For the health of our organization, our officers feel it’s critical that we spread the workload – we need to broaden the involvement of our members and users. Please consider where you might play a role to help the Blue Hills Trail Association thrive and grow. And if you know of others who would be interested in helping – please forward this message.

Look at the list (below) to see if there’s a category where you could offer your time and expertise. Focus on the titles listed in BOLD, these have not yet been assigned. Some of the duties for the various job descriptions could be divided among one or more individuals.

To volunteer, or if you need more information or have questions, email tom@bluehillstrail.com

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Job Titles and Descriptions - updated July 22, 2024

1- General Coordinator - Track scheduled tasks throughout the year - Already Assigned

2- Grooming Coordinator -- Already Assigned

3- Head Groomer of the Ski Trails - Already Assigned

4- Snowshoe Trails Boss -- Already Assigned

5- Buildings & Grounds

• Mowing Coordinator - big job with multiple volunteer helpers, usually requiring 40-50 hours each summer/fall, 2-3 hours each mowing session -- Already Assigned
• Equipment Supervisor - make sure all the equipment is well maintained -- Already Assigned
• Trail Clearing / Maintenance Boss - keep track of condition of the 20+ miles of trails
• Beaver Manager - try to coexist with beavers, arrange for more aggressive removal if absolutely necessary
• Trailhead Maintenance - coordinate helpers to keep the trailhead and storage buildings in good shape -- Already Assigned
• New Trail Developer - help organize bulldozing, backhoe operation, and grass spreading when new trails are developed
• Warming House Maintainer - keep a close eye on the warming house and its maintenance needs -- Already Assigned‍
• Pit Toilet Boss - occasionally refill supply of toilet paper, add lime to the pit toilets, and tidy up -- Already Assigned

6- Treasurer / Accountant - Already Assigned

• Check Writer - Already Assigned

7- Communications

• Website Manager - 'quickly' update website trail conditions 1-2x daily during ski season, less often the rest of the year - Already Assigned
• Facebook / Instagram Coordinator - promote the BHTA using these social media accounts - Already assigned
• TravelWisconsin.com Reporter - provide a weekly update (online) regarding BHTA trail conditions
• Email Communicator - check our two email accounts frequently (daily?) and distribute messages as needed to officers etc - Already assigned
• Trail Conditions Reporter - send updates to our email list (frequent trail reports during ski season, club happenings, etc)
• Thank You Sender - send written thank you notes to members/donors, and recognize them online and in the warming house - Already assigned
• Snowfall Recorder - keep daily track of moisture received during the winter, add it to the ongoing records we've kept since 1999
• Photo Organizer - hopefully someone interested in photographing trail conditions year round - and/or collecting and retaining photos submitted by trail users

8- Money Collection

• Empty PO Box in Bruce, Catalog and Deposit Incoming Checks - very important job that requires: regular visits to the PO Box in Bruce; periodic bank deposits (branches in Ladysmith and Rice Lake); organizational skills to forward the income info to our treasurer - Already Assigned‍
• Empty Donation Poles at Trailheads - Already Assigned

9- Liaison with Rusk County Forestry Department -- Already Assigned

10- Fundraising

• Overall Coordinator - help organize: grant applications, annual mailing (July/August), silent auction (October), annual banquet (November)
• Submit Recurring Grant Applications - this involves online applications to about ten businesses, not a big job - Already assigned
• Manage the Annual August Mailing to Members and Businesses - business mailing early August 1st, membership mailing August 20th - Already assigned
• Silent Auction Manager - set up the online auction to 'go live' in late October, with the banquet 'silent auction' to follow in early November: fairly time consuming job
• Banquet Planner - handle a number of tasks leading up to the annual banquet in early November: this requires a mild-moderate amount of your time

‍Tom Paulsen will coordinate your responses and and answer your questions. Email tom@bluehillstrail.com

Since the Blue Hills Trail Association was formed in 1987, we’ve been blessed with a tremendous number of skilled and dedicated volunteers serving as officers and assisting with trail work – giving their time, money, and friendship to make the Blue Hills Trail a wonderful place to recreate. We've also had tremendous support from local and national businesses. More recently, during the past 10-15 years, many of our members have moved away or decreased their involvement as they’ve aged. As a result, a few of our volunteers have assumed the lion's share of the duties, which isn't sustainable. We need more people to step up and give us a hand. Please consider being one of them.

Thank you!

• John Waldron (president)
• Geary Searfoss (vice president)
• Tom Paulsen (secretary/treasurer)