Message from Steve Kruger, Executive Director, Trailkeepers of Oregon

Trailkeepers of Oregon (TKO) shares an update on the 2025 federal shutdown and new Forest Service guidance that allows certain volunteer trail work to continue — a first in TKO’s partnership history with the Forest Service. Learn how this confusing moment is also an opportunity for shared stewardship. 

TKO is moving forward with a case-by-case approach to volunteer activities during the ongoing federal government shutdown.

This means that while most TKO projects on National Forest lands will remain on pause, a limited number may continue only where we have clear, written approval from local Forest Service contacts and safety coverage is confirmed. At the same time, we are ramping up projects on State Parks and local public lands to ensure our volunteers can keep caring for Oregon’s trails safely and responsibly.

Our decisions are guided by TKO’s values of safety, stewardship, and partnership. We know some partner organizations are taking different paths, and as federal guidance evolves, we may adjust our approach. For now, this plan allows TKO to continue making progress while prioritizing volunteer safety and long-term trust with our agency partners.

Thank you for your patience and flexibility while we navigate this.

Shutdown or not, Oregon’s trails deserve care — but how we care for them matters. For the first time since TKO became a nonprofit partner of the U.S. Forest Service in 2007, there is new guidance that volunteers would be allowed to continue some trail work during a federal government shutdown.

That’s a big shift. In every past shutdown, all volunteer activities on federal lands were halted. This year, new federal guidance permits certain pre-funded partnerships and projects to move forward — creating both confusion and opportunity.

Why This Moment Is Confusing

The official Forest Service “Lapse in Appropriations” guidance, released October 3rd, and clarified further on October 8th, allows work tied to existing agreements to continue. Lines between essential, pre-approved, and externally funded projects are blurry, leaving partners like TKO to interpret changing rules in real time. Clarification on October 8th is confirming that those agreements to support cooperative partners will be honored. With many of the agency staff we typically communicate with furloughed, we are working to verify oversight to keep volunteers safe and reimbursements for services continuing without delay.

“We’re in uncharted territory. Our goal is to keep volunteers safe and our organization supported.”

Why It’s Also an Opportunity

This situation underscores what makes the TKO community special — the ability to step up for Oregon’s trails when they need it most.

• Self-reliance and shared stewardship: Communities caring for public lands show resilience and ownership of natural resources.
• Cost efficiency: Volunteer service activities can keep some essential maintenance happening and support visitors.
• Continuity of access: Keeping trails open supports public health, wellness, and outdoor connection.
• Support for local economies: Maintained trails help sustain nearby small businesses and rural tourism.

“When public systems pause, community action can keep Oregon’s hiking experience alive.”

Why Caution Still Matters

Even as we see opportunity, there are serious considerations:

• Filling gaps too effectively could reduce public awareness of how disruptive shutdowns are for land management and agency staff. 
• Public perception may portray that everything is just fine with toilet paper rolls being replaced by a skeleton crew of agency staff and trails cleared by volunteers, continuing volunteer work can blur the line between community service and replacing furloughed staff. 
• Safety, liability, and reimbursement for organizations are uncertain, with approvals going to the email addresses of staff we know to be furloughed.
• Annual work planning and long term trail system improvements are being ignored out of an urgency to keep facilities clean and trails safe, losing ground on enhancing the Oregon hiking experience.

Finding Balance

TKO’s approach will be measured and transparent. We’ll continue work that is clearly permitted and safe, while pausing projects where direction remains unclear. We’ll share updates as federal guidance evolves and keep our volunteers and partners informed every step of the way.

This is a moment to show that shared stewardship is more than words — it’s a community value that persists even in uncertainty.

“The Oregon hiking experience depends on all of us — caring, cautiously, and together.”

Call to Action: How You Can Help

• Stay flexible: Trail projects may change with little notice — check the TKO volunteer calendar for updates and monitor your email for changes to trail parties you’ve signed up for.
• Stay informed: Read our previous post, Update on Potential Federal Shutdown, for context on what TKO expected and USDA Forest Service Updated Partnership Guidance, for where we are now.
• Stay concerned: The perception is that everything is just fine, toilet paper rolls are full and immediate trail repairs might be fixed, but the toll on the remaining staff on duty is high and we are not taking the long view in planning for the protection and enhancement of Oregon’s trails.
• Stay engaged: Support our mission to protect and enhance Oregon’s hiking experience by donating or volunteering when projects resume in full.

Together, we’re proving that Oregon’s trail community is resilient — even when the path forward isn’t perfectly clear.