WEEK 5: CLACKAMAS RIVER & SALMON RIVER

GIVING TUESDAY – 12/3 – ANY DONATION gets you entered to win a PATAGONIA BLACK HOLE DUFFEL

$60+ donations get entered to win 1 of 2 Patagonia Black Hole Duffels!

DONATE

Drawing of the Patagonia Duffels WILL BE DONE LIVE AT TKO’s Give & Get Social event SUNDAY, December 15TH 5-8PM. COME JOIN US AND TAKE HOME ONE OF THESE PRIZES! (NOT A REQUIREMENT TO WIN)

TKO's GIVE & GET SOCIAL - 12/15

Can’t give $? Volunteer at the TKO + Patagonia trail party and be entered to win 1 of the 3 Patagonia prizes described above.

TKO + PATAGONIA TRAIL PARTY 12/3

Ensure access to wild and scenic places.

Mt. Hood National Forest is a unique and special place – in essence, an urban Forest with wilderness experiences for the 2.5 million people of the Portland metro region, Columbia Gorge towns and surrounding communities. TKO has drummed a beat here for well over a decade, drastically expanding our stewardship and advocacy efforts.

A number of initiatives have made for a powerful time for trail stewardship in this region:

  • The National Forest System Trail Stewardship Act of 2016 was passed into law by the US Congress, requiring the Agency to significantly increase the role of partners and volunteers in trail maintenance and enhancements. 
  • The U.S. Forest Service established a 10-Year Trail Stewardship Challenge in 2018. This effort challenges the Forest Service and partners nationwide to focus, innovate, and collaborate to achieve a sustainable system of trails that meet the needs of current and future trail users, improve access to national forests and grasslands, and provide health and economic benefits to communities.
  • U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region establishes a Sustainable Trails Strategy to Modernize the Pacific Northwest’s trail network to provide a world class experience in a way that meets the needs of present and future generations and to sustain or enhance the ecological, social, and economic conditions.

Clackamas River Trail has been an annual site for our leaders to care for trails since 2013. Just under 3 years ago, the National Forest Foundation identified Mt. Hood National Forest as the next site for their Treasured Landscapes campaign and we jumped in with trail parties and trainings through our development of a trails training weekend called TKO Tread School. Not only has that training allowed us to engage new volunteers, the program has shed light on trails like the Salmon River Trail.

SUCCESS:

Zigzag and Clackamas

Ranger District Trails

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Feet of Trails Improved

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Stewardship Events

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Volunteer Participants

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In Kind Value of Volunteer Time

MOUNT HOOD’s Clackamas Ranger District

BUILDING A MOVEMENT FOR WILD & SCENIC!

This week we identified two scenic sites of Oregon that are designated as National Wild & Scenic Waterways. The trails that correspond to these places are special to us and the Clackamas River Trail has been a place we have touched tools to trail for over 5 years. Two of our most dedicated crew leaders, Elaine & Patrick Keavney, have adopted this trail and are heading out this week to respond to reports of many trees down from storms last month. Join them!

TKO + PATAGONIA TRAIL PARTY 12/3

Stay tuned for May 15-17, 2020:

TKO Tread School is back

With support from the National Forest Foundation and Oregon’s Mount Hood Territory, we have been pleased to offer an annual training event since 2018, nestled along the Salmon River within the Zigzag Ranger District. TKO Crew Leaders, as well as partner and agency instructors, deliver a comprehensive trails training, providing a foundation of trail design and maintenance skills. We’ve got the fun training all figured out, plus food/refreshments and a beautiful place to stay – grab a bunk, pitch your tent, or rent a room for the weekend and get ready to build some trails!

TKO TREAD SCHOOL

Dry Fir Creek and the Salmon River Trail:

Lost trails, found 

After TKO Tread School in May 2019, we were really starting to get our boots planted in building more volunteer support in the Zigzag Ranger District. In early 2019, a women’s hiking group from Portland reported that a loop trail off the east end of the Salmon River Trail (just south of Trillium Lake) was nearly impassable from the encroaching Rhododendron. We kicked things off with their group in late June 2019 and then have followed up with a half dozen trail parties along this beautiful trail. Get ready for more in the years to come.

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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

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@ 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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