2023 WTA Volunteer Appreciation: Yearbook

Volunteer appreciation 2023

Celebrating the volunteers that make our work possible

Welcome

Thank you from WTA Staff.

Photo by Anna Roth.

Dear volunteers, We are so proud and grateful for all we’ve accomplished together in 2023. This year was our 30th anniversary of trail maintenance. But we also had thousands of trip reports, 648 hikers joined our Trail Action Network, and it was a banner year for our ambassador program, which expanded to 48 volunteers.

This yearbook highlights just a small portion of the amazing work you helped us accomplish this year. There are not enough pages or words to capture our sincere appreciation for you and your contributions to our vision of Trails For Everyone, Forever.

With gratitude, WTA staff

Welcome Alpine glow on Chain Lakes Hayes Lake BCRT. Photo by Charlie Lieu.

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Communications volunteers

Volunteer correspondents like Xander help you hike smart with their Hiking Guide entries. Photo courtesy Xander Uyttendaele.

The Dhami family helped make our Hike-a-Thon video trailer.

Photo by Zyanya Alvarez.

Storytelling Makes a Difference for Trails The power of an image Photos and video are powerful tools for inspiring our community and sharing the impact of our work. From the photographers who capture our trail work to those who help us keep those photos organized, we couldn’t tell the same depth and breadth of stories without you. And our photo contest judges have the enviable and challenging task 4

of selecting winning photos from thousands of incredible shots every year.

We want to give a special thanks to everyone who appeared in a WTA video this year. Whether you shared what trail work means to you, told your Outdoor Leadership Training story or appeared in our Hike-a-Thon video trailer, your participation makes a difference for trails.

The making of an (incredible) magazine WTA publishes Washington Trails, a quarterly magazine, thanks in part to a crew of volunteer writers, copy editors and photographers. Together with WTA staff, they bring

Communications volunteers

The Hike Finder Map with new AQI filter.

thousands of readers moving stories with stunning photos and expert hiking advice for every season. We couldn’t do it without you.

Local knowledge WTA’s Hiking Guide contains more than 4,000 hikes, many of them written by volunteer writers. These folks dedicate their days on trail to researching and writing up what hikers need to know to be safe and have fun on trail. Some even specialize in researching wheelchairfriendly trails!

A beloved mobile app, an improved map Our website and mobile app are critical tools in meeting our mission. Behind the screens, we have a small, savvy group of tech volunteers who share their passion for trails by helping us develop and maintain new features for WTA’s Trailblazer app and Hike Finder Map. This year, they added a refreshed design and better maps to the app. Plus, they added a new air quality index (AQI) filter to both the website and mobile app at the start of wildfire smoke season, helping thousands of hikers plan hikes.

Map volunteer Evan Derickson on Big Snow Mountain.

Photo courtesy Evan Derickson.

A big thank you for map help!

Volunteer and avid hiker Evan Derickson helps make our maps happen. If you used the wildfire or AQI layer on our Hike Finder Map to find a safe place to hike this summer, you have him to thank!

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Ambassadors

Ambassadors Alana Zakroczemski and Brian Hawkins laugh with a Trailkeepers of Oregon volunteer at Pacific Crest Trail Days in Cascade Locks, Oregon.

Friendly Faces Build Community Ambassadors are outreach volunteers who serve as the face of WTA at events and in their communities around the state. This year, 48 passionate hikers showed up to connect people to WTA’s community. An additional 16 volunteers served as trail ambassadors, educating hikers in Central Washington throughout the summer.

Ambassadors engaged with all kinds of people at a range of events, from large gatherings like the Washington State Fair and the Ski to Sea 6

Festival, to one-on-one encounters at trailheads, to supporting WTA in statewide efforts like Washington Trails Day. From Spokane to Bellingham to Seattle, ambassadors spoke to more than 2,000 people about how they can tap into WTA’s community.

There is nothing like connecting with people inperson to grow our community of trail advocates and stewards. Time and time again, ambassadors showed their willingness to adapt to different circumstances and display amazing kindness in their interactions with the public. Thank you to all ambassadors for putting in the time and effort it takes to spread WTA’s message and the joys of hiking!

Ambassadors

Lisa Elliott shows off WTA stickers — a crowd favorite at events — while tabling at the Sawyer Woods Elementary School Science Fair in Black Diamond.

Katie White and Joel Grant table at the Ski to Sea Festival in Bellingham.

