By Steve Kruger, Executive Director, Trailkeepers of Oregon Before the end of 2018, please consider doing the following three things: Sign up for a 2019 trail party Become a member of TKO Tell a friend to donate to…
By Kim Kovacs, Volunteer, Trailkeepers of Oregon
Trailkeepers of Oregon has begun 2019 on a record track, despite the cancellation of a number of work parties in February.
The following numbers give an indication of TKO’s activities over the four months of January, February, March, and April:
| 130 | Work parties—compared to 49 for this period in 2018. |
| 1,089 | Volunteer days—compared to 570 for this period in 2018. |
| 296 | Unique volunteers—compared to 247 for this period in 2018. |
| 195 | One-time only volunteers—compared to167 for this period in 2018. |
| 101 | Repeat volunteers—compared to 80 for this period in 2018. |
Ethan Cox rakes a trail during TKO’s Family Friendly event at Oxbow Regional Park in February. (Photo by Kim Kovacs)
Work parties in 2019 have so far involved partnering with the following agencies:
- Oregon State Parks
- Hood River County
- Metro
- Siuslaw National Forest
- Audubon Society of Portland
- Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
- Oregon Department of Forestry
- North Coast Land Conservancy
Crew leader Jane Kauth leads volunteers in positioning logs to shore up damaged trail during TKO’s Women’s Day trail party at Oxbow Regional Park. (Photo by Megan Holmes)
Some events between January and April occurred many times, some only once:
| 7 | Mini-tread Schools. These classes were abbreviated versions of what we typically teach at Tread School each spring. |
| 5 | Car-Free Work Parties. Wildwood Adventures donated a van and driver for five work parties this spring, allowing volunteers to get to trail parties using this free shuttle service. |
| 4 | Tool Parties. During the colder months we held tool parties that focused on sharpening and maintaining TKO’s tools. |
| 4 | Crew Brews. These monthly events allow our crew leaders to get together for planning purposes and to discuss any issues that have arisen during our trail parties. |
| 3 | Family Friendly Trail Parties. Designed for children ages 6 through 14 and their families, these trail parties are held monthly across the region to encourage participation by children. |
Luthien McDonald-Goldstein displays one of the many English ivy leaves she pulled at Tryon Creek State Natural Area during TKO’s Family Friendly event in January. (Photo by Geraldine Rojales)
| 1 | Crew Leader School on January 12. Those interested in becoming crew leaders are required to attend training to prepare them for the next step. |
| 1 | TKO Board Retreat on January 20. TKO Board members continued work on a strategic plan for the next ten years. |
| 1 | Women’s Day Trail Party on March 8. We celebrated International Women’s Day by holding a trail party at Oxbow Regional Park. |
Celebrating a job well done: a working water drain! TKO commemorates International Women’s Day March 8 at Oxbow Regional Park. (Photo by Megan Holmes)
| 1 | Spring Trail Mix on March 30. Volunteers from Trailkeepers, Northwest Trail Alliance, Daybreak Racing, Oregon Timber Trail Alliance, Oregon Equestrian Trails, and Oregon Department of Forestry met at the Gales Creek Trail for a day of joint trail work. |
| 1 | Great Old Broads for Wilderness Trail Party on April 9. TKO was approached by a group of older hikers who call themselves the Great Old Broads for Wilderness. We held a trail party for the group in the Gorge. |
| 1 | Crosscut Saw Certification Practice on April 20. TKO is in the process of developing a saw program. In preparation for the upcoming certification at Wind River, more experienced sawyers held a class for those hoping to become sawyers or to upgrade their certification. All TKO personnel passed or upgraded. |
Tom Kelleher perfects his crosscut saw skills under the watchful eyes of B-Sawyer Jane Kauth (next to him) and C-Sawyer Joan Kauth (on the other end of the saw, not visible in the picture) during TKO’s Crosscut Saw Certification Practice in April. (Photo by Kim Kovacs)
Kim Kovacs: kim.kovacs@trailkeepersoforegon.org
