Todd Dunfield
Trail Volunteer since 2008, Crew Leader, Current Board Member, WTA Member, Ambassador, Hike-a-thon Participant, Trip Reporter, Hiker Rally Day Attendee
Common name:
Binomial nomenclature:
Behind the scenes
● 26 hiking guide correspondents
● 10 tech volunteers → app, map, research
● 2 photo reviewers sort thousands of shots
● 4 photo contest judges
● Photo/video shoot participants
● Magazine writers, editors, photographers
Collective impact reaches millions
● Helping 4 million people on wta.org this year
● 125K users relied on our Trailblazer app this year
● Inspiring action through photography and video
● Telling the stories of our work and community
● 9,925 people signed WTA’s petition against selling national public lands — when joined with other voices, we won!
● Over 3,900 hikers made public comment to defend the Roadless Rule, which protects one-third of our national forests
● With the state budget facing a shortfall similar to the Great Recession, hikers and WTA helped save essential trails funding
○ 153 hikers joined WTA in Olympia on Hiker Rally Day and 700 hikers amplified through email
By the numbers:
● 65 adult ambassadors
● 5 youth ambassadors
● Around 100 events
● Nearly 8,000 connections made
The Highlights:
● 23 days of Trailhead Outreach
● WA Trails Day - Speaking up for public lands!
● Supporting important partners
● Amazing Ambassadors Hike a Thon team
● Youth Ambassadors
Thank you to all our Ambassadors!
Alana
Zakroczemski
Alison Doyle
Anne Kang
Bob Adler
Brenda Waight
Brian Hawkins
Brian Orlick
Bryan Dixon
Carolyn Mastin
Cassie Hendricks
Cathy Darrow
Cathy Grinstead
Chelsea Peltier
Chloe Medina
Cory Adamski
Craig Illman
Don Samdahl
Doris Wang
Elizabeth Storm
Eva Tyler
Gabie Mahlmann
Gale Dizon
George Stites
Jacqui Illman
Jennifer Wallace
Jessica Hama
Joel Grant
Jordyn Smith
Kari Kokenge
Kassie Swenson
Kathleen Lange
Katie White
Kim Strauiksma
Kristen Kennedy
Krithika
Sankaranaryanan
Krystin Symons
Linda Martindell
Mackenzie Fuller
Mark Uhart
Meg Bushnell
Megan Villarreal
Mei-Chun Woo
Mel Fernandes
Micki Kedzierski
Mike Read
Morgan Goodwin
Nancy Whipple
Nomi Fuchs
Pat Limberg
Reed Waite
Rex Schultz
Richard Mellon
Richard (Rick)
Zitzmman
Sean Duggan
Shelby King
Skye Guidotti
Stephanie Zamora
Sue Amorosi
Sue
Colletto-Goodwin
Sunil Bajagain
Susan Saul
Suzanne Tripp
Todd Dunfield
AMBASSADORS:
Macie Smith
Caroline Smith
Abigail Oates
Janica Johnson
Zia Graham
Small but mighty:
Volunteers helped us complete various gear maintenance tasks throughout the seasons:
● Clean and waterproof 213 pairs of boots
● Inspect and patch 111 tents
● Unpack and label over 100 items of gear
● Compile and create 92 curriculum binders
● New storage structures installation in Seattle
● Help with our yearly inventory
Many hands make light work!
Big thanks to our volunteers:
● Alisa Claeys, Cindy Schu, Jeff Wright, John Mackenzie and Roger Johnson
● The members of Trailblazer troop 4389
Stamping, sealing and so much more!
Our office volunteers support WTA’s work in many ways, helping with everything from mailing out donor letters, hand saws and prizes, to keeping our supply of Hike-a-Thon t-shirts organized.
With a record breaking Hike-a-Thon this year, there was plenty to be done!
● 157 hours total between 3 volunteers
● 6,500+ letters mailed to thank members for their donations
Thanks so much to all our office volunteers!
