A Trails Organization for Oregon

Washington is pretty lucky to have an organization like WTA to care for its trails, speak up for hikers, and inform people about the great hiking opportunities in our state. Not many other states have their own trails organizations. And until recently, the list of states without a trails organization included Oregon.

There are a lot of fantastic trails in Oregon. On of the most amazing is the the North Three Sisters Loop, which you'll find an article about in the October 2008 issue of Washington Trails, which should be hitting your mailbox in the next day or so. It's apparently a fabulous trail, although throughout the state, the Forest Service is having trouble keeping up with a huge backlog of maintenance.

But help may be on the way. A new organization, loosely based on WTA's model, is taking shape in Oregon. It's called Trailkeepers of Oregon (TKO) and they've made great progress since first forming in June. Interim president Jeff Statt announced in an e-mail that the group received a $20,000 grant from REI to work with the Pacific Crest Trail Association to develop a volunteer skills training program in 2009. The group has also drafted its bylaws, begun holding regular board meetings, raised over $1,000 in donations, and led the first of a handful of volunteer trail work parties this past summer.

Congratulations to TKO, and to our hiking friends south of the Columbia! Let's keep those trails of the Pacific Northwest in great shape!