Helpers Aid Trails

Outdoor volunteers

The Northwest would be a vastly different place if not for the large number of volunteers who contribute time, labor, materials and money to support outdoor recreation.

“With the way things are going with budgets and staffing at federal and state levels,” said Pete Bond, trails coordinator for Oregon Parks and Recreation, “we are forced to rely heavily on volunteers for trail maintenance.”

“Besides energy and enthusiasm, our volunteers bring us a new perspective on ways of doing things,” said Drinda Lombardi, volunteer coordinator for Region 6 of the U.S. Forest Service. “When we get volunteers from England, Wales or Germany, it helps us look at our work through different filters.”

During 1994, Oregon Parks and Recreation, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Forest Service and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management counted 43,500 volunteers. The volunteers donated more than 1 million hours, and their work and contributions of materials were valued at $9 million.

“That’s money taxpayers didn’t have to pay,” said Mary Englund, volunteer coordinator for the BLM’s Oregon state office in Portland. “We consider it very important.”

Volunteers also help outdoor recreation by running a variety of their own programs, such as ski patrol and mountain rescue.