16 Dec Announcing the 2024 Tread Lightly! Ambassador of the Year Presented by Corbeau Seats

In 2021, Tread Lightly! kicked off the Ambassador of the Year award with the help of Corbeau Seats to honor an individual who went above and beyond to protect off-road trail access and embodies the Tread Lightly! ethic when they’re out on the trails. Tread Lightly! is thrilled to continue the tradition and honor a new Ambassador in 2024, Ty Brown of South Dakota!  

Not only is Ty a longtime Tread Trainer, but he also serves on the Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board and Black Hills 4×4 Coalition to advocate on behalf of off-roaders and public land users. Ty has coordinated and participated in stewardship projects across the Black Hills National Forest and helps share responsible recreation education to motorized recreationists across the state. 

As this year’s winner, Ty will receive a custom office chair courtesy of Corbeau Seats, a $500 grant from Tread Lightly! for a project of his choice and a custom plaque honoring Ty as the 2024 recipient.

“I’d like to thank Tread Lightly! for honoring me with the 2024 Ambassador of the Year award. This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my local 4×4 community! I would not have been able to accomplish anything without their constant support and help. Thank you to Black Hills Jeeps, Black Hills 4Wheelers, Rushmore Rock Crawlers, the Dakota Territory Cruisers, and the Offroad Riders Association for caring about our local trails and making this possible!”-Ty Brown

“We are proud to honor Ty Brown as the 2024 Tread Lightly! Ambassador of the Year. His hard work and dedication to conservation is a perfect embodiment of the Tread Lightly! mission. We’d like to say thank you to Ty for his personal commitment to leaving the trails of the Black Hills and South Dakota better.”-Evan Robins, Tread Lightly! Assistant Director-Programs

“Ty Brown has such a passion for land use, and it shines through his work in the Black Hills National Forest of South Dakota. He attends multiple monthly meetings with the Forest Service, all their ranger districts, and various area off-road clubs. Ty even helped head up the forming of an off-road club coalition in our area so we can all focus in on our one goal of saving our trail system.

Ty has helped the Black Hills area community gain its voice with the Forest Service and our local agencies. He has helped plan & facilitate buck and rail projects, educational opportunities, trail clean up days, fundraising events, and social gatherings all within the BHNF. He spends countless hours checking map routes and trail conditions. If he’s not at his full-time job, Ty is in the forest. He will gather a few friends just to go out and have a trash pick-up day. As the Black Hills Jeeps Environmental Affairs Chairman, Ty continues to fight the good fight and I have never met a more deserving guy.”-Alison Kiner

“Ty is always on a mission to promote good stewardship of all of our natural resources, not just off-road trails. He is truly passionate about caring for our public and private land by hosting classes on treading lightly and spends his free time attending events with conservation at the forefront of his mind. He takes the time to educate everyone he encounters with humility and a personal connection. His enthusiasm for respecting our trails is highly contagious and can be seen in every event he takes part in. He spends his own money and time to sponsor trail spill kits, renting trail clean-up equipment, and hosting Tread Lightly! events.”-Adam Webb

“He works closely with the Black Hills National Forest Service. He has helped get buck and rail fencing put up on multiple trails throughout the Black Hills to help curb user-created routes. He has also gone out and set up near popular trails and given out information on Tread Lightly! and the importance it has to keeping our trails open. He works with multiple local clubs and organizations to organize trail clean up days. He also attends the National Forest Service meetings to advocate on behalf of all of those who recreate in the Black Hills not just those in Off road vehicles. Example would be a local municipality wants to dump the wastewater from a water treatment facility into a very popular creek that feeds into one of the largest cities in South Dakota. He was there to advocate for the fisherman and citizens of Rapid City.”-Shane Smith

“I’m choosing to nominate my best friend Ty Brown for his work in the Black Hills National Forest! Ty has been paving the way for Tread Lightly! to get into this area and has formed several events over the past few years to bring awareness to our trail system. Every time he goes out to enjoy the trails he comes back with bags full of trash. He’s done several projects with our club to clean up trails, remove abandoned vehicles, and even work with the Forest Service on trail maintenance. There is nobody in our area more passionate and dedicated to our backyard.”- Mitchell Ridinger