How a WTA training helped Snohomish County trails

By Brandon Tigner and Chelsea Kapica

Washington Trails Association and Snohomish County have been working together regularly since 2021. What started as a small partnership — one-of work parties and some shared trainings — has grown over the years. Now, WTA does regular work on county trails and the county leases us space for our North Puget Sound tool cache. From that hub, WTA stores tools, stages projects, and, when it makes sense for us and the county, hosts workshops. The trainings are designed to support high-priority projects while also helping grow technical skills for county park rangers and maintenance staff, along with WTA volunteers in the region.

Snohomish County staff show off their new bridge. Photo courtesy Snohomish County Parks. 

One of those most powerful ways WTA has worked with the county was in October 2024 at Lime Kiln Trail, where WTA instructors led rangers through a hands-on progression in basic bridge and puncheon construction — from scaled models to full-size materials on the ground. The result was a new bridge on a muddy stretch of trail. But even more importantly, that training gave the county’s team the knowledge and confidence to apply those skills on their own.

Only months later, rangers used what they learned to help design and build a new bridge at Southwest County Park in Edmonds, directly improving access for local trail users. It’s a clear example of how WTA’s technical expertise, paired with Snohomish County’s commitment to stewardship, is strengthening. 

Sharing knowledge between trail maintainers and land managers benefits everyone — including trails. Photo by Brandon Tigner

We build bridges in more ways than one — between agencies, between staff and volunteers, and across the landscapes we all care about. 

The article below by Chelsea Kapica, Snohomish County Park’s operations lead ranger, shares the county perspective on how this work is shaping the future of trails in Snohomish County.

Snohomish County's Park Rangers and Maintenance Division had the exciting opportunity to collaborate with the Washington Trails Association in a hands-on bridge-building workshop in the fall of 2024. As a park ranger with Snohomish County, I was thrilled to be part of a team eager to enhance our skills and deepen our expertise. 

The workshop, hosted at Lime Kiln Trailhead in Granite Falls, was a dynamic experience where WTA’s instructors tailored their teaching to accommodate diverse learning styles. They guided us through a series of exercises — starting with step-by-step instructions, followed by building a scaled bridge using materials I would compare to Lincoln Logs, and then transitioning to real materials on-site to bring the project to life.

Chelsea Kapica, Snohomish County Park’s operations lead ranger, applies her learnings from the WTA workshop with real materials. Photo by Brandon Tigner.

This multifaceted approach allowed us to visualize the project fully, ensuring that we were prepared to build a functional bridge on a section of trail that had become nearly impassable due to persistent mud.

The success of this workshop inspired our team to think beyond the initial project and consider how we could apply these new skills across other areas of the county. Not long after, we received a request from a dedicated park volunteer named Mikael Ohmann, a leader of the Southwest Ivy League — an outstanding group working tirelessly to remove invasive plant species, litter, and improve trails. Mikael brought to our attention a failing culvert along a busy section of trail at Southwest County Park in Edmonds. Our team conducted a site visit, assessed the situation, and determined that the best solution was not just a culvert repair, but the construction of a new bridge to enhance both functionality and accessibility for park users.

The new, finished bridge! Photo courtesy Snohomish County Parks. 

In May 2025, our Park Rangers and Parks Maintenance team applied the knowledge and skills gained from the bridge building workshop to build the bridge at Southwest County Park.

This project is just one example of how the collaborative spirit and continued skill development within our Parks and Recreation team directly benefit the parks and trails we maintain for the benefit of Snohomish County residents with special thanks to the Washington Trails Association.