04/28/2025
Hello All!!!
In 2021, I created the “Adopt A Section” volunteer trail maintenance program. I had awesome volunteers in 2021 and 2022!! In 2023 and 2024, for various reasons, I never did get the message out about the need for volunteers (mainly because I don’t have computer or internet and don’t follow social media channels!).
Well, for 2025, the core volunteer group would REALLY like some help so they can shift their focus to mowing, tree cutting, spraying, and doing more dirt work!!!
With Adopt A Section at Switchgrass back in action for 2025, you can rally up your best friends, get a crew from your workplace formed, or encourage your favorite bicycle shop to create a volunteer group for volunteering on a trail maintenance section at Switchgrass!
With this info, I will do my best to outline what will be expected of Section volunteers for the 2025 growing season. I will also, give my best advice on degrees of difficulty for different maintenance sections. Keep in mind that all of these sections are string trimming work.
DC, DP + the farm crew, and I would LOVE to have the majority of these maintenance sections filled before the growing season begins (which has now officially started with the recent rains)! We sure hope you can you find some time in your busy summer to help us out and “own” a piece of the Switchgrass Trail!!
I will post the Hell Creek Loop sections today. I will then post the Marina Loop, followed by the Golden Belt Loop. If you have helped in the past and want a particular section again, shoot me a message or comment on the post!
On another note, please remember:
Our Switchgrass Trail relies 100% on volunteers for all the mowing, spraying, dirt work, signage upkeep and so on.
Switchgrass Trail also relies 100% on private donations to be able to buy supplies for equipment maintenance, to purchase new equipment, fuel, oils, chains, trimmer line, hand saws, chemicals for w**d control, and the list goes on!
To help support Switchgrass Trail, please remember to join or renew your membership to Kansas Trails Council!! When you join/renew, please consider an additional donation to the “Friend of the Trail – Switchgrass Trail”, the funds are put directly into Switchgrass Trail maintenance funds!
Volunteer Guidelines:
**Volunteering for a section(s) of trail will be for the entire growing season of 2025. The number of times that it is necessary for handwork to be completed depends entirely on how much moisture is received thru the growing season. There is years that Switchgrass only needs hand work 3 times. There are years when hand work is necessary 4 or 5 times. It’s a gamble you have to be willing to take.
**It will be necessary to complete the hand work sections on your own time.
**It will be necessary for you to complete the hand work with your own equipment.
**Commitment is necessary. You must be willing to take this as a serious commitment and complete the trimming as needed! If you let the growth get ahead of you, it is only more work to get it knocked down!
**Must be able to read the maps and navigate to your chosen section(s) by foot or bicycle.
**These sections that need volunteer commitment ARE NOT MOWABLE. This is string trimming only.
**Worried about sacrificing your riding time? Well, hate to break it to you, but all of us core volunteers sacrifice riding time to do what it takes to keep Switchgrass as Epic as possible!! The trails we have are only here because of volunteers. And we need you to help us keep Switchgrass awesome!!
Thanks so much for helping keep Switchgrass epic!!!
