Volunteer Training Handbook
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INDEX INDEX 3 CONTACT LIST 5 SHORT HISTORY 7 MISSION 7 ROLES OUTLINED 7 VOLUNTEER COMMITMENT AND BENEFITS 8 KEY MESSAGES ABOUT TRAILHEAD AMBASSADORS PROGRAM 9 TARGET TRAILHEADS (for 2018 season) 9 MAP OF TRAILHEADS 10 BEFORE A SHIFT 11 WEEKEND OPERATIONS 13 Day of Shift 13 If you are the equipment lead… 13 Pick-up your 4 Ts: Tent, Tent Weights, Table, and Tub 13 If you are not the equipment lead… 17 Set up at trailhead 17 Basic Visitor Engagement 19 Initial Contact Engagement 19 Secondary Engagement 19 Visitor Engagement Tracking 20 Taking and Submitting Photos 20 After a Shift 21 Take Down 23 TRAILHEAD REFERENCE GUIDE: 24 Starvation Creek 24 Location Information: 24 Latourell Falls 26 Multnomah Falls I 84 Parking Lot 28 Cape Horn Trailhead 31 Trillium Lake 33 Mirror Lake 36
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BE AN INFORMED VOLUNTEER 43 Trail Safety 43 Eagle Creek Fire 45 USEFUL LINKS 48 International Visitor Information 48 REFERENCE TOOLS 49 Temperature Conversion 49 Mileage Conversion 49 Regional Sunset times (by Month) 50 NOTES 50
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CONTACT LIST Do you have a question, either before, during, or after your shift? Below is a great list of resources for who to reach out to for help depending on the situation at hand:
Main Contacts
General Questions Ali Smith |Trailhead Ambassador Coordinator | [email protected] | 716-531-0713
Program Management Questions Maegan Jossy | Outreach Manager @ Friends of the Columbia Gorge | [email protected] | 503-887-0822
Tourism/Visitor Information Questions Lizzie Keenan | Regional Specialist @ Mt. Hood and Columbia River Gorge Regional Tourism Alliance | [email protected] | 916-494-8943
If you see someone illegally enter the Eagle Creek Fire Closure Area Bart Kicklighter | Eagle Creek Fire Incident Commander (541) 645-4132
Medical Emergency Call 911
Other Helpful Emergency Contacts
Call for local questions related to recreation Matt Ramich | US Forest Service Onsite Manager at Multnomah Falls 503-278-2670 (cell)
Visitor Center at Multnomah Falls | Friends of Multnomah Falls volunteer group staffs Information desk and available to help with questions 503-695-2372
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Multnomah County Sheriff Office, nonemergency for area west of Eagle Creek trails (includes Elowah, Multnomah Falls, and Latourell trailheads) 503-762-1067 OR 911 for emergency Call for car break in reporting (Sheriff may have other suggested application for this number)
Hood River County Sherriff office, nonemergency for area east of Eagle Creek trails 541-386-2711 OR 911 for emergency Call for car break in reporting (Sheriff may have other suggested application for number)
Skamania County Sheriff Office, non-emergency in the Cape Horn and Dog Mountain areas 509-427-3890 OR 911 for emergency Call for car break in reporting (Sheriff may have other suggested application for this number)
Clackamas County Sheriff Office, non-emergency for Mt. Hood National Forest Trailheads area (503) 655-8211 OR 911 for emergency Call for car break in reporting (Sheriff may have other suggested application for this number)
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SHORT HISTORY The Trailhead Ambassador Program is an expansion of the pilot Trail Talk program at Dog Mountain Trailhead in spring of 2017. Lead by a devoted Friends of the Columbia Gorge volunteer Jim Chase, the program teamed up with the US Forest Service to provide assistance and advice to hikers regarding trail routes, parking and shuttles in the area, and general safety around this congested trail. Trail Talk Ambassadors were able to serve as an on-the-ground presence during its peak use. Over a five week period 150 volunteer hours were spent devoted to this pilot project. Because of the success of the Trail Talk program and the increased need for better educated hikers in the Mt. Hood National Forest and Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Friends of the Columbia Gorge, the Mt. Hood and Columbia River Gorge Regional Tourism Alliance, Oregon State Parks and the U.S. Forest Service came together to expand the program to cover more trailheads in the Mt. Hood and the Columbia Gorge region.
MISSION The Trailhead Ambassador Program encourages conservation, outdoor safety and alternative trails in the Mt. Hood and Columbia River Gorge through visitor engagement at trailheads to promote protection and responsible recreation of public land.
ROLES OUTLINED Ambassador: ● Serve as a friendly, informative welcome committee to the Mt. Hood and Columbia River Gorge trails ● Serve as “eyes and ears” for regional partners and agencies to better address the needs of visitors on our trails ● Provide useful information about trail access, safety and trail/hiking preparedness to visitors
Program Leads: ● Administrative Lead for the Trailhead Ambassador program ● First point of contact when an Ambassador has questions ● Keep Ambassadors updated and informed regularly
US Forest Service: ● Law Enforcement if necessary ● Supports Ambassadors with basic supplies and information (i.e. garbage bags)
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VOLUNTEER COMMITMENT AND BENEFITS
Volunteer Commitment ● Fill out an application and sign a volunteer agreement ● Attend required volunteer training ● Participate in a minimum of four shifts (6 hrs. each) between April 21 - mid September ● Each shift is 8:00AM - 2:00PM ● Has transportation to and from the trailhead and can carry equipment
Volunteer Benefits ● Columbia Sportswear “Trailhead Ambassador” tech tee ● NW Forest Pass after completing 24 hours of volunteer service ● End of season volunteer appreciation event ● Reward of encouraging hikers to recreate safely, informed, and responsibly ● Reward of giving back to the public lands you know and love ● Opportunity to meet people from all over the world
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KEY MESSAGES ABOUT TRAILHEAD AMBASSADORS PROGRAM
Below are some great key messages about the Trailhead Ambassador program that you can use if visitors are curious how the program started, why it exists, and what it hopes to accomplish.
● The Trailhead Ambassador Program is managed by Friends of the Gorge and funded by the Mt. Hood and Columbia River Gorge Regional Tourism Alliance. ● It is a multi-agency effort to educate visitors in the region on how to be better, and more safe, stewards of the land they are recreating on. Involved agencies include: US Forest Service, Oregon State Parks, Friends of the Gorge, and the Mt. Hood and Columbia River Gorge Regional Tourism Alliance. ● Trailhead Ambassadors are represented at 10 trailheads throughout the Mt. Hood National Forest and the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area from mid-April to mid-September on Saturdays and Sundays. ● Common issues that the Mt. Hood and Columbia River Gorge region has faced in recent years that this program hopes to help address include: increase in search and rescue incidents, trash left on the trails, spread of invasive species, poor visitor experiences due to trail congestion, and much more.
TARGET TRAILHEADS (for 2018 season)