helped to carve the beginnings of a trail out of the dense coastal brush.
TKO doesn’t just do work on public land. Thanks to our partners like Camp Taloali, Camp Arrah Wanna, and Camp Westwind, we also get to play a role in maintaining and building trails in some extra special places. These camps all have one thing in common: they all host Outdoor School camps for public school kids in Oregon!
Give $75 and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a 2-night stay in the rustic and remote Olallie Lake cabin.
A gift of $30 or more will get you entered to win a drinkwear set from Miir + a free growler fill from our friends at Gorges Beer Co.
Anyone who donates their time at a TKO trail party this week (11/21 – 11/27) will also be entered to win.
built for youth education by TKO.
To the south of the jutting Cascade Headland and nestled against the Salmon River, Camp Westwind makes up part of the 102,110 acre Cascade Head Biosphere Reserve. The only biosphere reserve in Oregon, it includes a majestic basalt headland, the entire Salmon River watershed and estuary, and a marine reserve with three surrounding marine protected areas. Summer brings more than 1,200 campers to Westwind to experience the outdoors–close to twenty percent attend free or at a reduced cost. The spring and fall bring 1,500 students from districts around the state for multi-day outdoor school programs.
The Westwind property provides a unique and defining opportunity for watershed education. Westwind and TKO have partnered to build a new educational trail that will lead Westwind students along a small-scale coastal rainforest watershed–traversing the percolating upper headwaters, the edge of Lost Lake and it’s remnant beaver dam, down the gorge and into a small estuary fan delta where the tributary meets the Salmon River along Westwind’s southern border.
Learning circles along the trail will guide students through this journey to experience firsthand what happens to water as it passes from ‘Raindrop to Sea’. You can watch this Youtube series following a raindrop to the sea to get the virtual experience of this trail.
In fitting compliment to the educational experience of this watershed trail, TKO volunteers have the opportunity to get involved in this project from the early stages, learning firsthand about sustainable trail design, construction, and how to reduce impacts to the environment while minimizing future maintenance.
While Raindrop-to-Sea trail is not a public access trail, Trailkeepers of Oregon is supporting this project because outdoor school programs like Camp Westwind provide Oregon’s youth with access to important nature experiences and educational opportunities. These outdoor education facilities are very special, but their trail systems often lack the upkeep and care needed to serve our next generation of conservationists and stewards…
Every spring, Trailkeepers of Oregon Trail Ambassadors head out onto some of Oregon’s most well-loved trails to welcome visitors and share important information about the trail, hiking safety, Leave No Trace, local flora and fauna, and more. We’ve added more locations to our repertoire for this season and we need your help to meet the growing demand on our trails!
Happy Holidays Trailkeepers,
The TKO Legacy Builders end-of-year campaign is coming to a close on December 31st. We are so proud that this campaign is fueled by a grassroots donor base that builds a kick start of support for a new year. Our approach continues to be that everyone in their own way is a Trailkeeper – giving time, giving passion, or giving dollars. Each of these contributions amount to more protection and enhancement of Oregon’s hiking trails.
From Latourell Falls to Mosier Plateau, TKO volunteers put in 6,171 hours (257 days!) in the Columbia River Gorge throughout 2023 ensuring your favorite trails remain ready to welcome you on your adventures. Read on for fun insight on the wide variety of trails and projects that you, our community, helped us to pursue!
Trailkeepers of Oregon
P.O. Box 14814
Portland, OR 97293
(971) 206-4351