Written by Nancy Stone The Trail Sustainability Institute, NWTA’s trail education program, kicked off its first Trail School Fundamentals class at the new Cascade Locks trails in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area on Saturday, November 9th. Like all Trail School Fundamentals classes, volunteers learn tool identification, best safety practices, trail anatomy, and what … Read More
Photos by Ruandy Albisurez On Saturday, March 1, 2024, over 30 people came together to improve the ecosystem at Gateway Green! NWTA joined with Portland Parks & Recreation, Warpaint, and Friends of Gateway Green to plant 625 native plants on the north end of the park. A little snow and rain didn’t stop this family-friendly … Read More
Written by Nancy Stone, NWTA Vice President, Education & Sustainability Director The Trail Sustainability Institute (TSI), NWTA’s educational program ventured to the coast and held Trail School: Fundamentals at the Klootchy Creek trail system on February 17, 2024. These trail schools equip participants with the fundamental skills needed to understand and implement sustainable maintenance practices … Read More
Written by Nancy Stone, Education & Sustainability Director ([email protected]) The Trail Sustainability Institute (TSI) travels 6-7 months out of the year, holding Trail Schools at different trail systems within 60 miles of the Portland area. Each location boasts different ecosystems, soil types, forests, and land management restrictions/guidelines. So although the Trail School curriculum is consistent, oftentimes, … Read More
Written by Chloe Hammond-Bradley The Trail Sustainability Institute (TSI) held their first benching clinic this last Saturday. This clinic focused on how to cut in as well as re-establish a bench on a trail. When building and maintaining a trail, you focus on four areas; your line, flow, bench cuts and drainage. Bench cuts, or … Read More
Written by Nancy Stone, Education & Sustainability Director ([email protected]) The Trail Sustainability Institute (TSI) headed west to visit our friends and trails at Klootchy Creek this Saturday. It may come as no surprise that our 15 volunteers and 4 instructors were greeted with a downpour of rain and gusts of wind. Such is life on the … Read More
Written by Nancy Stone, Education & Sustainability Director ([email protected]) What makes a trail sustainable? Why do sustainable trails matter? These are questions we ask at every Trail School, and they usually lead to some pretty good discussions! Here are a few examples of answers that participants provide. A sustainable trail means that water doesn’t get stuck … Read More
Written by Nancy Stone, Education & Sustainability Director ([email protected]) The Trail Sustainability Institute (TSI), NWTA’s educational program, hosted its second and final Crew Leader Training of 2023 at Stub Stewart on November 20th. TSI recognizes the incredible value that Crew Leaders bring to our trails. When leading crews of volunteers, these folks make it possible for … Read More
Written by Paul Hobson, Vice President ([email protected]) On Sunday, March 27, instructors from NWTA Trail Sustainability Institute and eight new trail stewards gather at Gateway Green for the final Trail School session of the year. During class, students learned the ins and outs of trail anatomy, how water is managed on trails in the Pacific … Read More
Written by Nancy Stone, Education & Sustainability Director ([email protected]) After a cold foggy morning, we were treated to a brilliantly clear day in the gorge as we launched yet another session of our NWTA TSI instruction at the Easy Climb trails in Cascade Locks. With a smaller than usual class size of six but our full … Read More