
- The Patrol members answers questions and concerns of all land users.
- Educating on Regulations: Monitoring trail activity for safety infractions or park violations such as unauthorized motorized vehicle use (e.g., dirt bikes or unpermitted e-motos), unleashed dogs where prohibited, or riding after park hours and diplomatically educating users
- Risk Assessment: Identifying and reporting active safety hazards on the trail, such as hanging dead trees ("widowmakers"), washed-out bridge approaches, or sharp debris
Event & Race Support
- Course Marshaling: Providing safety sweeps, medical staging, and trail monitoring during CLIMB-hosted races, group rides, and community events
- Risk Assessment: Identifying and reporting active safety hazards on the trail, such as hanging dead trees ("widowmakers"), washed-out bridge approaches, or sharp debris
- Logistics Reporting: Loging patrol hours and incident reports back to CLIMB leadership and state or county park managers to help track trail usage and safety metrics
If you're intrested, please contact us below!
Become a Trail Patrol