This is John Schaeffer. I haven’t been on rides for over a year but hopefully some of you will remember me as the guy always wearing Hawaiian shirts.

I am writing to ask a large favor. Since 2009 I have volunteered with the non-profit Society for Conservation GIS (SCGIS) to teach Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to conservation professionals from all over the world. This year, we are holding the program in Bend, with the classes at COCC, and inviting 15 people from countries ranging from Argentina to Zimbabwe. The people will start arriving June 21, and stay through July 14.

We would like to provide bikes for the people who want them. In Davis, California, where we used to hold the program, we had a deal with an engineer who bought abandoned bikes from the university,  fixed them up, and then rented them for $30 a week. But Bend is a tourist town, and the cost here is much, much more.

My friends have promised to loan me about 10 bikes, but I’d like to get 5-6 more. If you do have a functional older bike that will make it up College Way that you are willing to loan us, that will help immensely. We also need to borrow helmets, locks, and bike lights if you have those, even if you don’t have a bike to loan. 

We cannot afford to fully reimburse you if anything happens, but in the 10+ years we held the program in Davis, which is known for bike thefts, we never lost a bike. The worst was that someone stole a tube – not the tire, just the tube pulled out from the tire. We are budgeting $150 per bike, and we could cover reimbursement for at least that much if something happens.

If you can loan us a bike(s), I’ll need to pick them up a few days before June 21, when some of the students will be flying in. I can return them after July 14. And, if you are interested in a little cultural exchange and hosting someone from another part of the world, let me know and I can give you more information.

Thanks,

John Schaeffer, 541-390-4996, johns@ykwc.net