2023 Annual Report: Washington Trails Association

Trails for everyone, forever

2023 annual report

Photo by Erynn Allen

Midnight Ridge.

Photo by Artie McRae.

A letter from our CEO

2023 was an incredible year of milestones for Washington Trails Association. We celebrated the 30th anniversary of our trail maintenance program, which contributes more than 100,000 hours of volunteer support to trails across the state. Our annual Hike-a-Thon fundraiser, a celebration of trails, hiking and the power of community, reached its 20year anniversary. And we marked 10 years of our Outdoor Leadership Training Program, which provides training and lends gear to thousands of young people, giving them the confidence to explore outdoor spaces, often for the first time.

These many milestones are an incredible reminder of the durability of our trail community and a testament to the power of people coming together around a shared love of the outdoors. Within this report, I hope you’ll find more exciting examples of how WTA continues to advance our vision of Trails for Everyone, Forever

Many of our successes are the products of years of effort and collaboration. The new trail system visions for Silver Star and the Teanaway are perfect examples. Others — like the rapid growth of our newest Gear Lending Library in Puyallup — show what can happen when you work with community partners to lower barriers to getting outside. And some successes, like adding more information on wheelchair-friendly hikes to our Hiking Guide and an

Air Quality Index filter to our Hike Finder Map show how we are continuously innovating to provide more trail information in Washington state. These industry-leading tools are designed to meet the diverse and evolving needs of everyone seeking outdoor adventures.

Together we have accomplished so much — from the creation of long-term visions for iconic landscapes to onthe-ground improvements on some of the most popular trails in our state. We helped people enjoy the benefits of time in nature and provided them with opportunities to give back. And we started to develop new approaches to growing challenges facing our trail system.

As we look to the year ahead, I know that together we can continue to build a better future for trails and for everyone who relies on and appreciates them.

With gratitude,

Jaime Loucky Chief executive officer

Thunder Knob, North Cascades.

Photo by Nandan Telang.

2023 by the numbers

5 million 110,000+ 66,000+

27,000+

5,500 152,000

people relied on WTA’s online resources people used WTA’s mobile app advocates spoke up for public lands with WTA’s help members supported WTA’s work with a donation trip reporters shared information from trails hours of trail work

290

3,585

trails improved outdoor experiences supported by our gear lending library volunteers helped build and maintain trails, including 595 youth

80

3,560 outdoor leaders trained

Board of Directors

President | Matt Martinez

Secretary | Todd Dunfield

Treasurer | Anson Fatland

VP, Philanthropy | Ethan Evans

VP, Governance | Jennifer Surapisitchat

Directors at Large

Bryce Bolen • Bhavna Chauhan •

Michael Dunning • Jennifer Faubion •

Halley Knigge • Sully Moreno •

Ken Myer • Arundhati Sambataro •

Ashleigh Shoecraft

Marymere Falls. Photo by Kevin Brooks.

Trails for Everyone: Creating a more inclusive community

Spending time outside is good for people’s hearts, minds and bodies. WTA believes that these benefits must be widely available to everyone. We think the best way to ensure equitable access to nature is by listening to local communities and offering the support they need to go outside. From trainings and logistics support for youth leaders to our free Hiking Guide and extensive online resources, we are working to ensure hikers from all backgrounds feel welcome and equipped for a great hiking experience.

Outdoor Leadership Training: 10 Years Of Getting People Outside

WTA was proud to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our Outdoor Leadership Training (OLT) program. In 2023, 80+ school and community leaders — the most ever trained in a year — joined our OLT workshops to gain skills and confidence in leading groups outdoors. Whether providing free access to gear

through our gear lending libraries, funding assistance or trip planning consultation, our OLT program has supported 19,000 outdoor experiences since launching 10 years ago!

“Keeping them dry with rain jackets, since a huge amount of students don’t have access to adequate gear, makes the experiences outdoors more enjoyable.” — Lincoln High School teacher, OLT trained leader

Inspiration And Training For Outdoor Careers

In Washington — where a significant percentage of our economy is tied to recreation — we believe in expanding opportunities for people to find careers in the outdoor sector. Through our Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) we are engaging early professionals in hands-on trail maintenance and career-development activities. In 2023, we were thrilled to partner

It was wonderful to connect with the Emerging Leaders cohort and learn about their passions and career aspirations. Our parks team loved working with the cohort doing hands-on trail projects and having great conversations about stewardship and trail accessibility.

