Building Trails, Building Friendships

While volunteering with the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, you can restore local habitats, maintain trails, and help native plants thrive—while meeting new friends. At Greenway Trust events, you’re in the company of fellow volunteers who share similar values and a desire to protect and conserve the habitats and landscapes that make this region so beautiful.

Working together to gravel trail surfaces, build rock steps, remove non-native plants, and plant trees can create moments of social connection and meaningful memories that strengthen connections to nature and others in your community. For volunteers like Debra Vandegrift and Gerry Chambers, maintaining trails together has created many moments that have strengthened their friendship, while spending time stewarding the landscapes that they deeply care about.

Greenway Volunteer Spotlight: Debra Vandegrift and Gerry Chambers

This month, we are excited to highlight Debra and Gerry, two volunteers who have been long-time stewards of trails and landscapes across Washington. 

Gerry and Debra have been doing trail maintenance together for many years and started volunteering with the Greenway Trust this year. Since then, they have spent many hours helping keep trails in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Valley safe and accessible.

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

Gerry: I began volunteering with the Greenway Trust after Debra noted there was an opportunity to work at Camp Brown, cleaning up damage from the December storms. Debra and I have been volunteering together for about 10 years with Washington Trails Association and have spent time at Camp Brown. We were excited to be able to work there again!

Debra: I started volunteering with the Greenway Trust in February 2026. I love being outside and meeting and getting to know great people. The needs are growing and paid resources are shrinking, so volunteers are important.

Q: You’ve dedicated many hours volunteering to restore local habitats and care for Washington’s trails! What inspires you to volunteer, and why is this work meaningful to you?

Gerry: I enjoy being out in nature, and there is something wonderful about the connections you make working together outdoors. There is a sense of accomplishment that you are improving habitats, and that gives me hope.

Debra: I think my lifelong love of hiking and appreciation of the habitats I hike through keeps me coming back. These ecosystems are fragile and need our help.

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?

Gerry: When I first moved here and was leading hikes, I was told to “never go down the Middle Fork” because it was so dangerous. With all the work that many organizations have done, it is now such a gem.  At the Spring Fundraising Breakfast, it was so touching to hear Sally Jewell talk about the history of the Mountains to Sound Greenway and the visionary people who started this organization.

Debra: I have been volunteering on trails with WTA for years. I had heard of the Greenway Trust but didn’t know about the volunteer program. An article in the Seattle Times was an aha moment. I had worked on trails in the Middle Fork, including Camp Brown, but I did not know the Greenway Trust’s connection to this trail. So, I signed up to restore the trail after the flood damage.

Q: Can you share a memorable moment or highlight from your volunteering experience?

Gerry: One of the fun highlights from working on the Garfield Ledges Trail earlier this year was when a couple got married at the top. On the way down, we held up our tools and made an arch that they could pass under. Pure fun!

Debra: Every day spent volunteering on trails is a highlight. I’m just so happy I’m able to do this.

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

Gerry: I love the Oxbow Loop Trail. It’s not long, but I was able to bring my family from the East Coast there when they visited last year, and their 12-year-old daughter is still talking about it being the most beautiful hike she’s ever been on.

Q: Has volunteering together strengthened your friendship with each other? If yes, how so?

Gerry: Debra and I have known each other for many years, because our spouses are distant relatives. We would see each other a few times a year. Once we started volunteering together, we saw each other a great deal more, and I really treasure our friendship. We try to carpool, then often work separately and always have lots to talk about on the way home. We sometimes get so involved in our conversations that we almost miss our turnoffs. She has become a very trusted friend.

Debra: Yes, Gerry and I have known each other for years, but spending quality time together doing trail work is special. It’s amazing the range of topics we can converse about while carpooling and shoveling!

Q: What advice or encouragement would you give to someone interested in volunteering with the Greenway Trust?

Gerry: It is always fun and interesting, even when the weather might be miserable.  And the leaders—who have been just delightful people—are always accommodating.

Debra: I am impressed with this organization and the incredible young people working there. They are all so bright and inspiring. It is easy to be depressed about the state of the world, but these folks give me hope. I would encourage anyone to get involved with the Greenway Trust in whatever way works for them.

We encourage you to invite your friends to come volunteer with us and experience the fun of giving back to public lands. Join us in celebrating National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 26! You’ll get to help care for trails and recreation areas in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Valley, enjoy a free lunch, and celebrate your hard work with fellow volunteers afterwards.