Central Washington trail ambassador Steve Nolan provides information and a welcoming smile to hikers at Teanaway Junction.

Gale Dizon and Jennifer Fortin became fast friends while participating in Hiker Rally Day. This is them outside of Olympic College in Bremerton while delivering a hiking basics workshop.

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WTA Advocates

Volunteers are a Voice for the Future of Trails We want to thank members of our advocate community, Trail Action Network, who used their time in 2023 to email, comment and show up in support of trails! As our state’s population increases, we need funding and policies to ensure that everyone can safely access the outdoors.

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Thanks to: • The 648 hikers who joined Trail Action Network on Washington Trails Day to speak up for trails!

• Everyone who spoke up for access to Eightmile Lake, Mount Rainier National Park, the Alpine Lakes Wilderness

and Gifford Pinchot National Forest as these beloved places plan for the future.

• The 70 people who joined us from 40 state legislative districts to advocate for trails with our state lawmakers during our virtual Hiker Rally Day. You helped make huge gains for reliable funding for trails and equity in outdoor careers! We consistently hear from state representatives how important it is to hear from people like you who are experts on Washington’s outdoors.

Advocates

It was a fun experience and I’d absolutely do it again. I was a little hesitant going in, but going over the notes was perfect since I got a little tongue tied. You were all so right: The representatives actually wanted to hear from us!"

—Jennifer Fortin, 2023 Hiker Rally Day participant

Thanks to those who took action on Hiker Rally Day, protecting trails for years to come:

Hikers sign up for Trail Action Network on Washington Trails Day

Rosemary Sutton

Aaron Peabody

Todd Dunfield

Stephen Wilhelm

Tom Anderson

Jay Taborsky

Hannah Jones

Gale Dizon

Chris Doran

Jennifer Fortin

Nancy Doran

Monty VanderBilt

Norman Samuelson

Elizabeth Sue Olson

Brenda Waight

Jennifer Simpson

George Stites

Geraldine Chambers

Carlyn Driedger Mastin

Brian Orlick

Mark Uhart

Julie Kinder

Judy Bell

Titti Ringstrom

Rick Zitzmann

Tim Van Beek

Valerie Lange

Joel Grant

Ginger Sarver

Jim Bracher

Beth Steeves

JoAnn Ten Brinke

William Kapes

Trudi Jackson

Matt Martinez

Sara Beckwith

Elizabeth Storm

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Outdoor Leadership Training Program

John Mackenzie volunteers creating storage solutions for all the gear our OLT program needs.

Thank you also to Pierce County gear library volunteer, Catherine Vine. Catherine helps out counting gear and repairing tents. We appreciate Catherine’s eye for detail, great conversation and enthusiasm for the outdoors!

Seattle gratitudes Thank you to Alisa Claeys for assembling curriculum binders, cleaning our kitchen equipment and consistently keeping our boots organized.

Helping Kids Gear Up and Get Outside with OLT From fulfilling gear requests to fixing tents and all the organizing in between, Outdoor Leadership Training (OLT) volunteers do it all.

Thank you all for the hard work and for keeping our outdoor gear safe and clean so youth can have fun, positive experiences outside!

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Pierce County gratitudes Thank you to John MacKenzie for being so warm, inviting and resourceful when it comes to organizing and optimizing space at the Pierce County gear library. His enthusiasm in the program and carpentry skills are crucial to our success.

Thank you to Kacey Morrow, for assisting with gear appointments, waterproofing the rain gear and keeping our library cleaned and organized between trips. Kacey also helps us with photo management in the Seattle office!

Thank you to Kay Sadowitz for repairing all of our broken tents and other fixes that we need.

Thank you to Outdoor Asian and Girl Scout Troops #42013 #4389, and #44401 for helping out with gear repairs and general maintenance.

Outdoor Leadership Training Program

Gear library tents get a lot of use and will go on several trips a year, every year. Routine maintenance is key to keeping tents in good shape for upcoming trips. This summer, Girl Scout Troops #42013, #4389, and #44401 helped the OLT program by cleaning 12 6-person tents. This included sweeping out the tents, washing the bottom of the tent, and washing and rewaterproofing the rainfly.

Freshly cleaned sleeping bags are hung up to dry; Seattle volunteers helped to wash and repack over 100 sleeping bags.

Volunteers help to pull and stage gear for upcoming gear requests; this photo includes gear for three separate trips ready for lending.

