By Justin Andress The Mountain Times
Since 2007, the TrailKeepers of Oregon have rallied volunteers to preserve and protect the thousands of miles of trails that run like veins across the Mt. Hood area. Now, a new grant from the Hood-Willamette Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will propel the nonprofit to greater heights than previously dreamed.
In its nearly twenty years working on Oregon’s natural lands, Trailkeepers of Oregon has seen explosive growth. The organization, initially powered by volunteers, now has a staff of 15. Its impact can be felt in the Columbia River Gorge, Portland’s public parks, and the Mt. Hood area. The organization maintains a presence up and down the Oregon coast.
In recent months, the Hood-Willamette Resource Advisory Committee has pledged money to organizations across the mountain. One lucky recipient was the Trailkeepers of Oregon and their Stewardship and Ambassador program, an initiative designed to keep trails maintained and hikers informed.
Matt Ruddy, Trailkeepers of Oregon’s Equity and Engagement Manager, took some time out of his busy schedule to talk about the future of their efforts in the area.
As its name might suggest, the Trailkeepers’ Stewardship and Ambassador program is a two-pronged approach to preserving Mt. Hood’s trails.
Ruddy explains that the “Stewardship Program focuses heavily on trail maintenance, trail sustainability, and—when it’s needed—new trail development and new trail building.” The program is made up of individuals with extensive backgrounds in landscaping, carpentry, and trail building. Of course, there’s always room for those with eager spirits but little practical experience.
For those people, there’s TKU or Trailkeepers University. This program creates what Ruddy calls “intentional situations” that allow people to learn the skills they need to maintain trails throughout the state. “It’s a chance to really go into a lab and do it over and over again so that muscle memory and learning take hold,” he says.
In fact, it was one of TKU’s chainsaw courses that first drew Ruddy to the organization. Ruddy says he was blown away by “not just the safety briefing that they gave, but the accountability agreement about how we choose to interact with each other as human beings. [The course] made a very specific note of a land acknowledgment for the land that we had the privilege of being on … for me, as a person of color, [the course] gave me a sense that this is the kind of training, this is the kind of organization, this is the kind of place where I feel seen and heard and allowed to speak up if something isn’t landing well with me.”
As an organization, Trailkeepers certainly understands the privilege of exploring and working in the natural areas around Mt. Hood. In fact, they take great efforts to ensure that everyone in the community—not just team members—appreciates the history and bounty of our region. Enter the Trailkeepers’ Ambassador Program.
The Ambassador Program is designed to spread education to those visiting the parks and forests. For example, one part of the Ambassador Program involves running informational tables placed at the beginning of the trailhead. These tables have various materials, including, among other things, printed maps of the state’s extensive trail system.
Ambassadors focus on letting hikers know what’s in store for them on the trail ahead. They also pass along information on leave-no-trace principles and prep overnight campers to enjoy Mother Nature responsibly by teaching them how to look for established campsites and spot (and report) dumping grounds.
There’s even an Ambassa-Dog program, in which well-behaved pups can serve as an example of how to behave when exploring our state’s parks. There’s even a bandana uniform so your dog can show off to other hikers (and hikers’ dogs) they might encounter on the trail.
Ambassadors are also responsible for solitude monitoring. That is, they walk the lesser-used trails in Oregon’s backcountry to look for signs of use, litter, and maintenance levels. Ruddy says these exercises “allow us to have helpful eyes and ears in the forest.”
In the coming months, the Hoodland-Willamette RAC grant funds will be funneled toward hiring 10 part-time interns between 18 and 22 who will get practical experience in trail maintenance and public relations.
When discussing Trailkeepers’ goals, Ruddy is clear-eyed: “What we can do is increase the amount of available information about trails and hikes and different nature-based areas that are accessible to as many people as possible.”
That gargantuan effort will play a part in preserving Oregon’s natural beauty for generations to come.