WTA Awarded Spring Trust for Trails Grants

North of Mount Baker, around Twin Lakes, the Spring Trust will help WTA field more than 2,000 hours of volunteer trail maintenance in one of the most-loved areas of the North Cascades. Trails targeted for attention include Church Mountain, Damfino Lakes, Excelsior Peak, High Divide, High Pass, Silesia Creek, Skyline Divide, Welcome Pass, and Yellow Aster Butte.

In August, two Youth Vacations - one of which is already full - will give participating high school students the opportunity to learn all about the world of maintaining hiking trails, experienced in a safe, teamwork-oriented, (and spectacular!)  environment. A Backcountry Response Team planned for August will address maintenance needs that lie beyond the reach of the front-country vacations and day trips in the area.

A grant to support WTA's Safer Trails campaign, launched in response to the July 2008 shooting death of hiker Pamela Almli on Sauk Mountain, is helping WTA increase the safety of hikers. WTA is conducting outreach, advocacy, and education to help decrease the risks when hikers, hunters, and target shooters share trails and wildlands.

WTA is thrilled to continue a longstanding partnership with the Spring Trust for Trails. Last year, grants from the Spring Trust enabled WTA to complete major trail work in the Icicle Creek Valley - including the Eightmile Lake, Colchuck Lake, Snow Lake, and Stuart Lake trails - and on the Lower Fork South Skokomish Trail in the Olympic Peninsula.

Founded by Ira Spring (a co-founder of WTA), the Spring Trust for Trails is a natural extension of Ira's tireless efforts to preserve hiking opportunities in our state. All of the royalties from Ira's popular 100 Hikes book series are donated to the Trust. The Trust is also supported by donations from like-minded trail users who wish to support hiking opportunities through trail building and maintenance.