The Willamette Chapter has an active volunteer program assisting the Forest Service with ski trail clearing and marking as well as shelter construction, maintenance and firewood stocking. Thank you volunteers! Please call Mark Olson (503x559x0728) or Jim Todd (503x378x7003) for more information about our club’s volunteer program.

During the ski season Willamette Chapter members help the Forest Service maintain and improve ski trails by reporting trail and shelter conditions. Please help the Deschutes and Willamette National Forests use their limited resources efficiently by sending a Nordic Trail Report when you ski their marked trails. Contact Mark or Jim about trail or Sno-Park conditions and they will forward the information to the appropriate Forest Service office.

Once the snow melts our volunteers survey ski trails to record conditions and then begin clearing brush, removing saplings and downed trees and placing more blue diamonds in preparation for next season. Please sign up with Cascade Volunteers https://cascadevols.org/ so you can help us.

If you can’t wait until the snow melts, Cascade Volunteers and Willamette NF are holding a tree planting event in the Terwilliger Burn on April 17-18. Details are at https://cascadevols.org/event/terwilliger-tree-planting-event/ .

Volunteer Training
By Jim Todd

Willamette National Forest and Cascade Volunteers are offering a great opportunity for volunteers to obtain training and certification in chainsaw and crosscut saw use on volunteer trail projects. Chainsaw classes are May 8-9 and Crosscut classes May 22-23, at Fish Lake Guard Station. These classes are free, but do require students to sign up as Willamette National Forest volunteers through Cascade Volunteers. First Aid/CPR certification is also required, but Cascade Volunteers is offering comprehensive Wilderness First Aid classes on May 7 and May 21, for only $25.

I will be taking the classes May 21-23, and would be happy to answer questions about them and about the Forest Service volunteer programs, if you phone me at 503x378x7003. You can also obtain more information by visiting the Cascade Volunteers website at https://cascadevols.org/ or by emailing Beth Dayton, Cascade Volunteers Saw Program Coordinator at mailto:sawprogram@cascadevols.org.