— Janette Chien, Washington State Parks

with Washington State Parks. So far, 65% of program alums have found employment at WTA or with partner organizations.

Prioritizing Access

We made great strides in broadening accessibility to trails. Last year, we integrated wheelchair-friendly details into 70 Hiking Guide entries, a crucial step in ensuring all hikers have the necessary information to explore the outdoors. Additionally, we collaborated with transit advocate K. Huntress Inskeep to refine transit directions in our Hiking Guide and provide tips on taking transit to trailheads. We also improved trails to ensure safety and access. In partnership with EarthCorps, WTA created a brandnew ADA-accessible trail at Suntop Lookout — Washington’s first ADAaccessible fire lookout.

WTA’s ELP cohort learn new trail maintenance skills at Pack Forest.

Photo by Zachary Toliver.

Students from Rainier Prep learn how to take care of tents borrowed from WTA’s gear library. Photo by Zyanya Alvarez.

Trails Rebooted: Protecting popular trails and creating responsible hikers

With populations ever-increasing and interest in the outdoors at all-time highs, the long-term sustainability of trails requires us to think proactively and bring innovative ideas to the table. WTA is facilitating the development of long-term regional visions that will provide a collective roadmap for sustainable access to iconic landscapes. We are offering clear steps to building, improving and investing in these beloved places.

New Visions For Iconic Landscapes

Intentional management of popular areas is crucial to their longevity.

After years of work, we’re excited to have finalized two new plans with our partners. Silver Star is a beloved recreation area in southwest Washington, providing opportunities just a short distance from the Vancouver and Portland metro area. The South Mountain Loop Highway is an incredible access point to the

Cascades just a 1-hour drive from the Seattle metro area, encompassing 4 million Washington residents. Years of engaging with key community, tribal, agency and nonprofit stakeholders culminated in the development of visions and plans for both landscapes, which will guide-land management decisions for years to come.

Helping People Hike Responsibly

In addition to our online hiking resources, WTA’s ambassadors met hikers at trailheads to provide education and resources so they were prepared to hit the trail in a safe and responsible way. Ambassadors could be found throughout the Cascades, from the Mountain Loop Highway down to the Columbia River Gorge, reaching over 4,300 hikers. Special thanks to our partners: the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Glacier Peak Institute, the National Forest Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service.

Improving Trails And Creating New Ones Across The State

On the ground, volunteers were hard at work maintaining over 180 popular trails and creating new trails to help expand hiking access across the trail system. Some highlights include:

• Completing a new 1-mile trail reroute on Tiger Mountain that extends through an area that was recently logged.

• Breaking ground on new trails in the Teanaway Community Forest, focusing on a series of loop trails north of the West Fork Teanaway River.

• Opening the brand new Frog Mountain Trail on Highway 2 in the Wild Sky Wilderness.

• Completing extensive tread improvements as well as installing rock steps in hazardous areas in Gothic Basin, thanks to work by the Lost Trails Found crew in partnership with Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

Silver Star Mountain.

Photo by Arisa Nogler.

Volunteers improve the tread of the Horseshoe Bend trail. Photo by Marysia Smith.

The Trail Next Door:

Ensuring there’s nature nearby

Science has found that easy access to nature can improve people’s health and well-being. Unfortunately, not every community has equitable access to greenspaces. Therefore, WTA is working to improve local access to and investment in these urban oases. We are also continually updating our online resources to help people find high-quality information on trails and transit options so they can find an easy dose of nature near them.

Building Close-In Trails

WTA has been focusing on trails that are close to population centers — ensuring more people have a trail nearby. In 2023, we had 175 work parties in 19 local parks. Highlights include:

• Beginning construction on a new trail network for the soon-

to-be-opened Big Rock Park in partnership with the city of Sammamish.

• Completing the Greenbrier Trail in Woodinville.

• Making extensive improvements to the trails in Swan Creek Park in Pierce County.

• Providing much needed maintenance in Centralia — in partnership with Friends of Seminary Hill — by clearing drainage, cutting back overgrown vegetation and improving tread.

Laying The Groundwork In Glendale Forest

Since 2021, WTA has been leading the transformation of Glendale Forest, an unused and overgrown patch of forest in south King County, into a space for local residents to enjoy. In 2023, WTA hosted 19 work parties, where volunteer crews, including several youth crews, continued to build the new trail system in the forest.