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Office volunteers

Small Office Crew is a Huge Help Our crew of office volunteers are key to helping us stay on top of our administrative tasks! Office volunteers help with everything from mailing donor letters to organizing our supply of T-shirts for backcountry volunteers and Hike-a-Thoners.

This year, on the 20th anniversary of Hike-aThon, we had more hikers than ever join in to 12

Office volunteer Cathy Darrow, hard at work mailing out letters to donors.

give back to trails by fundraising for WTA. This meant we needed extra support, and office volunteers stepped up, helping us mail out hundreds of Hike-a-Thon T-shirts and prizes.

Many thanks to all who volunteer their time to support WTA, and especially to our amazing office volunteers!

Volunteers on trail

Silver Falls Entiat Crew.

Photo by Kesia Lee.

30 Years of Trail Work!

We’re celebrating 30 years of trail work! Thanks to our 3,000 volunteers (including more than 480 youth volunteers), we’ve completed over 116,500 total hours of trail maintenance completed so far this year. You’ve also removed over 4,000 logs from trails across the state. Turning the big 3-0 can be a time of self reflection and renewal, so we’re highlighting some of our accomplishments we’re extra proud of in the following pages.

Thank you for everything you’ve done to make this work a reality.

Youth volunteer program We celebrated a return to backcountry projects in the youth volunteer vacation program, thanks to support from our partners at Back Country Horsemen of Washington and the Forest Service.

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Regional highlights

Around the State Northwest

Olympics & South Puget Sound

WTA trail crews returned to the North Cascades National Park for the first time since 2016.

Additionally, the Great American Outdoors Act helped to fund a number of projects at Heather Meadows this year. We also saw our ambassadors participate in a couple quintessentially Northwest Washington events — the Ski to Sea Festival and the Bigfoot Festival.

Olympics crews led the charge in piloting intro BCRTs! These trips provide a great opportunity for folks to build backcountry experience and trail work skills. Our South Puget Sound volunteers built an 85-foot puncheon at Moss Lake! We also had many outreach efforts in the South Puget Sound supported by our ambassadors, including several events at Meridian Habitat Park in Puyallup, the location of our gear-lending library. Two volunteers also conducted a successful hiking basics workshop at Olympic College in Bremerton.

Eastern After starting the work in fall of 2020, this year we finished a long-time Hauser Conservation Area project. Earth Day was a major time of outreach for Eastern Washington, with a presence at Eastern Washington University and at the grand opening of the Dorris Morrison Learning Center, a new hub for environmental education in the Saltese Flats. The event was attended by hundreds of people interested in outdoor learning and stewardship.

Southwest The team in the Southwest has been taking on fire recovery efforts and partnering with the Back Country Horsemen of Washington.

Additionally, Trail Action Network members are contributing to a sustainable trails plan for the Gifford Pinchot National Forest by providing feedback on what they value about the forest’s trails. Ambassadors supported several outreach

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efforts that attract thousands of hikers, including two large events: Washington Trails Day and Pacific Crest Trail Days.

Puget Sound For the past few years the Puget Sound team has been working in the City of Woodinville at the Greenbriar Trail!

WTA crews spent 29 days here to open this new trail in early 2023. Assistant crew leaders (ACLs) and green hats alike got to practice skills on our Tiger Mountain project using the rigging to clear a trail through logging slash and stumps to open up a trail that had been closed in May 2021. Puget Sound has also been busy with ambassadors attending 25 outreach events this year, including Refuge Outdoor Festival, the Evergreen State Fair, several Earth Day events and many more.

Regional highlights

From top left to right: Nannie Ridge BCRT, Crew Leader College in North Bend, Our newest Trail Action Network participants, Lower South Fork Skokomish Intro BCRT, Ambassadors in the Wild.

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Regional highlights

From left to right: Island Center Forest, Loowit Trail with Mount St. Helens Institute, Ribbon cutting at Greenbrier Trail, Tabling at REI, Goat Mountain - All Women Crew, Big haul on Ptarmigan Ridge.

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Volunteer vacations

Finished bridge at Deception Pass.

Pat Limberg at the packing facility. Photo by Micki Kedzierski.

Packing Facility LGBTQ+ crew at Sawtooth.

Volunteer Vacations: Decades of “weeklongs” This was a big year for volunteer vacations. Through 16 adult trips, we worked with national parks, state parks, and five different Forest Service districts. By car, boat, foot and mule, we got lots of volunteers (and even more food) out on trail. Huge thank you to our volunteer crew leaders, Dawn Rorvik and Lisa Black.