Bill Corriston
Cathy Darrow
Pat Limberg
Trail Maintenance Volunteer Since 2008, ACL, Member, Trip Reporter, Hiker Rally Day Attendee, Sign & Award Making Master
Jim does a ton from his shop to support:
● 13 Office signs
● 24 Crosscut awards
● 170+ WTA hand saws engraved
● Tool maintenance shop host
● Cutting board woodworking artist Thank you for sharing your woodworking skills, creativity and kindness across the WTA community and beyond.
Common name: Northern Long-eared owl Long-eared raff-owl
Binomial nomenclature: Asio otus Prizeiootus
So much of WTA’s work hinges on volunteers, and we appreciate each person, whether they join us for one day or a thousand. But each year, we acknowledge a handful of volunteers who have gone the extra mile. We deeply appreciate them. They’ll join past Above and Beyond award winners in our Rock Wall of Fame online.
Trail Maintenance volunteer since 2021
Angelina has completed 55 work parties (of multiple work party types and regions) since starting high school, and has been a cornerstone of WTA’s youth volunteer community. Angelina’s thoughtful leadership and eagerness to engage new volunteers improve every work party she attends.
Trail Maintenance volunteer since 2017, ACL
Trail Maintenance volunteer since 2006, ACL, Member
Dax is always there to help, completing tasks on and off the trail. He volunteers his time and resources to ensure the crew is taken care of before, during, and after a work party. When Dax assumed the role of ACL, he took it on with care, and can be seen mentoring other green hats, especially new volunteers.
Bill is a steady presence in CWA and an adaptable ACL. Also active in Kittitas County Search and Rescue, Bill gives a lot of time and knowledge to WTA. He’s a regular presence at Teanaway day work parties and, despite his grumpy act, he is actually one of the kindest and most genuine humans on the planet.
Troop #4389 has been volunteering with the Seattle Gear Library for the past 2 years. Their troop have helped us with projects including washing and weather proofing tents, cleaning boots and inspecting gear. This troop always shows up ready to work and have fun! OLT continues to be grateful for this partnership.
So much of WTA’s work hinges on volunteers, and we appreciate each person, whether they join us for one day or a thousand. But each year, we acknowledge a handful of volunteers who have gone the extra mile. We deeply appreciate them. They’ll join past Above and Beyond award winners in our Rock Wall of Fame online.
Trail maintenance volunteer since 2024, Member
Jenn moved Washington late in 2023, and decided to get more involved in outdoorsy activities. Having never done trailwork prior, she joined her first work party in January 2024 and is already getting close to 100 days of trailwork. She has also dragged her husband on a handful of day work parties and BCRTs.
Trail maintenance volunteer since 1998, ACL, Member, Ambassador, Trip Reporter
Reed is a CWA powerhouse who, after becoming an ACL last season, has consistently shown up in the Teanaway. He's also become more invested in trailhead outreach as a WTA ambassador. Reed can be counted on to do high quality work, and explains tasks to volunteers in an encouraging way.
Communications Editor, Member, Trail maintenance volunteer since 2003
Rebecca has been a volunteer copy editor for the magazine for more than a decade, copy editing nearly every single issue of the magazine and calendar. Rebecca has an eye for errors and her edits are clear, precise and always make the magazine better. Anyone who has ever read the magazine has benefitted.
Trail maintenance volunteer since 1998, ACL, Member, Trip Reporter
Rich is an enormously positive addition to any work party he joins. He took on a detail-oriented and technical construction project at Loganberry Lane, making sure WTA was hitting the correct specs. He’s great at calling out proper PPE, and volunteers new and long-term benefit from his deep knowledge.
So much of WTA’s work hinges on volunteers, and we appreciate each person, whether they join us for one day or a thousand. But each year, we acknowledge a handful of volunteers who have gone the extra mile. We deeply appreciate them. They’ll join past Above and Beyond award winners in our Rock Wall of Fame online.
Trail maintenance volunteer since 2017, Member, Ambassador, Hike-a-thon Participant, Photographer
Sunil doesn't just say, "Oh I want to do that," he shows up to make it happen. Others share that they love working with him, and this year, he was a driving force behind the ambassador Hike-a-Thon team. He’s also a trail maintenance volunteer on day work parties and BCRTs.
