Washington Trails Association

“The board reviews the complete form 990 prior to it being filed.”

“Board members sign a conflict of interest statement annually.”

“Executive committee evaluates market data and meets to set executive director compensation annually.”

“Wta's financial statements are posted on its website.”

“Washington trails association works to ensure trails stand the test of time and provide everyone with connections to nature. Wta mobilizes its community of members, volunteers, and online constituents to explore, steward and champion washington state's trails and public lands through communications, engagement, trail maintenance, advocacy, partnerships, and leadership development.”

“Communications: wta is the go-to source for hiking and trail information in washington, giving people the information they need to explore washington's natural wonders. In 2022, we helped 4.8 million people find where to go and guided them on how to adventure safely and smartly during these uncertain times. We believe that people will protect the places they love to hike, from local parks to remote landscapes. Whether it is information on trail conditions or hiker etiquette to policy issues facing our public lands, wta.org and our printed resources provide hikers with everything they need to be safe, smart and engaged explorers and champions of our trails. Wta is fostering a welcoming and inclusive community of hikers via our website, social channels and in-person events. Wta brings together hiking experts and local knowledge to create a depth of understanding about trails and related issues in washington to help hikers shape the future of our public lands. More than 5,500 hikers provided nearly 17,000 trip reports in 2022. Those reports not only provided current trail conditions to the public but helped land management agencies understand where people are going and what types of experiences they are looking for on a hike.”

“Advocacy: wta believes that people will protect the places they love to hike, from local parks to remote wilderness. We are committed to turning hikers into champions for trails and public lands through grassroots advocacy. Wta works closely with federal and state policymakers to advance hikers' interests in forest planning, trail funding, wilderness protection and new recreation projects. As more and more people head outside to enjoy washington's great outdoors, the need to steward these lands increases. In 2022, wta worked with our partners at the state level to advocate for additional funding for state land agencies to reduce their maintenance backlog on their recreation lands. Wta also advocated for funding for national forests and parks and facilitated recreation coalitions in support of responsible recreation on public lands. Wta continued to empower more than 67,000 individuals to take action for trails using its online trail action network.”

“Trail maintenance: our trail maintenance program is among the largest in the nation. Despite the ongoing challenges from covid-19 we were able to safely bring out more than 3,300 volunteers and contribute 152,800 hours of labor to our public lands. Wta worked on more than 285 trails statewide last year including in national parks, national forests and on a variety of state and county lands. These efforts not only help address the serious maintenance backlogs facing state and federal agencies, they also provide wta with on-the-ground expertise and sweat equity to help shape decision-making on recreation and public lands issues. Working in collaboration with other community organizations, wta's trail maintenance approach demonstrates what investments are necessary to create a trail system that can stand the test of time and provide a variety of quality hiking experiences.”

“Uncollectible receivables change in value of beneficial interests in assets -842,528.”