This year our volunteers at the North Bend packing facility supported 19 volunteer vacations and 11 youth volunteer vacations!

We couldn’t create these experiences without you!

Special thanks to: Micki Kedzierski Pat Limberg Bob Adler John Mackenzie Anne Kang Ginny Senear Thao Haong 17

Behind the scenes

George Stites (left), John MacKenzie, Craig Jackson at the Puget Sound Tool Cache. Photo by Joe Olbrych.

Behind the Scenes of Trail Work Tool Caches & Maintenance

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designed and built a new tool cache for the South Puget Sound region in Puyallup. For many years he’s been committed to tool excellence in the Puget Sound; and he’s even building a tool task force with Kim Luettgen, George Stites and Craig Jackson.

We also want to give thanks to those tool enthusiasts building and managing our tools caches, and keeping our tools in working order.

Their time and dedication ensures our trail crews can go out day after day and give back to trails and our hiking community.

Since 2008 George Dooley has supported the Northwest region by sharpening, repairing, and rehandling tools. He has extensive knowledge of tool maintenance and has been instrumental in procuring tools for the trail maintenance program. He is a wonderful teacher and a lovely human being.

John Mackenzie not only keeps our Puget Sound cache and tools in top notch order, in 2023 he

Jim Scrafford has been keeping the Olympics region’s tools in prime condition since 2015.

Behind the scenes

From left to right: Drills at dawn in at the South Puget Sound tool cache, Kathy Bizak prepping tools for the Olympics, New tool locker in Vancouver, George Dooley in action in the Northwest.

Initially it began with washing tools in Jim’s garage sink at their first tool maintenance work party. Today it has become a 3-day, 9-person event that includes pressure washers, individual maintenance on over 200 tools and a potluck! There’s even a dedicated spot in Jim’s garage for the annual crockpot of sweet potato and black bean chili enjoyed at the tool maintenance parties.

In our Southwest region, David Licatovich, Mike Klein and Gabe Smith spent a full day framing the walls and installing a loft in the new tool locker. They returned 2 weeks later to move in all the shelving, tools and equipment with assistance from Tom Griffith. The space features a WTA member donated freezer, space to store outreach ambassador supplies and is a short walk from the downtown Vancouver office.

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Awards

Above and Beyond

Every year, we recognize volunteers who go the extra mile in their work with WTA. Whether they’re on trail or inoffice, we super appreciate these superheros.

Jenn Seva Jenn became an ambassador this year and has already embraced many other avenues to get involved with WTA — trail work, Fireside Circle, trip reporting, and advocacy actions! She is incredibly thoughtful, dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion in the outdoors, and strives to make herself and those around her better stewards and people.

Kelly Stancel Kelly is just over a year into her journey and she is already a new ACL with more than 140 work parties under her belt. She provides a warm welcome, creates a very inclusive environment and prioritizes safety first throughout the day. She advocates for trail work and the community WTA has provided her with everyone she meets!

Susan Saul There isn’t a thing Susan doesn’t do for WTA. We’ve been so lucky to have her as part of the WTA family for many years. This year Susan was a part of Hiker Rally Day, trail ambassador program, and Hike-a-Thon. She’s also a longtime ACL, a hiking guide correspondent, a frequent trip reporter and has her finger on the pulse of statewide advocacy opportunities.

John Bremer Since John started volunteering with WTA in 2017, he has been one of our most reliable and consistent volunteers. He averages about 10 work parties a month. He is passionate about restoration projects in Whatcom County and is a fountain of trail work knowledge and experience. John is a welcome addition to any work party he attends with his unassuming cando attitude and his amazing ability to engage with fellow volunteers.

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Awards

Tara Kocur Tara is one of our most enthusiastic assistant crew leaders. She jumps in head first to learn new skills and shares what she learns with her peers and new volunteers. She was integral to Volunteer Appreciation last year by singlehandedly planning the youth and family volunteer appreciation events. And she helped WTA staffers plan this year’s events.

Simon Lie Simon stepped up big time in 2022 and 2023 to help support our saw program. He takes his extensive knowledge and experience with risk management from Boeing and WTA and applies it to our sawyer trainings. He provides consistent crew leading support to all corners of the Puget Sound region. For Simon, WTA is a family affair — often, you’ll see him at day work parties and BCRTs with his whole family.

He’s kind and approachable and a great mentor to those around him.

