The Raindrop to Sea Trail

To the south of the jutting Cascade Headland and nestled against the Salmon River, Camp Westwind makes up part of the 102,110 acre Cascade Head Biosphere Reserve. The only biosphere reserve in Oregon, it includes a majestic basalt headland, the entire Salmon River watershed and estuary, and a marine reserve with three surrounding marine protected areas. Summer brings more than 1,200 campers to Westwind to experience the outdoors–close to twenty percent attend free or at a reduced cost. The spring and fall bring 1,500 students from districts around the state for multi-day outdoor school programs.

The Westwind property provides a unique and defining opportunity for watershed education. Westwind and TKO have partnered to build a new educational trail that will lead Westwind students along a small-scale coastal rainforest watershed–traversing the percolating upper headwaters, the edge of Lost Lake and it’s remnant beaver dam, down the gorge and into a small estuary fan delta where the tributary meets the Salmon River along Westwind’s southern border.

Learning circles along the trail will guide students through this journey to experience firsthand what happens to water as it passes from ‘Raindrop to Sea’. You can watch this Youtube series following a raindrop to the sea to get the virtual experience of this trail.

In fitting compliment to the educational experience of this watershed trail, TKO volunteers have the opportunity to get involved in this project from the early stages, learning firsthand about sustainable trail design, construction, and how to reduce impacts to the environment while minimizing future maintenance.

While Raindrop-to-Sea trail is not a public access trail, Trailkeepers of Oregon is supporting this project because outdoor school programs like Camp Westwind provide Oregon’s youth with access to important nature experiences and educational opportunities. These outdoor education facilities are very special, but their trail systems often lack the upkeep and care needed to serve our next generation of conservationists and stewards…

…that’s where you can help TKO step up!