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Storm Damage: How You Can Help
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Dec 07, 2006 –
November brought catastrophic floods to the Cascades and Olympics, wreaking havoc on Washington’s backcountry roads and trails. One question now on many hikers' minds is: What can I do to help? Here are some ways you can.
Stay Informed - Sign Up for Trail News
Sign up now to receive WTA's monthly email newsletter, Trail News. This will help you stay on top of the latest storm damage news as it becomes available, and you will find out early on about opportunities for volunteering to repair the damage in 2007.
Volunteer
Repair to storm-damaged trails will be a primary focus of WTA's 2007 trail maintenance work, but the vast majority of this work won't begin until the melt-out next spring. We won't know the full extent of the damage to places like the Wonderland Trail on Mount Rainier until the snows lift next year. Make a New Year's Resolution to join at least one work party in 2007. Consider taking off a week next year to participate in a WTA Volunteer Vacation. Talk to your coworkers about getting together a group trail work party. For more information on setting up group trail work parties contact Alyssa Kreider at alyssa@wta.org or call 206-965-8561. Volunteer opportunities will be posted on the WTA schedule in by late spring. To get updates emailed to you, sign up for Trail News.
File a Trip Report
If you're out on a road or trail and witness flood damage, there are some things you can do. You can file a trip report on WTA's web site, noting the exact location and nature of the damage. Both WTA and land managers frequently look at WTA trip reports when planning trail work needs. Photos are also very helpful. WTA is currently looking into ways to consolidate trail and road damage information online to make it more useful to land managers, our trail crews and hikers. (And please remember that many roads are bad shape and quite dangerous. Never attempt to drive across a flooded road, or drive around posted road closures. Road and trail bridges can have unsafe structural damage that's not obviously visible. Please exercise caution when you're out there).
Make a Financial Contribution
One of the most meaningful things you can do right now is to make a donation to WTA. If you haven't yet become a member, consider doing so now. WTA is very efficient in how it puts your dollars to work for trails--we leverage volunteer hours to apply for grants, and our small crew of paid summer crew leaders train and manage the 1,600 volunteers out there each year fixing our trails.
Contact Your Representative
Write a brief e-mail to your Congressional Representative and U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell telling them that you're an avid hiker and that you're astounded at the level of damage across the Cascades and Olympics. Tell them that by adequately funding our National Parks and National Forests, we can get started on rebuilding. Tell them that you support the American Hiking Society's funding proposal recommendations for FY07:
- Forest Service Recreation Management, Heritage and Wilderness program: $275 million
- Forest Service Capital Improvement and Maintenance/Trails funding: $90 million
- Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF): stateside: $100 million; federal $220 million
- National Park Service operations: $1.868 billion
Thank you so much for your interest in helping Washington's backcountry recover from the recent storm damage. For more information on ways you can help, please give us a call at (206) 625-1367.
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