Promoting Safe and Responsible Winter Recreation: Trailhead Ambassadors

For volunteers with the Trailhead Ambassador Program, Saturday mornings are spent enjoying beautiful trailhead views, protecting public lands, and helping people feel more confident outside. As a friendly and welcoming presence, Trailhead Ambassadors are trained volunteers who help answer questions, share information about trail etiquette and stewardship practices, and create safe, informed, and enjoyable outdoor experiences for visitors on trails across the region.

Thanks to all our amazing Winter Trailhead Ambassador volunteers for a successful season at Sno-Parks! During the winter season, our Trailhead Ambassadors were stationed at popular Sno-Parks near Snoqualmie Pass and spoke with 1,671 visitors about trails, groomed trail etiquette, and the Winter Recreation Program at Washington State Parks. Volunteers educated visitors about how the Sno-Parks are funded and recovered $3,200 in permit revenue by selling park passes. This revenue goes back to directly support the parks’ continued existence and winter recreation, including snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and skiing.

Greenway Volunteer Spotlight: Karen Behm

This month, we are excited to highlight Karen Behm and her long-time support for responsible winter recreation across the Greenway NHA.

Karen’s involvement with winter recreation first began 20 years ago when she worked on a project for the Sno-Park Program. Since then, she has continued to dedicate her time as a volunteer, helping visitors have informed, safe, and fun experiences on winter landscapes and trails.

Q: How long have you been volunteering with the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust? What keeps you motivated to help the environment throughout the year?

A: My volunteering with the Greenway Trust has been mostly at events in the last five years, but I’ve been volunteering in the Greenway NHA for a much longer time. I have a long history of caring for our natural places and keeping them as just that. I love to hike and look at plants and animals, which in turn raises my curiosity about all things growing and moving and the interconnected web we all live in.

Q: How long have you been engaged with Winter Recreation?

A: I started with winter recreation when I worked on a project for the Sno-Park Program 20 years ago. I saw how the “back end” worked (which was a very busy, dedicated State Parks team), but the program was and still is heavily dependent on all its volunteers. There is no way the program staff can take care of everything statewide. After the project was complete, I volunteered to be a non-motorized representative for the statewide motorized program committee that oversees the budget, and that was the beginning of my winter recreation volunteer efforts.  I learned all aspects of the program and slowly worked on small projects over the years within the I-90 corridor.

There was a great need for more information about the Sno-Parks, so I updated a website about Sno-Parks on Snoqualmie Pass and created a Facebook group so users could help report on conditions! Since their start in 2013, both have continued to be maintained each season. As recreational use of the Pass grows every year, more volunteers are needed to help with the chaos, educate users, and answer questions from visitors new to the area.

Q: How has Trailhead Ambassador work been meaningful to you, and to Winter Recreation?

A: The winter Trailhead Ambassador program was needed for many years. I used to do this on a volunteer impromptu basis, but it got to be too much for one person, and those I recruited to help. As an ambassador wearing those beautiful blue vests, I can wander the parking lots and answer questions, of which there tend to be a lot. The “engineer” in me wants things to have a sense of order and helping people with trail etiquette benefits everyone out there for safety, courtesy, and fun for all.

Q: What is one thing you’ve learned through volunteering about the environment, history, or heritage within the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area that you didn’t know before?

A: Many years of going out in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Valley have taught me about how common debris flows are in that valley. Interpretive signage points this out enough that I would think twice about going too far into the valley after the ground is super saturated. The geologic history of local glaciation causes that problem and is exacerbated by plugged or undersized culverts.

Q: What’s your favorite place in the Greenway, and why is it special to you?

A: While I love Snoqualmie Pass, my favorite place is the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Valley. One of my earlier volunteer efforts was planting trees at a spot where motorized “mudding” was a problem, but this was a temporary fix to help deter more vandalism. Since then, the area has undergone a huge transformation for the better. There is so much beauty and wildness in that valley, from giant spruce and cedar trees to crystal clear water and green mossy carpets. What is there not to like?

Q: Has volunteering strengthened your personal connection to the Greenway? If yes, how so?

A: Volunteering in places that I probably wouldn’t have spent much time on broadens my perspective. After the work party is complete, I usually stick around and go for a walk. I find reasons to come back here and spend more time exploring.

Q: What advice or encouragement would you give to someone who is interested in becoming a Trailhead Ambassador?

A: Please volunteer! It’s a great way to learn, have some fun, and share our wonderful natural resources. The Trailhead Ambassador program is immensely important when recreational use impacts can be immense. Our society is built on “the greater good,” where many hands make light work, opportunities are opened for those who are unable or have no exposure to the outdoors, and volunteers can help in aspects where agencies can’t.

We are grateful for our dedicated volunteers who help us protect public lands and support safe, responsible recreation across the Greenway NHA landscape. Join a community of people who care deeply about the outdoors and start your Trailhead Ambassador journey by filling out this interest form!