Return of Sawpit: $113,065 Raised for Trails & Announcing the Lucky Winner of a New Santa Cruz!
January 17, 2020
We are so proud and excited to announce that the “Trees, Trails, and the Return of Sawpit” campaign raised $113,065 to support the construction of the Sawpit Trail Reroute in Soquel Demonstration State Forest (SDSF) AND the maintenance of all trails in SDSF for the next five years.
Wow - we are overwhelmed by the amount of support we received for this campaign. You helped us reach our original fundraising goal of $100,000, and then helped us exceed our stretch goal of $110,000. Don’t forget that the first $100,000 was matched 2x by generous donors, so together we raised $313,065 for trails through the Return of Sawpit campaign. This shows how powerful we can be when we all come together to support trail advocacy!
The money we raised is already being put to work. We have been making great progress on Sawpit Trail Reroute construction and expect the trail to open in the next few months.
Of course, the success of this campaign would not have been possible without the support of Santa Cruz Bicycles. Santa Cruz is giving away a brand new bike to one lucky supporter of the Return of Sawpit campaign. For every $5 contribution, supporters received an entry into a random drawing for the bike of their dreams. There were over 22,000 entries, and we know what you’re wondering: Who won that bike?!
Introducing the lucky winner... Cheyne Cowne!
Cheyne lives in San Diego, CA, where he says mountain bike trails are a contentious issue. Because of this, he knows it’s important to support trail advocacy. As Cheyne explains, “Trails don't build themselves and if we as mountain bikers want trails to ride we have to be proactive and get involved and/or support those who can. I rarely miss a chance to enter a $5 a foot campaign with MBOSC, SBTS, and others. I'm also a member of my local mountain bike association (Southern Sierra Fat Tire Association and San Diego Mountain Bike Association) and have participated in a few trail maintenance days.”
Around his hometown, his favorite places to ride are Mount Laguna and Noble Canyon where he says the trails “offer both smooth flowy sections as well as some technical rocky sections.” When he wants to get away, his favorite destination riding spots are Tahoe and Downieville. Cheyne also really likes South Mountain in Phoenix “for all the fun rocky technical features to ride.”
When we asked Cheyne why he supported this campaign, he said: “I love the $5 a foot campaign model for trail building. This model gets everyone involved and allows those who donate to dream about winning a bike and riding some great new trails. Also, the companies that donate a bike get good exposure and the new trails only encourage more people to get into cycling, which is good for everyone.” We couldn’t agree more, Cheyne!
Cheyne is already dreaming about his new Santa Cruz mountain bike. He’s planning to get a Hightower XX1 AXS Reserve. Dreamy indeed! Cheyne is a longtime Santa Cruz fan (he’s been riding their bikes almost exclusively since 2005!) because, as he says, “I believe they build a quality bike and provide good customer service. I also like that they work with and donate to trail builders like MBOSC, SBTS, and others.”
Cheyne hasn’t ridden in Santa Cruz yet, but of course he’s heard great things, and he thinks a road trip is in order. Come on up Cheyne, we’d love to show you around, and Santa Cruz would love to give you a factory tour!
When we reached out to Cheyne with the good news about his big win, he said, “Today is a great day!!! With 3 young kids, I didn't expect to be getting a new bike anytime soon, so this is exciting for me.” We’re so glad this happy dad is getting a new ride so he can keep spreading the stoke to his kids and all their friends. Congratulations Cheyne, and we can’t wait to see you out on the trails on your brand new Santa Cruz!
Become a Member
Become a member of SCMTS! Join thousands of members who provide a reliable stream of support as we build and maintain sustainable trails throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains.