Washington, D.C. (March 3, 2026) — Outdoor Alliance, a coalition of outdoor recreation groups working together to protect public lands, this month announced the selection of its third Grasstops Collective cohort made up of 21 advocates, representing 16 congressional districts and 10 states. Roxanne Marianito, Navajo Nation Coordinator for the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), was selected for this prestigious leadership and advocacy development program, during which participants receive training on how to build relationships with policymakers and advocate for outdoor recreation priorities, such as helping protect access for mountain biking and trails and preserving open spaces for the public.

In 2025, the 39 trained Grasstops Collective advocates engaged their lawmakers on more than 30 policies, moving the needle on attempted public land sell-offs, Legacy Restoration Fund reauthorization, and land and water legislation affecting their local areas, among other conservation priorities.

“This year’s cohort comes from across the country, with a variety of backgrounds, outdoor recreation pursuits, and leadership roles. They each bring their local perspective to positively inform conservation, recreation, and climate policy at a national level with local authenticity,” said Taylor Rogers, Outdoor Alliance’s Grasstops Advocacy Director. “The meaningful relationships built between the advocates and policymakers enables the protection of more places, the ability to pass better conservation and recreation policy, and fund public lands and waters.”

Grasstops advocates are leaders in their community who believe in the power of the outdoor recreation community to influence policy and law and are genuinely excited to share their local perspectives with their members of Congress. With training and resources from Outdoor Alliance and its member organizations, advocates become a trusted resource for policymakers, providing perspective, input, and guidance that is both representative of their local outdoor recreation community while furthering the goals of Outdoor Alliance and its member organizations’, including IMBA.

Roxanne Marianito brings a lifetime of community-centered outdoor passion to her role as Navajo Nation Coordinator at IMBA, growing up riding bikes on Navajo Nation and later competing internationally before pursuing youth development and wellness work. Born and raised on Diné homeland, she has long championed healthier lifestyles and expanded access to riding by teaching mountain biking basics and partnering on trail projects serving youth and adults. She was chosen because her background aligns strongly with Outdoor Alliance’s mission to support inclusive outdoor recreation access. In her work, Roxanne collaborates with organizations like Outride, Indian Health Services’ Special Diabetes Program, Yazh Trailz, and Silver Stallion Bicycle & Coffee Works to build sustainable trail infrastructure and riding opportunities for people of all ages.

“I’m looking forward to the Outdoor Alliance Grasstops Advocate experience because it will strengthen my ability to elevate Indigenous voices in conversations about public lands and outdoor access” states Marianito. “I’m excited to build relationships with other leaders and turn community-based wellness and trail work into meaningful policy impact for tribal communities.”

Of this year's cohort of 21 advocates, Roxanne will be joined by five other local mountain bike advocates who work closely with IMBA. Mountain bike representatives include Will Taygan of Chugach MTB'ers in Anchorage, Alaska; Jen Hanks representing Northern Arizona and Southern Nevada, Tom Helber with the Central Idaho MTB Association, Mike Kuhn with NICA Pennsylvania, and Charles Evans of West Virginia's SHARC collective. Read more about the 2026 cohort here.

The program includes five months of training, starting with a June kick off retreat. In September, Marianito, along with the other Grasstops advocates, will travel to D.C. for a fly-in to train together as well as meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill alongside IMBA Government Affairs staff and representatives from other Outdoor Alliance member organizations. The program wraps up in October with a final training and graduation.

Once trained, Marianito will continue to receive ongoing support and resources from IMBA and Outdoor Alliance so that she can continue her momentum building relationships with policymakers, becoming a lifelong advocate for recreation policy and mountain biking access.

About IMBA
The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) is a 501c3 nonprofit that creates, enhances, and protects great places to ride mountain bikes. IMBA is focused on Leading With Trails, growing the quantity and quality of mountain bike trail communities, so everyone has access to close-to-home riding and recreation as well as iconic backcountry experiences. Since 1988, IMBA has been partnering with communities and land managers worldwide to encourage low-impact riding, grassroots advocacy and education, sustainable trail solutions and stewardship, innovative land management practices, and cooperation among trail user groups. IMBA’s international network of hundreds of thousands of supporters includes hundreds of Local Member organizations across the U.S., led by community trail champions, passionate riders and dedicated volunteers working together for the benefit of the entire community.

About Outdoor Alliance 
Outdoor Alliance is a nonprofit coalition of organizations that includes American Whitewater, American Canoe Association, Access Fund, International Mountain Bicycling Association, Winter Wildlands Alliance, The Mountaineers, American Alpine Club, the Mazamas, Colorado Mountain Club, and Surfrider Foundation. For more than ten years, Outdoor Alliance has united the human-powered outdoor recreation community to achieve lasting conservation victories. Our work has helped to permanently protect 40 million acres of public land, secure $5.1 billion in funding for the outdoors, and convert more than 100,000 outdoor enthusiasts into outdoor advocates. For more information, visit www.outdooralliance.org

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