Judy Eib Judy Eib has been crucial to the success of the Puget Sound trail work lite program. Because of her commitment to providing intro level and lite work party options, WTA can cater to volunteers who want to give back on trails but may not be able to join our standard offerings. Judy cultivates a welcoming, inclusive environment, and as such, these work parties are highly sought after.

Patty Patterson As a green hat Patty was at three of four work parties each week at our Lena Lake bridge project and acted as an assistant crew leader on several tasks, such as building the rock approach to the bridge and managing rigging to support the project. Patty, now a Saturday regular, mentors potential or new ACLs in leadership, along with trail maintenance. She not only fully supports all the CLs and ACLs, but fully engages her crew and boasts that she had the best crew of the day. She is a pleasure to work with and gets quality work done.

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Awards

Mary Beth Fitzgerald Mary Beth is a frequent participant and key contributor to all types of Eastern Washington work parties, even the BCRTs (which might not be her favorite considering the heavier pack and the sleeping on the ground). Mary Beth is excellent at seeing when a new volunteer needs extra support and frequently steps up to help teach, which is especially helpful on days when fewer ACLs are available. She is kind and compassionate to fellow volunteers, and a huge help to crew leaders. She also bakes an excellent ginger cookie!

Lisa Black Lisa has been leading volunteer vacations for more than 10 years, both as a volunteer blue hat and as a seasonal employee.

A few years ago, Lisa decided she liked being a volunteer more than getting paid, but she continued to bring the same level of commitment to all the projects she’s led. Lisa has built relationships with land managers and volunteers as she returns to challenging projects year after year with deep knowledge and considerate leadership. Our annual volunteer vacations to the Lakeshore trail, Sawtooth and Pasayten are her specialties.

This year, she was instrumental in the first trips to the South Lakeshore trail. As the volunteer vacation team changes throughout the years, she is a constant and goes out of her way to help train new staff and volunteers.

Dallas Damianick In his first year of volunteering, Dallas has racked up over 50 days and become an enthusiastic and passionate advocate for trail maintenance. He took the opportunity to turn a school project into an in-depth presentation and outreach at his school about the importance of volunteer trail work and how to get involved.

He is always willing to help out and his enthusiasm is contagious!

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Awards

Jim Scafford takes care of all our engraving needs.

John Mackenzie keeps us rolling in saw sheaths while Rick Zitzmann and Bob Adler (not pictured) are our resident handsaw shippers!

500+

Crosscut Saw Club Dawn Rorvik

Trail Maintenance Awards Did you know that volunteer trail maintenance awards are made by volunteers? It takes a village to help create the special mementos that recognize your trail work achievements. Special thanks to those who help make it happen. A big shout out to those volunteers in the past who have been part of the creation of these awards: Bud Silliman and Jerry Galland.

You can check out Jim Scrafford’s craftsmanship on the handsaws we award volunteers with 50 work parties and the Crosscut 500+ Work Party award. Jim has refined his laser engraving process for both the saw handles and crosscut pieces.

He innovated a way to clean the old crosscut pieces we find for him to make sure they’re sparkling! (hint: it involves a common household item — vinegar) Trail work wouldn’t happen without volunteers. As a thank you, some awards are handed out on trail work parties (hard hats, vests, handsaws, fleece hats and stickers) and some milestones, like 250+ jackets and crosscut award plaques, are celebrated at volunteer appreciation award ceremonies.

Gabe Smith Michaelene (Micki) Kedzierski Richard Mellon Sue Olson

250+

Full Bench Club Alex Perdian Allie Deford Brian Peterman Carin Olson Dan Saul Derek Posey Don Hammon Elaine Keavney Kim Struiksma Lynn Smith

Mike Klein Scott Dallasta 23

Thank you

Thank you to all of our volunteers for all that you do to help hikers see the beauty of trails all across our state.

Panhandle backcountry response team.

Photo by James Alexander.

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Thank you

Thank you volunteers You, our community, are the secret to our success. A community that is committed, innovative and fun. You take care of each other, Washington’s hikers, and our trails. 30 years of a trail work, is about much more than tread and drainages—its friendships and stewardship of our lands. Every step in this journey has people coming together around the idea; people protect the places they love.

Thanks to the foundation you have helped build, we are laying a path towards trails for everyone, forever.

Thank you.

Jaime ready for trail work.

Photo by Ben Semer.

Jaime Loucky Chief executive officer

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Trails for everyone, forever