Why WTA Is the Best Place I’ve Ever Worked

It was late summer of 2015 when I first stumbled into trail work. An ad had popped up on my Facebook page: 3 months in southern Utah, working on hiking trails. Armed with an English degree, a slew of random jobs and not a clue what I wanted to do with my life, I figured I could do anything for 3 months. Who doesn’t want to work outside? Who doesn’t want to spend time in Utah, land of the arches?

Six conservation corps seasons, two volunteer trail organizations, a couple of stints as a liftie, one wild season as a zip line guide, and over 10 years later, it’s safe to say I found my place in the outdoors. I knew early on there was something about being outside and working the land that I couldn’t shake.

Building trails, specifically, fit both my creative and analytical sides perfectly. Yet each place I worked was missing something. As I moved around, I felt I was getting closer and closer to that “something,” but I had no idea what it was until I joined WTA.


Liza Noworyta, leading a work party at Cougar Mountain. She started at WTA as a crew leader and now manages WTA’s professional trail crews. Photo by Liza Noworyta.

WTA was an organization I’d heard about all through my adulthood, but it wasn’t until the spring of 2022 that I finally managed to snag a job there. Three years and three positions later, I know one thing to be true: I have found a place where I can not only exist, but thrive.

WTA was instantly different. From the moment I shook hands with Austin Easter, my first manager at WTA, to the moment I sit here writing this, WTA has stood out as one of the best organizations I’ve had the privilege to be a part of. I won’t say every individual day has been the most glorious day. Even so, when I really think about it, WTA continuously remains the place I really want to be.

• Join us!
• We'd love to see you out on trail. We offer work parties around the state, all year long. No experience needed. wta.org/volunteer

I have often ruminated on why that is. Is it because WTA is the most organized of all the organizations I’ve worked for (sideways glance to the laughs from the spectators in the room)? Is it because WTA has a strong DEI core they hold to? Is it because volunteers bring drive and passion to every aspect of trail work? Is it the mission, the community, the quality of trail work, the candy?

Yes, to all of that. And I think what it really comes down to for me is that WTA isn’t actually about building trails. We’re about connecting everyone to the outdoors. Trail work is something we do. Connection is what we’re about.
When connection is the drive, the resulting output is decidedly different — people come first. I see that in the way we prioritize physical, mental and emotional safety.

Liza and crew memebers at Cougar Mountain work party. Photo by Bob Zimmerman. 

I see that in the way my coworkers and volunteers listen when concerns are brought up, how we all find ways to help if we hear someone around us is struggling. I see that in the way we adapt and adjust to the changing landscape while remaining true to our values.

People are what matter, and those at WTA do what they can to meet everyone where they’re at. There’s an acceptance that “people are messy” (a phrase I’ve borrowed from my coworker). I’m not perfect. I mess up! I used to feel daunted by the thought of making mistakes. I’d want everything to be perfect. When it wasn’t, I’d worry my faults outweighed my strengths. Yet everyone within the WTA community has always been there to help me and reassure me that it’s just a natural part of life. A little mess is expected. There’s this current of care that pulls us all along. Someone is always there to say, “It’s OK, how can I help?”

When people come first, we create the sort of space where it feels OK to human. We show up more authentically and feel more confident in ourselves. The outdoors is a big piece of WTA and a massive part of my career, but it’s not what sets this organization apart from the others. It’s the core of connection to people: my co-workers, the volunteers, you. Thank you for making WTA such an incredible place to work.