Building Support For Urban Green Spaces

WTA mobilized over 1,600 hikers to support the Transit to Trails Act through our petition drive. The act would connect more people to trails by providing new routes to trailheads, and ensure those options are accessible to people with disabilities.

Point Defiance.

Photo by Jeremy Tarife.

Ribbon cutting at Greenbrier Trail. Photo by Brandon Tigner.

Lost Trails Found: Recovering from wildfires, reopening routes

Faced with extreme weather and wildfires, many of our state’s most wild and wonderful landscapes can no longer be explored by hikers. This reduced access not only limits opportunities to experience multi-day adventures in remote landscapes, it can force hikers to choose already popular areas instead of dispersing into the backcountry. WTA is committed to reopening these wild areas to ensure a variety of hiking experiences can be safely accessed across the state.

More Capacity For

Backcountry Trails

In its third season, WTA’s Lost Trails Found (LTF) professional crews took on bigger and more involved projects than ever before. Our two crews spent a total of 9,000 hours maintaining 78 miles of trails, including removing over 1,800 logs.

Fire Recovery

This year, WTA agreed to help the Forest Service repair 50 miles of trail impacted by the 2021 Schneider

Springs Fire in the Naches Ranger District by the end of 2024. WTA’s Lost Trails Found crews spent 8 weeks rehabilitating trails – working on well-known trails like Mount Aix as well as some lesser-known trails and rugged loops that included the Burnt Mountain Trail, Nile Ridge Trail, Rattlesnake Creek Trail and Soda Springs Trail. Crews cleared 929 logs, fixed drainage issues to prevent erosion and dug new tread on trails affected by the fire.

Youth In The Backcountry

This summer marked the return of youth trail maintenance crews to the backcountry after putting those trips on pause during the pandemic. A crew of 10 youth built a new puncheon on the West Fork Humptulips trail, stabilizing the trail from erosion. Another youth crew spent a week on the Snow Lakes trail in the Enchantments, revitalizing several sections of trail to get it back up to standard for hikers.

With LTF’s ongoing support, we can plan focused maintenance efforts, addressing issues like drainage needs, reinforcing structures and maintaining proper trail clearing.

Raising Awareness For Backcountry Trail Funding

Washington Trails Association staff headed to Washington, D.C., for Hike the Hill in February. Along with partner organizations from across the Pacific Northwest, we advocated for consistent and increased funding that would allow our federal agency partners to better care for Washington’s beloved landscapes. WTA staff met with an array of decision makers, including federal land-management agency leaders and members of the House and Senate.

Norse Peak Wilderness post-fire. Photo by Andy Wickens.

— Sam Zook, OkanoganWenatchee National Forest

Lost Trails Found crew in the Entiat Mountains.

Photo by Zachary Sklar.

Notes from our supporters

WTA’s work is powered in part by the generosity of foundations, businesses and thousands of members. We’re excited to share a few examples of what investing in WTA has meant to our supporters:

We appreciate WTA because we get to be a part of the community — we don’t just give, but are able to participate in what the organization is doing. It’s meaningful to us to give back to the things that have given so much to our lives. We still love being out in the woods, in the wild, or even nearby nature as long as we’re on trail, and that’s why we support WTA.

—

Brian

and Debby Peterman, Leadership Circle members

Thank you so much for all your work on Washington’s trails, and advocacy for the outdoors! One of the most unique things about living in Washington state is having such a strong community dedicated to the trails.

— Alex, WTA member

WTA is so much more than a trail guide… The breadth of WTA’s work is simply breathtaking: trail repair, equity work, advocacy, education and, yes, those beloved trail guides and trip reports. I know my monthly donation is being used wisely across all programs, and for the good of everyone who is out on trail.

— Matt Martinez, Monthly Giving Circle member and president of the WTA board of directors

Sunrise on Mount Ellinor’s winter route. Photo by Nachiket Rajderkar.

2023 Financial Information

WTA is grateful for the whole community who showed up for trails and everyone who uses them. Thanks to the generosity of our members and partners, WTA continues to build momentum toward realizing our vision of trails for everyone, forever.

*Consistent with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), WTA recognizes the full value of multi-year pledges in the year they are confirmed.

Mount Carrie at Sunrise. Photo by Carrie Bancroft.

Dishman Hills

Conservation Area - Iller Creek.

Photo by Tiffany Hansen.

Thank you for your support