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Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts (MORE) represents the interests of mountain bikers in an area extending north past Baltimore, west to George Washington National Forest, and south towards Richmond. Among the twenty-plus MORE "offices" (i.e. mountain bike trails) in the Washington DC area, perhaps the busiest is Schaeffer Farm. MORE was founded in 1992 - just two years later, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reached out to the young organization with a proposal to develop a reclaimed stretch of farmland into a mountain biking destination. Two years and ten miles of trail later, the Schaeffer Farm Trail System was born.

The Schaeffer Farm Trail System's undeniable popularity keeps MORE busy with maintenance and upkeep. Dave Magill, MORE Schaeffer Farm trail liaison, organizes several trail work days per year. Coming up next on the Schaeffer Farm work calendar is National Trails Day on Saturday, June 6th. Co-hosted by REI Rockville, MORE hopes to put 75-100 people to work chopping back overgrown vines, reinforcing stream crossings, and "de-berming" eroded trail sections.

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of MORE's work with Schaeffer Farm is what the future may hold. Currently, energetic mountain bikers can ride north from the farm, via the Hoyles Mill Trail, into Black Hill Regional Park for thirty-plus miles of bliss. MORE's newest proposal is a five mile off-road trail connecting Schaeffer Farm to Clopper Lake Day Use Area and its ten miles of trail. Sounds good to us here at Trail Voice - we want "MORE" trails!

Organization Type: 501(c)(3) non-profitMembership: http://www.more-mtb.org/members/signup.phpDonate: Network for Good Twitter: @more_mtb

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) is the organizational hub for the DC bike commuter and the greater Washington bicycle community in general. Founded in 1972, WABA's original purpose was to be the voice for Washington DC area bike commuters. That voice has extended its reach into initiatives like Safe Routes to School and bike sharing, but WABA remains an organization of passionate cyclists who bike, most importantly, for transportation. Just ask WABA employees like Events Manager Chantal Buchser - a North Arlington resident who rides nine miles to the downtown office on notorious bike-unfriendly roads like Old Dominion Drive in Arlington and M Street in the District.

WABA does not expect a new bicycle commuter to be so brave and that's where the organization really shines. First up, there's Bike to Work Day (scheduled for Friday, May 15th) - an invaluable networking event of sorts for cyclists to swap commuter tips and meet ride partners. Confident City Cycling (CCC) classes, scheduled throughout the summer and fall at various Washington DC area locations, take the commitment one step further. In a two-part session, CCC students learn about everything from buying a bike with a proper fit to the intricacies of traffic law and proper lane changing. With the new found confidence from a CCC class, an aspiring commuter is ready to join the ranks of DC's bicycle commuter community. At this point, adding your voice to WABA's bicycle advocacy initiatives is the logical next step.

Organization Type: 501(c)(3) non-profitDonations: http://www.waba.org/donate/ or Network for Good

A mythical bird that never dies, the phoenix flies far ahead to the front, always scanning the landscape and distant space. It represents our capacity for vision, for collecting sensory information about our environment and the events unfolding within it.- The Feng Shui Handbook Phoenix Bikes, a non-profit youth-focused community bike shop based in South Arlington, shares this "capacity for vision" with its namesake. Led by passionate cyclists Colin Dixon (rides to work about twelve miles each way) and John Harpold (owner of "thirty or so bikes in my basement"), Phoenix Bikes has struck a chord - a chord that resonates with youth education organizations, local cycling advocates, and last but not least, the under-privileged community that it serves. But the DC community almost lost this voice...In late 2006, Community Spokes, an Arlington County government program with a similar focus as Phoenix Bikes, shut its doors due to low participation. However, supporters banded together to convince the county to allow the program to keep its grant (as well as its cement-block shed headquarters in Barcroft Park [map]) and rebrand itself as an independent, non-profit organization. Two years after its reopening, Phoenix Bikes is thriving in no small part to its modified business plan. Like a for-profit shop, Phoenix Bikes sells used bikes and offers low-cost repairs. But it does this while providing a safe-haven for local youth and teaching valuable skills, both bike and life-related. With an expanding slate of programs (including Earn-A-Bike, Team Phoenix youth rides, and Volunteer Shop Night), broad community support, and increasing national exposure - the Phoenix is indeed rising.Organization Type: Non-profit 501(c)(3)Donations - Monetary: http://www.phoenixbikes.org/ or Network for GoodDonations - Bicycle: http://www.phoenixbikes.org/en/support/donate-a-bike