Volunteer profile: Meet new ACL Cour Billadeau
Why Cour Billadeau — one of WTA's newest assistant crew leaders — joined WTA's trail maintenance leadership team.
Each year, WTA leads over 1,300 trail work parties, thanks in part to our volunteer leadership team, which includes assistant crew leaders (ACLs). While crew leaders are responsible for overseeing the day's work and the well-being of the full crew, ACLs provide hands-on coaching and ensure everyone on the crew has a welcoming experience.
Cour learning the ways of the saw at their first ever work party from inspiring ACL Karen Bean. Photo by Matt Christian.
Cour Billadeau is one of WTA's newest ACLs in the Bellingham area. They discovered WTA's trail maintenance program in 2023 after moving to Washington from Chicago. Looking for ways to meet new people and explore the outdoors, they signed up for back-to-back work parties at Boulder River. Cour was immediately hooked.
"After my intense first day on crosscut saw duty, I fell hard for WTA trail maintenance and the genuine volunteer community," they said.
What are the steps to stepping up
Cour kept coming to work parties. Now, they frequently volunteer in the Northwest and North Puget Sound regions, drawn to trails on the Mountain Loop Highway, Chuckanut Mountain area and the North Cascades.
Eventually they realized since they were planning to continue to volunteer, being an ACL was a natural way to contribute more to trails and the WTA Northwest volunteer community.
A few other things factored into their decision. With a background in web accessibility, Cour was excited about applying those skills in real life to remove barriers and make WTA work parties feel welcoming for everyone. They were also excited to take on a leadership role in shared identity work parties, helping to create inclusive spaces for marginalized communities. And the perks of the gig didn't hurt either.
"As an avid hiker, the free professional-level trail maintenance and wilderness emergency response training offer through the ACL program was too good to pass up."
Cour familiarizes a crew with the MacLeod during a tool talk on the Boulder River Trail. Photo by Matt Christian.
Initially, when Cour was thinking about applying for the role, they were worried about their lack of technical experience. They saw other volunteers with many more work party days and wondered if their own experience was enough. But they realized what we often remind folks: you just need to know the basics of trail maintenance and have the desire to keep learning and share your knowledge with others.
COUR'S ADVICE TO POTENTIAL ACLS
Cour wants potential applicants to know that there is plenty of WTA-provided training to supplement your own knowledge, and that you can choose the application cycle that works best for your personal calendar.
"There is self-guided training and a wilderness first aid course that needs to be completed as part of the onboarding. Be prepared to make a little additional room in your personal schedule for these activities at the start of your role.”
Cour appreciated the transparency in the role requirements and found the application process to be straightforward with the use of the available resources. They think anyone excited about the role should apply.
“You don’t need to be a trail maintenance expert! The role includes leadership training and over time you'll continue to learn technical skills."
Cour is excited to don their new orange hat at their first official work party in the ACL role on March 8 - Moss Lake (LGBTQ shared identity). Be sure to congratulate them if you meet them on trail!
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