Trail maintenance volunteer since 2022 Crew Leader, Member
Tom has quickly come up the leadership ranks at WTA from Green Hat to Blue Hat, taking on projects spanning the Olympic peninsula to South Puget Sound. Tom has worked on scouting projects, come up with training sites, led numerous technical projects, and provides backup support where needed.
Trail maintenance volunteer since 2022, Member
Tim has been instrumental in moving projects forward in the Northwest region. His dedication to the work, and willingness to not just help out but to think several steps ahead, have been invaluable to Crew Leads. Although not a factor in receiving this award, donuts are always a welcome addition!
Trail maintenance volunteer since 2011, Crew Leader, Member, Trip Reporter, Hiker Rally Day Attendee, Packing Facility Vol.
Trudi is a welcoming presence on work parties, especially to new volunteers. She's knowledgeable, good at reading the group, and offers help appropriately. On her path to becoming a Blue Hat recently, she worked closely with staff and other Crew Leads who gave her a very positive endorsement.
Thank you to the 2,500 individual volunteers, including 410 unique youth volunteers, who joined us to support trail maintenance operations so far in 2025.
With nearly 1,100 completed work parties, including trainings and contributions to our packing facility and tool caches, volunteers dedicated over 128,000 hours to the trail maintenance program over the last 10 months.
● 1,200 first time trail maintenance volunteers in 2025
● 64 youth work parties
● 40 shared identity work parties
● 84 BCRTs & VolVacs
● 255 active volunteer CLs & ACLs, including 23 new Blue & Orange hats
Abbie Hecht
Addison Hughes
Agnes Huang
Alan McCall
Alan Richardson
Alanna Larson
Aleece Thurman
Aleksey Polesskiy
Alex Warneke
Alexandra Hagel
Ali Boris
Alyssa Murstein
Amadi Bentley
Amanda Casto
Amanda Mathis
Amber Larsen
Amber Timboe
Ammaar Akhtar
Amy Biviano
Amy Jackson
Amy McCanless
Andrew Watkins
Andrey Yakimov
Anna Farrell
Anna Mamontova
Annika Ollestad
Ansh Bansal
Anson Fatland
April Hersey
Ashley Laabs
Ashley Schenkel
Assaf Oron
Autumn Davis
Barry Miller
Betsey Curran
Betsy Bertiaux
Bilal Kathrada
Blake Wilson
Bradley Yen
Brandon Garcia
Brenda Nass
Brenda Sather
Brendan Keane
Brian Eden
Brooke Bachesta
Bryan Kelley
Camille Hanna
Carol Gnojewski
Carol Sevold
Carrie Oates
Casey Smith
Cathy Grinstead
Celia Louie
Celine Francois
Chad Hanna
Chris Hannon
Chris Liu
Christian Phillips
Cindy Ferraro
CJ Hsu
Courtenay Schurman
Craig Killin
Dan Sweet
Daniel Einstein
Daniel Norris
Daniel Tauber
David Garnica
David Hale
David Mozer
David Neill
David Zaytsev
Dean Gaylor
Denise Novotny
Douglas White
Edward Smith
Elias Gavin
Elise La Mont
Elise Whisler
Elliot Keder
Elsa Wetten
Elyse Whitney
Emily Vincent
Emily Whitacre
Emmett Kopczynski
Eric Lynch
Eric Mayer
Evan Grilley
Fred Johnstone
Fred Pfursich
Gabe Schwartz
Gabriel Hennig
Gage Muller
George Gounares
George O'Donnell
