WTA youth program wins national recognition

Washington Trails Association puts in hundreds of thousands of hours of work on trails across the state annually, but did you know a fair share of that work is done by young people? WTA fields work parties for youth all year long, including a short series of volunteer vacations geared towards 14-18 year-olds that run during summer break. 

Two young volunteers work on installing a step at North Shorewood Park. Photo by Marie Pamela Kuhtz

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• More about the award and WTA's work from American Trails

Youth crews do everything adult crews do: Bridge work, repairing trail tread, recovering lost trails and annual maintenance. Land managers love having the next generation working on the land, learning the importance of protecting lands to ensure the ongoing health of our trail system. Youth program participants praise the trips as great for learning new skills and making friends, like this one, who attended a youth volunteer vacation at the Middle Fork Snoqualmie.

"...It was one of the highlights of my summer. I got to meet such a great group of people and learned so much, all while we achieved a great project...These vacations combine so many of my interests...I love working with others on projects, spending time in the outdoors, and getting to improve trails that I know will be well used."

Many program participants, including the one above, return year after year. Some even become WTA staff!

This work is made possible by our members, as well as by funding from various grants and contracts.

This year, WTA's youth program received the Tom Petri Recreational Trails Program award, which recognized our excellent use of a grant that WTA received in 2019. Between 2019 and 2021 (the length of the grant funding) WTA engaged hundreds of young people who completed 11,527 hours of trail maintenance across Washington.

WTA youth program staff pose with the Tom Petri Recreational Trails Program award. Photo by Anna Roth.

They worked on 54 miles of hiking trails in Washington, building rock steps, maintaining 17 bridges, recovering nearly lost sections of trail and improving nearly 300 feet of boardwalk. But perhaps most importantly, they did hundreds of hours of annual maintenance, the sort of low-cost, high impact work that helps trails stay safe and clear, saving land managers money in the long run. One day spent clearing drains can mean thousands of dollars saved when that same drain doesn't fail in a rainstorm.

We want to say thank you to the hundreds of young people who are stepping up for trails with WTA, thank you to the Coalition for Recreational Trails for the recognition, and a huge congratulations to our hard-working colleagues who earned this award!