Washington Trails
Association
Trails for everyone, forever
Washington Trails
AssociationTrails for everyone, forever
Learn 4 things that keep people from volunteering — and what we’re doing about it. By Loren Drummond
Last year, 3,618 people volunteered on trail with Washington Trails Association. That astounding number is why we can call ourselves the largest statewide volunteer trail maintenance organization in the country.
We recognize that people’s time and energy are valuable and scarce — when volunteers give their time to pick up a shovel and help maintain trails, we don’t take that for granted. We are always asking ourselves how we can make it easier for people to join a WTA work party. Here are four reasons it can be hard to get out to volunteer — and how we’re trying to break down those barriers.
Ah, time, the most relatable of reasons. Very few of us are swimming in extra time, and there are so many things we want to do. We want to relax, spend time with our friends and family, exercise, do something satisfying. With trail work, you can actually be incredibly efficient by doing those things at the same time!
Our work parties build in plenty of time for critical snack breaks and a chance to chat. Photo by Elizabeth Storm
Time that is not fully your own may also be a factor. Parents, especially parents of young children, basically work two full-time jobs, and they need to find or pay someone to watch the kids. Because of that, we offer family-friendly work parties, where volunteers are encouraged to bring kids 10 and older along.
Shift workers who don’t know their schedules more than a week in advance may not have the luxury of committing to a day or week on trail until the last minute. Recognizing the crunch of people’s schedules is also one reason we offer different kinds of work parties during the work week and on weekends. We offer day work parties that are open for registration up to the day before and backcountry trips that can be planned months in advance.
Understanding that the long drive to or from a trailhead can be too much for some, we offer places to camp overnight on some work parties. That allows you to camp before with a work party — and also gives you an opportunity to hike in nearby areas before or after your work party.
Getting to a trailhead isn’t always easy or affordable. Most often, you need a car and that car needs gasoline at $5 a gallon. That’s why, for more than a decade, we’ve offered a carpooling system to help create rides for folks who need them — or who just want to get into nature more sustainably.
Safety, fun and work — in that order — are a key feature of every WTA work party. Photos by Ben Semer and Kesia Lee
Volunteers can also earn state and federal parking passes with a couple days of volunteering, helping to defray the cost of parking.
WTA also works in more local parks and urban green spaces than we used to, putting the occasional work party in reach of public transportation or even by bike.
Will I feel out of place? Will I feel safe? Not knowing what to expect is such a deeply human source of hesitation about trying something new. Trail work is, after all, a social space full of strangers that takes place on often-unfamiliar terrain and involves some form of physical labor. Uncertainty is a primary reason keeping many first-time volunteers away. Which is why so many aspects of our volunteer program are aimed at creating safe, inclusive spaces.
We work hard to ensure our volunteer spaces are safe. Beyond the standard wilderness first aid and technical trail skills training, crew leaders and assistant crew leaders receive training in group leadership and in recognizing and responding to implicit bias. We think carefully about the mental health needs among the most vulnerable communities who might come out with us, including LGBTQIA+ youth.
Our crew leaders love welcoming new volunteers out on trail work parties. Photo by Ryan Ojerio
Perhaps one of the most successful aspects of our volunteer program is running a portion of our work parties for specific audiences. Shared-identity work parties, like women-only work parties, have been part of our work for years.
We know it can be intimidating to try something you have never done before. But we love having new volunteers join us on trail, so we try to make the process as easy as possible.
