Wilderness Ambassador Training

Wilderness Ambassadors are a special type of volunteer. Experts at public engagement and education, these adventurous folks head out on some of the most beloved wilderness trails on Mt Hood and in the Columbia River Gorge to share Leave No Trace principles, hiking etiquette, and trail stewardship with trail users. These volunteers also gather data on physical and social trail conditions, perform some lights stewardship projects, and help to train new Wilderness Ambassadors as they enter the program.

This day long training will cover all the specifics of the Wilderness Ambassador program. Topics covered will include safety procedures, advanced public engagement techniques, hike scheduling, and data reporting.

Volunteers are required to take the online Trail Ambassador training in addition to this in-person training. You can find more information about all the steps involved in becoming a Wilderness Ambassador here.

(We are still locking in a venue for this training, but it will take place in or near the Mt. Hood National Forest. Registered participants will receive more details.)

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: TKO recognizes that the trails we work on travel through the traditional lands of many Indigenous tribes and communities. In every corner of what we now call Oregon, these people were forced to cede their land, their home, to the US government. We are privileged to be here today and we express gratitude to these tribes and their descendants for being the original and continuing stewards of these spaces.

ACCOMMODATION REQUESTS: TKO seeks to make our events inclusive of people of all backgrounds and abilities. If you would like to discuss potential accommodations to allow for your participation in this event, please click here to complete a short Google survey. TKO staff will then contact you to discuss options. Please note: available accommodations will vary by event and typically need to be requested a minimum of two weeks in advance. If you have any questions, please contact TKO Stewardship Manager Lindsay McIntosh-Tolle at lindsay.mcintosh@trailkeepersoforegon.org.

EQUITY & INCLUSION: TKO seeks to make Oregon’s trails a place where people can go to connect with nature & one another. Not everyone feels safe or welcome in the outdoors due to issues like racism, bias, and hate. We commit to being part of the solution to this problem and to enact change. Conduct, speech, or expressions that target any individual or group will not be tolerated by TKO, regardless of whether they are based on age, citizenship, disability, ethnicity, gender identity/expression, geographic origin, language, marital status, nationality, race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status.

PERSONAL SAFETY: Your physical and emotional safety is our number one priority. If a person’s actions or comments make you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, you may: interrupt directly, tell a crew leader, and/or inform TKO staff via the post-event survey.

While TKO no longer requires masking/vaccination for its events, we do support those who feel masking is necessary for their own safety. We ask participants to respect the health of folks who wear masks by distancing or wearing a mask while in close proximity.