Growing the Team
Contributed by Debra McGhan, Alaska Safe Riders
The Alaska Safe Riders team is expanding outdoor safety education opportunities across the Mat-Su Borough thanks to a three-year Target Wellness grant from the Mat-Su Health Foundation.
“At Alaska Safe Riders we have been working hard to grow our instructor pool for the past three years,” explained Executive Director Mike Buck. “This grant is helping us push that effort into reality.”
Buck has grown his current instructor pool from two to four trainers in the past three years with a goal to have 12-fully certified instructors available to answer requests for training by the end of this grant term.
“We have already identified a number of really excellent candidates for this program who are actively training and preparing to travel across the Mat-Su Borough to bring backcountry safety training to communities and villages that are often left out due to the high cost,” said Buck.
“Our goal is to be able to share this education with everyone, especially those who use ATVs and Snowmachines on a frequent basis. In many communities in Alaska, these machines are an integral part of daily life. Unfortunately, they are also contributing to the high rates of unintentional injuries and death rates Alaska is experiencing. This education is designed to help reduce those accidents and improve the safety and health of all residents.”
Buck and his team are currently conducting several weeks of training in the Hatcher Pass and Eureka area, followed by public instruction courses. Whether you are brand new to the sport or want to learn the correct way to ride and manage your machine, check out the basic rider certification courses modeled after the ATV Institute training also offered by ASR.
Maybe you just want to learn more about traveling safely in the backcountry for yourself, your school, organization, or community and are interested in scheduling a free Backcountry Safety workshop. No matter what your needs might be related to outdoor safety travel, email ASR at info@alaskasaferiders.org to get connected and start today.
Thanks to support from organizations like the Mat-Su Health Foundation, Alaska Safe Riders is diligently working toward ending preventable injuries and deaths related to the operation of off-road vehicles all across Alaska through education.
Learn more about the organization, programs available, or how you can get involved to help at AlaskaSafeRiders.org.