WEEK 4

Connecting Oregon’s Youth to Nature

0

Volunteer Participants

0

Hours of Service

0

Feet of Trail Improved

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In-Kind Value

Week 4 Goal: $6,000

45%
 

Nature access for youth

IN 2022, TKO at Camp Westwind…

  • Put in 123 volunteer hours into building a new educational trail.
  • Designed and broke ground on over 2,000 ft of a new trail for kids and camp goers.
  • Partnered with four different groups on building youth oriented trails.

4 partner groups

helped to carve the beginnings of a trail out of the dense coastal brush.

It takes a village to raise the next generation of trail lovers. 

TKO doesn’t just do work on public land. Thanks to our partners like Camp Taloali, Camp Arrah Wanna, and Camp Westwind, we also get to play a role in maintaining and building trails in some extra special places. These camps all have one thing in common: they all host Outdoor School camps for public school kids in Oregon!

Olallie Lake Resort wants you to donate to TKO today!

Give $75 and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a 2-night stay in the rustic and remote Olallie Lake cabin.

A gift of $30 or more will get you entered to win a drinkwear set from Miir + a free growler fill from our friends at Gorges Beer Co. 

There’s more than one way to give!

Anyone who donates their time at a TKO trail party this week (11/21 – 11/27) will also be entered to win.

Volunteer

2016 feet of new trail

built for youth education by TKO.

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!

DONATE

Latest News

You person with a hiking pack walks along a steep mountain trail with large white flowers along the hillside and scenic views.

ACTION ALERT: Forest Service cuts to seasonal staffing will hurt trails and recreational access

This post comes with big thanks to our friends at Washington Trails Association who invited us to borrow heavily from their similar action alert! We invite you to scan the similarities and differences between Oregon and Washington in WTA’s article with a carbon copy for Oregon that we created below. 

If you hike in Oregon, odds are excellent that you’ve enjoyed trails on U.S. Forest Service land. About 39% of Oregon (yes, that’s over 14 million acres of the state) is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. National forests contain some of the most iconic landscapes, popular campgrounds and beloved hiking trails in the state. Encircle Mt. Hood on the Timberline trail, hike along a National Scenic Trail like the Deschutes River trail, visit the Oregon Dunes along the coast, or backpack in the Eagle Cap Wilderness and you are enjoying some of the over 15,000 miles of national forest trails in Oregon.

You person with a hiking pack walks along a steep mountain trail with large white flowers along the hillside and scenic views.

Millions of visitors spread out in Oregon’s 14 million acres of Forest Service lands and 15,000 miles of trails. Photo by TKO volunteer leader Neil Cadsawan

A funding crisis is putting Forest Service trails, campgrounds and other types of outdoor recreation at risk. The U.S. Forest Service is currently making major cuts to its workforce that will reduce its ability to maintain trails, clean trailhead restrooms, collect trash and provide essential services. 

BUDGET CRISIS WILL CUT JOBS AND REDUCE SERVICES

[…]

@ by Steve Kruger

Wildfire Resilience, Shellburg Falls Reopens in the Santiam State Forest

Among the many communities, natural landscapes, and hiking trails that were set ablaze in the historic 2020 Labor Day Wildfires, the Beachie Creek fire swept across Shellburg Falls Recreation Area in the Santiam State Forest southeast of Salem. Once the smoke cleared, TKO was called upon to help! […]

@ by Steve Kruger
A large group of TKO Trail Ambassadors stand in front of a waterfall. The image is overlaid by the TKO logo.

2024 Trail Ambassadors Foster a Welcoming and Accessible Outdoors

Trails have amazing potential to bring people of all backgrounds and abilities into the outdoors, yet gaps in information prevent many from doing so. That’s where TKO Trail Ambassadors come in! These volunteers help to create a welcoming environment on Oregon’s trails by offering a friendly presence to answer questions, providing maps and other information, and recommending local businesses and attractions. Looking back on the 2024 season, it’s easy to see the positive impact their passion and dedication had on Oregon’s trails and trail users.

[…]

@ by Steve Kruger
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