Cycle Oregon hosts Friends of the Forest Day
September 15, 2008A total of 127 bicycle riders volunteered at a Friends of the Forest Day during Cycle Oregon’s week-long bike tour. The volunteers spent their “rest day” restoring 17 miles of trails and rebuilding a bridge in the Walloma-Whitman National Forest.
Cycle Oregon organizers and the National Forest Foundation (NFF) staff created the volunteer opportunity as a way for the riders to contribute the public lands they ride through on the tour. The layover day for the cycling tour was at Wallowa Lake State Park, where the NFF and the Forest Service identified 10 projects that riders could help with.
“It’s a natural partnership with Cycle Oregon,” said Mary Vasse, Director of Northwest Programs for the NFF. “The riders encounter and enjoy many national forests on Cycle Oregon, given that 25 percent of Oregon is National Forest land. Cycle Oregon has always had an ethic of giving back, but until now for riders it has largely been an indirect contribution through their registration fees. We thought this would be a wonderful opportunity for them to personally give back with their energy and their own hands.”
Most of the projects involved trail repair or maintenance in the Eagle Cap Wilderness abutting Wallowa Lake, a popular outdoor recreation area. The feature project was the rebuilding of Redmont Bridge, a key trail access point that was virtually destroyed two winters ago by heavy snow.
The Cycle Oregon Fund donated more than $8,000, and the NFF matched that amount toward the bridge rebuilding effort. The project was also facilitated by Wallowa Resources, a local nonprofit involved in sustainable and economic development.
“Re-opening this bridge will provide access to many miles of trails in the Eagle Cap Wilderness that have been inaccessible,” Vasse said. “And it’s a great example of tangible results of volunteerism.”
Cycle Oregon, in its 21st year, annually attracts more than 2,000 riders for a week-long tour of Oregon’s back roads, staying in small towns along the way and following a different route each year. The event pumps tens of thousands of dollars into the host communities, and the Cycle Oregon Fund has directly donated more than $1 million to a variety of projects and causes throughout Oregon.
Cycle Oregon organizers and the National Forest Foundation (NFF) staff created the volunteer opportunity as a way for the riders to contribute the public lands they ride through on the tour. The layover day for the cycling tour was at Wallowa Lake State Park, where the NFF and the Forest Service identified 10 projects that riders could help with.
“It’s a natural partnership with Cycle Oregon,” said Mary Vasse, Director of Northwest Programs for the NFF. “The riders encounter and enjoy many national forests on Cycle Oregon, given that 25 percent of Oregon is National Forest land. Cycle Oregon has always had an ethic of giving back, but until now for riders it has largely been an indirect contribution through their registration fees. We thought this would be a wonderful opportunity for them to personally give back with their energy and their own hands.”
Most of the projects involved trail repair or maintenance in the Eagle Cap Wilderness abutting Wallowa Lake, a popular outdoor recreation area. The feature project was the rebuilding of Redmont Bridge, a key trail access point that was virtually destroyed two winters ago by heavy snow.
The Cycle Oregon Fund donated more than $8,000, and the NFF matched that amount toward the bridge rebuilding effort. The project was also facilitated by Wallowa Resources, a local nonprofit involved in sustainable and economic development.
“Re-opening this bridge will provide access to many miles of trails in the Eagle Cap Wilderness that have been inaccessible,” Vasse said. “And it’s a great example of tangible results of volunteerism.”
Cycle Oregon, in its 21st year, annually attracts more than 2,000 riders for a week-long tour of Oregon’s back roads, staying in small towns along the way and following a different route each year. The event pumps tens of thousands of dollars into the host communities, and the Cycle Oregon Fund has directly donated more than $1 million to a variety of projects and causes throughout Oregon.
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