Grace Sweet
Greg Gordon
Guy Lovely
Heather Young
Heidi Angel
Helen Dolejsi
Henry Hister
Ian Replinger
Isabel Wesley
Jackie Vane
Jake Robinson
James Barnes
James McRee
Jamie Tharp
Jane Fox
Janica Johnson
Jay Marsh
Jayme Ross
Jayne Hill
Jeffrey Philipson
Jennifer Mapes
Jennifer Miller
Jenny Jacobs
Jerod Adelman
Jessie Liang
Jim Emerich
Jo Bedlington
John Erbstoeszer
Jonathan Payne
Jonathon Kemper
Joose Oldenkamp
Joseph Golser
Joshua Sementi
Judie Schumacher
Julia Hill
Karen Ghio
Karen Vandersall
Kari Kokenge
Kari Poulos
Karlee Reed-Johnson
Kat Frymoyer
Kat Schonberg-Hamar
Katherine Ander
Katy Clark
Kay Patterson
Kelsea Francis
Kelsey Crocker
Kelsey Fatland
Ken Smith
Kevin Rasler
Kim Andersen
Kristen Kennedy
Kristin Koontz
Kuba Jeffers
Kurt Krusinski
Kyle Champion
Layla Leavell
Linden Liu
Lisa Lewis
Lisa Lukas
Lloyd Hixson
Logan Hunter
Lori Nelson
Louis Jovanovich
Lucas Briggs
Maggie Flickinger
Marek Vermeulen
Maria Garcia Figueroa
Mark Shields
Martin
Kearney-Fischer
Martin Reinhart
Masazumi Fujioka
Masha Hister
Matt Sanford
Matt Stewart
Matthew Kuharic
Max Chmielewski
Maxine Lee
Megan Brewster
Melinda Cool
Michelle Robbins
Mikayla Lathrop
Mike O'Donnell
Miles Gilbert
Moira Boughton
Nancy Siegel
Nathaniel Skonier
Nico Lis
Nico Powless
Nicole York
Nina Kieserman
Nisha Sharma
Noli Hall
Oleg Chepil
Olivia Bridston
Pancho Valladolid
Pete Isensee
Pete Seaman
Pranav Maheshwari
Rachel Grochowski
Reinhard Foerg
Robyn Garrison
Russell Mertel
Ryan Davis
Ryan Gachet
Ryan Saunders
Sally Holmes
Samantha Cantrell
Samantha Riesen
Samantha Sullivan
Sandi Schildt
Sandra Saathoff
Sarah McGray
Sarah Peloquin
Sarah Smith
Scott Greeley
Scott Ohrberg
Sean Carrillo
Sean Cool
Sheila McLaren
Simon Kelley
Simon Krane
Sofia Shishkina
Stephanie Bohaczuk
Stephanie Zamora
Steve Kundrat
Sudheer Maremanda
Tanner Bechard
Tarn Ostrow
Tatiana Shishkina
Thien-Nam DInh
Thomas Brennan
Thomas Morrissey
Thomas Rand
Tiffany Berry
Tim Goss
Tim Hollingsworth
Tim Wick
Tod Surdam
Tori Butcher
Tracey Griffith
Tysha Carter
Vickie Black-Vigue
Victoria VanHeel
Vince Molosky
Wayne Overla
Weerapan Wilairat
Yaniket T
Yoshiko Fujioka
Abby Vincent
Adrien Van Niel
Artur Klauser
Barbara Bender
Brennan Commons
Brian Bailie
Bruce Kellogg
Caleb Warner
Caroline Smith
Clio Matanovic
Eric Stark
Evan Klingensmith
Ezekiel Hocking
Gary Holland
Gene McGuire
Geoffrey Perkins
Gina Collignon
Hin Kei Wong
Isaac Joshi
J Hanson
Jake Reeder
Jamelah Leddy
Jessica Latourelle
Jim Lennox
Joel Grant
John Caldwell
Jon Sayer
Karen Cowgill
Karl Luce
Katie White
Katya Matanovic
Ken O'Donnell
Krystin Symons
Kyle Bretherton
Layne McNish
Lenore Marentette
Luca Matanovic
Margot Ferencz
Marilyn Kellogg
Marilyn Laforga
Mary Roberts
Megan Villarreal
Megumi Tanaka
Nicole York
Pamela J. Gibbons
Patricia Emord
Pete Seaman
Rachel Shoop
Ralph Riley
Richard Bojko
Robert St Clair
Sally Williams
Sara Newlon
Shawn Douty
Sophie Tanaka
Stephanie Shadbolt
Suzanne Kimble
Tao Wang
Thom Murray
Timothy Poehlman
Tom Hults
