MATCHING FUND

LEGACY KEEPERS MATCHING FUND HAS BEEN CREATED FOR BUSINESS PARTNERS, HIKING/RUNNING CLUBS, & INDIVIDUAL DONORS. THESE DONORS ARE COMMITTING TO POOL THEIR GIFTS TOGETHER AS A MATCHING CHALLENGE FOR OUR SPRING AND END OF YEAR CAMPAIGNS. OUR GOAL IS TO MOTIVATE DONORS TO ACT FAST TO DOUBLE THEIR IMPACT FOR OUR CAUSE.

TKO’s organizational growth is reliant on you, our Legacy Keepers.

In the donation form, please indicate your group affiliation in the “Note, testimonial?” section to ensure we can track the support you are helping raise.

The service we provide at TKO to protect and enhance the Oregon hiking experience through advocacy, stewardship, outreach, and education is only possible thanks to you and others in our community. Your gift to the Legacy Keepers Matching Fund will allow TKO to build upon the momentum from the last few years. In 2021 alone your past support allowed us to:

Expanded important restoration in areas in the state impacted by wildfires
Host 400+ trail stewardship events for more than 2,500 volunteers
Maintain almost 400,000 feet of trail and interacted with 1000s of visitors

You’ll see firsthand the direct impact you can have on Oregon’s trails in the coming year. Wherever in the state you love to hike, your support will help TKO do even more for your beloved trails in 2022 and beyond.

YOU’LL JOIN A DEDICATED GROUP OF TRAIL ADVOCATES WHO PROVIDE ESSENTIAL FUNDING FOR TKO’S WORK. JOIN US AT A BUILDERS-KEEPERS EVENT, A SITE TOUR TO WITNESS OUR STEWARDSHIP IN ACTION!

Builders-Keepers Events

We’ve all been through a lot over the last few years… Together, we’re navigating so much that we’ve never seen before. Our moments in nature are seemingly critical to reset, take the long view and hike on through these challenges. Oregon’s trails are more important than ever – to more people than ever. Increased use – plus the wildfire damage to many of our treasured areas – makes Trailkeepers of Oregon’s mission more important than ever. Big, audacious challenges lay ahead for Oregon’s trails and our programming:

Reimagining TKO’s OregonHikers.org and what +1.5 million page views can achieve in breaking down barriers to access to enjoy Oregon’s scenic sites near and far.
Providing safe & welcoming outdoor spaces through an expanding trailhead and on-trail Ambassador programming. Not all people feel safe & welcome in the outdoors due to racism, bias & hate – TKO aims to be a part of changing that.
Solving gaps in trail systems across the state, through a steady support of trail maintenance and advocating for inspiring efforts like the Oregon Coast Trail, Salmonberry Trail, Columbia Gorge Towns-to-Trails and so much more.
Activating communities to respond to wind & fire events that threaten our access to public lands due to limited local, state and federal resources.

Read on for more details: TKO’s mission, vision & values, as well as how we are making change to our programming and Oregon’s trails to be more safe & welcoming!

TKO Strategic Plan 2020-2030

TKO's DEI Impact Goals

A nonprofit since 2007, TKO started tracking our trail service in 2017. Here is what we have achieved in 4 years.

BY THE NUMBERS:

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Trail Parties

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Thousand Volunteer Participants

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Million Feet of Trail Scouted

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Million Feet of Trail Maintained

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Thousand Hours of Service

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Volunteer Leaders

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Ambassador Stations

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Thousand Visitor Interactions

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Parks & Ranger Districts Served

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Thousand Feet of Trail Developed

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Million Dollars of In-kind Service

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TKO Staff Positions Created

Here’s a sample of what happens when we are given the capacity to expand – Oregon Coast stewardship started in 2018, taking off in 2019!

SCALABLE GROWTH

TKO REGIONAL STEWARDSHIP HUBS

In just under 5 years, TKO now has in place 8 staff people – with regional hubs in Portland, Columbia Gorge, Mt. Hood, & the northern/southern Oregon Coast. Each investment in TKO brings the possibility of staffing lifts to regions that need our support. TKO has a scalable growth plan to expand in urban regions down the Willamette Valley and connect to rural hubs to Oregon Coast and into eastern Oregon.

TKO Staff & Board

BUSINESS TIME

TKO’s First Staff Person, 2017

After 10 years a nonprofit, TKO stepped into hiring their first staff person in 2017. A capacity grant from REI Co-op made this possible, TKO implemented a donation program in July 2017. In 2 short months, a flood of support arrived with the overwhelming challenge of restoring Gorge trails from the Eagle Creek fire.

Learn More from ED Steve Kruger

Latest News

Following a ‘Raindrop to Sea’ – Building New Trail for Oregon Youth at Westwind

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. Originally dedicated in 1976 by the United Nations (UNESCO), such reserves serve to attain quality education for all, mobilize knowledge for sustainable development, and build an inclusive knowledge society. It is the only biosphere reserve in Oregon and includes the majestic basalt headland, the entire Salmon River watershed and estuary, and a marine reserve with three surrounding marine protected areas. In service to the conservation value of this important ecosystem, the Westwind property provides a unique and defining opportunity for watershed education. 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. […]

@ by Loren Payne

Trail Ambassador Program Updates

The rainy spring has led to a slower start to the outdoor season, but our Trail Ambassadors have been getting out and representing at trails through it all! Thank you to all our volunteers who helped make a difference on the coast, throughout the Columbia River Gorge, and on Mount Hood this month. We couldn’t do it without you!

In an effort to continually improve the TKO volunteer experience, we have added to and updated a few aspects of the Trail Ambassador program, and we are excited to share them with you!

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@ by Loren Payne

Making Way for New Trail

By Mark Wattier, TKO Crew Leader

The Wilson River Trail goes for 24 miles through the Coast Range, sometimes following its namesake river, and sometimes diverging into the mountains. There has been talk for years about an extension to the trail, but the Oregon Department of Forestry doesn’t have much of a budget for things like new trails. This is where TKO has been able to step in and help. […]

@ by Natalie Ferraro