A Very Big Day for Trails

My oh my!

At 11:45pm last night, Washington Trails Association received our final two contributions of GiveBIG 2012. All told, more than 300 hikers gave an astounding $41,092 to support our work to protect and maintain trails.

We knew our members were loyal. We knew our fans were passionate about trails. But with the exception of some of you climbers, trail runners, and Hike-a-Thoners out there, we didn't know how competitive you all are! You gave, and gave generously, to make sure that WTA would be at the front of the line when The Seattle Foundation awards the "stretch" dollars from the GiveBIG matching pool.

Your generosity on GiveBIG day puts WTA in a stronger position as the summer hiking season approaches. WTA trail crews are starting to follow the snowmelt up into the mountains. A heavy winter snowpack has left many of our favorite wilderness trails in disarray, and WTA volunteers will spend the next few months removing debris, logging out trails, and shoring up slumped switchbacks. We'll also be following issues that impact hikers and wildlands, like the proposed Goat Mountain mine near Mount St. Helens. We'll continue our investigation into the state of access to trailheads statewide.

We eagerly await news from The Seattle Foundation about how much your gifts will be stretched by GiveBIG sponsors. Until then, let me say THANK YOU to everyone who made a gift and helped spread the word about this community-wide day of giving. The Seattle Foundation reports that GiveBIG raised an amazing $7.4 million - that's double last year's total - to support nonprofits working to make our community a better place to live, work, and play.

With so many people giving to WTA, I haven't had a chance to thank all of you personally. If you have a question about your gift or about GiveBIG, feel free to drop me a line at rebecca@wta.org or give me a call at 206.625.1367 x8559.