2026 Western Slope Volunteer of the Year!

Written by Penny Shelton

Trail work is about more than moving dirt, clearing brush or maintaining the trails we love. It’s about the people who share their time, skills and energy to make these places better for everyone.

At the Coalition, we’re grateful for every volunteer, whether they join us for a single workday or become a regular part of the crew. Every hour and every helping hand makes a difference. Our trails simply wouldn’t be what they are without the people behind them.

We’re seeing that impact firsthand on the Western Slope. From finishing the new climbing trail to expanding accessible, entry-level trail options, volunteers are helping build a network where riders of all experience levels can find their place. At Joyride, we watched newer riders explore these approachable trails, get more comfortable on their bikes and build confidence. It’s a great reminder of how much these projects matter beyond the dirt that gets moved.

This year, we’re excited to recognize someone who has played a big part in that progress. Through her leadership, contagious enthusiasm and willingness to jump right in, she’s helped move projects forward, welcome new faces and strengthen the Western Slope team.

Give it up for Jess Ehrbar, our Western Slope Volunteer of the Year!

Jess and her husband, Andrew, both earned their undergraduate and graduate degrees at James Madison University. In between JMU and coming home, they spent time in Chico, California, where they built a community through their own trail-running nonprofit. When they moved back to Harrisonburg about a year ago, they missed the connections they’d made and wanted to find that same sense of belonging in the Valley.

They already knew the Coalition from their JMU days, so it felt like a natural place to reconnect. Jess was eager to keep doing the trail work she’d grown passionate about in Chico, and both she and Andrew understood the role community-based nonprofits play in making smaller communities stronger.

For Jess, the biking and running worlds have always been places to find like-minded people and build lasting friendships. She and Andrew wasted little time finding those connections again in Harrisonburg.

As Jess puts it, “The best way to be a part of the change is to jump right in and get involved.”

She’s certainly taken that to heart. This season, Jess helped bring new individuals, organizations and community partners to Western Slope trail work nights through sponsored volunteer events and other ways to pitch in. Those partnerships have introduced more people to the trails and the work it takes to maintain them, and built new relationships between the Coalition and the broader community.

Beyond the projects themselves, Jess has helped make trail work a welcoming place to connect, make friends and find your own way to contribute. Her initiative and enthusiasm have grown participation and made the Western Slope team stronger and more connected.

Plus, she got sawyer certified and loves putting her chainsaw skills to work on the Western Slope and beyond!

Jess’s story is a reminder that the impact of volunteering reaches far beyond the work itself. It shows up in the trails we build, the people we bring together and the connections that last long after the tools are put away.

Thank you, Jess, for all the hard work and energy you pour into our trails, and for bringing so many new faces along with you! We’re lucky to have volunteers like you who not only help maintain the Western Slope trail system but also make it a place where friendships grow and community thrives. We’re grateful for you, and for every volunteer who makes it all possible.