Alan Carter Mortimer
Alison Gale
Ari Faulkner
Arianne Boyer
Bonnie Gentry
Brett Palmiero
Cathy Carlson
Christopher Elliott
Cour Billadeau
Daniel Hypes
Donald Samdahl
Doris Wang
Elliot Keder
Ethan Anderson
Joe Giegel
John Stearns
Julia Tarr
Julie Ralph
Ken O'Donnell
Kerry Weible
Larry Moiola
Laura Lu Herman
Lisa McPeak
Lisa Walworth
Marnie Echols
Matt King
Pamela Gibbons
Richard Wan
Sandi Gerling
Suzanne Hartman
Tim O'Mahony
Tom Hults
Aaron Czechowski
Alan Marx
Andy Norsen
Cathy Carlson
David Stein
Dax Kimble
Janet Robinson
Jeff Wright
Joanne Graves
Kurt Imerman
Mark Swanson
Michael Paull
Morgan Goodwin
Patrick Martin
Peter Crozier
Robert Ganahl
Robert Pool
Robin Thompson Sigrun Schaudies
Stacie Farrow
Stephen Hill
Susan Kutscher
Anne Kang
Trail Maintenance
Volunteer Since 2023, ACL, Member, Ambassador, Hike-a-thon Participant, Trip Reporter
Bryan
Dixon
Trail Maintenance
Volunteer Since 2016, ACL, Ambassador, Hike-a-thon Participant, Trip Reporter
Chris Osborn
Trail Maintenance
Volunteer Since 2013, ACL
David Johnson
Trail Maintenance
Volunteer Since 2014, ACL, Member
Catherine Darrow
Trail Maintenance
Volunteer Since 2016, Member, Ambassador, Hike-a-thon Participant, Trip Reporter,
David Kane
Trail Maintenance
Volunteer Since 2018, ACL, Member, Trip Reporter
Jason Shirk
Trail Maintenance
Volunteer Since 2002, ACL, Member
Linda Parsons
Trail Maintenance
Volunteer Since 2015, ACL, Member
Matt Bannon
Trail Maintenance
Volunteer Since 2022, ACL, Member
Reed Waite
Trail Maintenance
Volunteer Since 1998, ACL, Member, Ambassador, Trip Reporter
Scott Gustin
Trail Maintenance
Volunteer Since 2021, ACL, Member
Belinda Cron
Trail Maintenance
Volunteer Since 2016, ACL, Member
Carole Bianquis
Trail Maintenance
Volunteer Since 2006, Crew Leader, Member
Gary Fralick
Trail Maintenance
Volunteer Since 2015, ACL
Jim Scrafford
Trail Maintenance
Volunteer Since 2008, ACL, Member, Hiker
Rally Day Attendee, Sign & Award Making Master
John Bremer
Trail Maintenance
Volunteer Since 2017, Member
Meg Bushnell
Trail Maintenance
Volunteer Since 2016, Crew Leader, Member, Ambassador
George Stites
Trail Maintenance Volunteer Since 2018, ACL, Member, Ambassador, Hiker Rally Day Attendee
Pete Dewell
Trail Maintenance Volunteer Since 1999,
ACL, Member
Author: Tread and Retread the Trails
By Pete Dewell
On a quiet, shady trail, beneath the fir and cedar,
Above, the skies are clear and warm, but it is cool here.
With the chatter of the birds and paw prints of wildlife, It makes me want to linger, and then wonder - who made this trail?
Perhaps those who dug, pulled rocks, roots and labored here,
Come back each year, to survey their work and conclude,
It was time well spent, so those, like me, can ponder their creation!
Common name: Green darner dragonfly Green darner dragron-prize
Binomial nomenclature:
Thank you to our Volunteer Appreciation Sponsors!
Thank you to our Volunteer Appreciation Sponsors!
Thank you to our Volunteer Appreciation Sponsors!
