Ultimately, it is personal choice. There are going to be some people that are just flat-out not interested and/or can’t be bothered with it. Keep in mind though, we don’t know everyone’s situation.
Maybe that guy that we think can’t be bothered works 50 hours a week, cares for an ill family member, and volunteers at the soup kitchen making sure people in need have something to eat. He may be doing everything he can do to cram a couple hours of riding into his schedule in an effort to remain sane.
Okay, I may be exaggerating (or maybe not), but my point is that I don’t judge. I just continue to try and spread the word and do what I can do to give back to the trails. I am a member of the Friends group and part of the local (volunteer) trail crew at a state park trail system. While there is great support from and partnership with the state park, the trails are built and maintained 100% by volunteers.
There are “Volunteers Needed” signs and flyers up in the park to drum up recruits, but the Friends group support goes far beyond just trail work. In addition to the Friends distribution, any volunteer registered with the state park system receives emails from the state park about volunteer opportunities, including trail work. We also use a website, Facebook, Meetup and local forums as a way to get the word out. If you can get someone to sign up, Meetup is a great communication tool. Overall, response is varied.
More recently, we had business cards made so if we encounter someone on the trails that expresses interest, we can hand them a card that lists the website, Facebook, and Meetup sites making it easy for them to find more information.
With all that, for the most part, it is the same small group of trail gnomes that do the majority of the planned building & maintenance. We are also the ones that are prone to spending a portion of our riding time removing debris, cutting up trees, inspecting wet sections, planning reroutes, etc. Once you commit to trail building/maintenance, it’s kind of hard to let go.
Sure, I volunteer a fair share of hours toward trail maintenance. I think it is fun and important. I don’t waste my energy getting frustrated that not everyone has the same perspective that I have. I conserve that energy for digging and riding. Oh, and partying. Sorry for partying!