In early 2008 PCTA submitted a grant to REI Co-op to start what would become the Columbia Cascades Trail Skills College (CCTSC) and PCTA graciously added a request for tools and PPE for TKO. TKO had not received their nonprofit designation from the IRS till later that year. The grant came through and TKO got its first hardhats and Pulaskis. Sitting Board members of TKO who were PCTA staff and lead volunteers hosted the 1st TSC in Cascade Locks with an incredible outpouring of support from the trails community. TKO was one of several sponsors of this inaugural event.

That grant also funded the first draft and publication of the Trail Skills College curriculum that is now used at all PCTA trail skills colleges.

Travel Oregon contracted a study to conduct thirty-two interviews via phone and in-person conversations. Attempts were made to get broad geographic perspective as well as capture perspectives from a variety of trail user groups, new and established trail efforts, land managers, volunteers, and professionals. Individuals were given a summary of the goals of the project and asked open-ended questions. The overarching research question was: “What hurdles does Oregon face in building and maintaining a world class network of trails, and how could we work together to address those hurdles?”

This project set out to accomplish three goals: 1. Discover what Oregon can learn from peers in other states who are successfully collaborating to build and maintain an inspiring system of trails. 2. Learn from trail advocates and volunteers, land managers, and trail planners across Oregon about the hurdles they face. 3. Identify how we can best work together to address those hurdles to build and maintain a world class network of trails.

Excerpts where TKO was named and ultimate identified as a likely source to overcome hurdles:

• “Many towns and many specific trails have their own groups that put in consistent volunteer hours in reoccurring work parties. Trailkeepers of Oregon, though currently made up of a core group of about 25 volunteers, has a statewide mission and vision to someday have the capacity to play a volunteer coordination and advocacy role for trails statewide.” page 14
• “Trailkeepers of Oregon (TKO) is a group that has a strategic vision to grow into a staffed organization coordinating volunteers, advocating for hiking trails, and filling in gaps in trail stewardship statewide. Seed funding to assist TKO in growing their organization to the next level could help address the maintenance challenges that are threatening the closure of hiking trails across the state. Exploration should also be made as to if TKO or a statewide coalition could best serve as an umbrella organization for newly forming trail groups with aligned, but more-focused missions.” page 25
• “Next Steps in 2017: Invest seed funding in Trailkeepers of Oregon so that they may hire their first staff person to take on further development and statewide coordination functions.” page 25

TKO brings on a Saw Program Manager, Vito Perrone to continue to build a professional saw program that can be widely recognized as a place for volunteers and professionals to gain sawyer skills.

TKO is officially awarded a USDA Saw Policy Program and immediately began certifying crosscut and chainsaw sawyers on Forest Service lands and wherever else TKO sawyers could be put to service.

Susan Schen returned as a Portland Stewardship Manager, guiding the support of our regional coordinators that had grown to the Columbia Gorge while continuing in the North & South Coast.

Needing additional part-time support in our communications, a part-time position was created and we began to see a regular social media presence for TKO.

With a successful pilot over 1.5 years, we transitioned to hiring two staffing positions stationed again in the North Coast and adding a new spot in the South Coast region helping in the Gold Coast and Samuel Boardman Corridor between Coos Bay and Brookings.

Susan Schen was brought on as a limited duration staff person to grow TKO’s reach to the Oregon Coast through capacity funding from Oregon Coast Visitors Association.

Natalie Ferraro was hired as a part-time employee to pick up volunteer coordination and support fundraising and donor interaction.

The Eagle Creek fire ignited over Labor Day in September 2017. TKO was thrust into a key role to be a partner in the restoration efforts that would follow.