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Home My WebLink About042624 - News Release_ Volunteer Group Prepares Willaby Creek Trail for Recreation Season (0002)ALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them. <https://pld9h64ab.cc.rs6.net/on.jsp?ca=08c1d89c-65b4-4fa1-818c-f10d17dbf83d&a=1133778898287&c=275e7296-9fd4-11ec-8981-fa163e9af8f6&ch=275f5170-9fd4-11ec-8981-fa163e9af8f6> <https://files.constantcontact.com/f104d7af701/a9075dc7-b495-4e85-8d6d-d789f2f7e50e.png> Pacific Northwest Region Forest Service News Release Contact: Kristin Carver SM.FS.R6pressoffice@usda.gov <mailto:SM.FS.R6pressoffice@usda.gov> www.fs.usda.gov/r6 <https://pld9h64ab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001R2yeJxlRoOju2a4DDg5mAFItMicRaoQLTN7l8IKql4altiaW3RgKzCWLutuBGjmPqpNHpa-iSnsOwC-DadkwoQ0X7jqkwvUjsEhPwKzJj4ir1CteAF3LgsUO368GDJgcjNcF0LVnPL C-IxS_6dMnrW4zFbK78f7C&c=lxfa8WhF-1Q9aJz2NvE5WmhGtGu4oYybYoT8D1m04-bxO-AYZ84ADg==&ch=FDOCJm3r7Vhq5lv7IO4d73XTE-EINYyLR8UtduLqcbnipuqXgsnUJA==> Volunteer Group Prepares Willaby Creek Trail for Recreation Season PORTLAND, Ore., April 25, 2024 - As spring and summer recreation season approaches on the Olympic National Forest, volunteer organizations such as the Northern Olympic Gray Wolf Trail Crew are vital to providing cleared trails for the public to enjoy. The Gray Wolf Trail Crew kicked off their volunteer season with a work party April 11 - 14 to clear the Willaby Creek Trail, which is located outside of Quinault, Washington, approximately one mile from the Quinault Rain Forest Trailhead. “Volunteers are at the heart of the Olympic National Forest,” said Forest Supervisor Kelly Lawrence. “We depend 100 percent on volunteers for trail work and really treasure the Gray Wolf Trail Crew, and all our trail partners, for their critical work.” The Willaby trail is a 1.3-mile trail off the Rainforest Trailhead main loop. Prior to the work party, the Willaby Creek Trail was impassable to most forest users due to years of deferred maintenance. The project was initially undertaken by USDA Forest Service staff in the summer of 2023, who were able to clear 0.25 miles of trail over roughly 14 hours. The project was later proposed to The Gray Wolf Trail Crew in January 2024 with hopes of reopening the trail to the public this year. Over three days, the volunteer crew removed overgrown vegetation and fallen trees along the trail, cleared clay and gravel from drains, and improved the surface of the trail. As a result of their work, the trail is now open to the public. “I hope the Willaby work will allow visitors to again enjoy the scenery the trail has to offer and add another reason for people to consider visiting and enjoying the national forest at Quinault, in addition to anywhere else they may visit on the Olympic Peninsula,” said David Graves, Gray Wolf Trail Crew Assistant Crew Leader. “The Willaby Creek Trail may be relatively short as trails go, but it immerses you in genuine wilderness beauty and sensations.” Volunteer projects like these are essential for maintaining more than 600 miles of trail on the Olympic National Forest. “The Gray Wolf Trail Crew is part of this bigger story of the essential role that partner organizations play in keeping our trails open and accessible,” said Joshua Parker, Partnership & Volunteer Coordinator for the Olympic National Forest. Gray Wolf Trail Crew began their organization volunteering on the Olympic National Forest in 2007. The origin story began when Christine Peterson, Hood Canal Ranger District Trail Coordinator, requested assistance from Gray Wolf Trail Crew creator Don Stoneman and local volunteers for clearing winter storm damage from trails so that the trails were accessible to early spring hikers. The team initially focused on clearing the Dungeness and Quilcene drainages on the Olympic National Forest. Since then, they have completed hundreds of projects on the Forest, including trail maintenance on 11 trails. In 2023, the Gray Wolf Crew completed 1,428 volunteer hours according to Volunteer Gray Wolf Trail Crew Leader Rebecca Wanagel. These hours included maintaining 7.9 miles of trail on the forest. The crew does additional work with the Olympic National Park and other areas throughout the Northern Olympic area. Wanagel said this volunteer effort is a gift to her community. “It is my passion to keep trails from becoming a thing only of memories. Trails provide so many benefits, so much joy, and peace. When people have access to the wilderness, it is healthy for them, which is a win for their families, a positive for their communities, a unifying factor for their world,” said Wanagel. “The mental and physical health benefits have been shown by science […] to be enhanced by going into nature. Trails provide a way to do that.” The crew plans to continue their work in other areas of the Forest throughout the spring. Forest Service volunteers serve in an incredible variety of roles across all ages, demographics, and backgrounds. In 2023, more than 11,900 volunteers and service participants completed a total of 473,967 hours of service in the Pacific Northwest. This work was valued at more than $10 million. By assisting in resource management, leading educational outreach efforts, engaging with communities, supporting emergency response, building capacity and more, volunteers are integral to the Forest Service’s mission. Their contributions help the agency sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of our nation’s forests and grasslands. 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