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To become a subscriber of this site, you will need a registered user account.
You can register a new user account here. Alternatively, if you already have a user account, you can login here.
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If you don't want to become a member of Sports Trails of the Ascutney Basin, but want to support us through a donation in any amount that you choose, please click the button below.
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Come and see what we're all about. Click on the tabs above (Join Us, Info, Trails etc...) to explore the site. Hold your cursor over the Info and Trails tabs to view more links.
This website offers three levels of access:
VISITORS can read about STAB as well as reading (but not writing replies to) public forum topics.
SUBSCRIBERS are registered users of stabvt.org, have access to more pages and can join in some forum discussions. Subscribe by registering (top right) your username, password and e-mail address.
MEMBERS are dues paid members of STAB. They have access to all forums and trail information. Subscribers can join STAB online, pay dues by credit card, and gain instant access to all of the site. Members who joined by mail must also subscribe to the site (register a username and password) in order to gain access to website features.
We hope you'll join us to preserve and build trails in the Ascutney Basin
Join us by filling out a membership form and mailing it with a check to STAB, c/o Cathy Boedtker, PO Box 220, Brownsville, VT 05037
Or pay online (top left) and get instant member benefits and access to all forums and trail info.
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The purpose of STAB (Sport Trails of Ascutney Basin) is to advocate for continued accessibility of low-impact, local trails, used for multiple non-motorized sports, in West Windsor, Hartland, Reading, and Windsor, through mutual cooperation with landowners, other local organizations, state and local officials and conservation groups.
To educate all parties involved with respect to environmentally sound methods of responsible trail usage, building, and maintenance.
We seek permissions from private and public landowners to create and maintain sport trails.
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Benefits
- Your membership dues help create more quality trails for you to use. This means you'll find new trails to explore.
- Meet new people who love trails in the woods through the online Forum or at STAB events.
- Having a strong local trail advocacy organization gives us a greater voice in issues important to trail users that will help with land access and landowner relations.
- Learn how to properly build and maintain trails.
- Improve your bike handling skills.
Dues Pay for:
- Trail construction and maintenance. This is where the vast majority of the $$ goes. We've now purchased a few $100 worth of trail tools, lumber and materials, and trail markers to post in STAB Mountainside. We also spend about $15-20 each trail work day on food and drink for volunteers. All of this comes together to make more miles of sweet, legal trails in the area.
- IMBA and VMBA chapter dues, including our contribution to the VMBA Landowner Support Fund. These organizations support mountain biking on a broad scale, including interaction with the State and Feds to lobby for MTB-friendly policies. These two combined are about $150/yr.
- This STAB website, becoming the central source for information about local trails.
- Little miscellaneous stuff (postage, paper, ink, etc.)
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In the fall of 2005, 5 of us got together to start up a trails advocacy club. We each use the trails year round, mountain biking spring through fall, then backcountry skiing and snowshoeing when there is enough snow on the ground. We saw that if we didn't work together with all the local trail users, we would lose a great asset to this area.
The first thing we did was to come up with a name that would express who we are, and to look at how other clubs formed and operate. Since we are mountain bikers we looked into bike clubs. We found many different by-laws (club constitutions) that stated how they operate, vote for board members, when meetings are held and types of insurance etc. Boring stuff basically, but neccessary to start and operate a non-profit all volunteer club.
Based on this our website and bylaws are skewed towards biking and leave a gap for all the other sports and people that we see out on the trails. We felt that motorized trail use involves impact issues which could be prejudicial to our trail network and would be better addressed by a group more passionate about this form of recreation. Horse riders seemed to be well represented by organizations in the area and would find most of our trails inhospitable for horses. But we came to realize that we have more issues in common and that there are mutual benefits to our including equestrians in our advocacy for low-impact recreational trails.
This is our first year as a club. We would like it very much to be member driven and have the board represent the members. We five individuals have no particular right to determine local trail use, but an active organization of users has the force to sustain and expand the trail network. Check the website often and let us know how we're doing by starting or joining in a topic discussion on the forum.
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