Campground Maintenance
In a joint venture with Wallowa County and the United States Forest Service, we manage over 100 Upper Joseph Creek and Imnaha River campsites. In the summer, we open and maintain campsites, and in the winter we close and repair them after hunting season. These tasks provide a positive experience for over 5,000 visitors per year.
Wallowa Mountains Hells Canyon Trails Association
Starting with a USFS-sponsored meeting on April 26, 2016, a group of individuals in Wallowa County, Oregon, began meeting weekly to work toward forming a volunteer organization to address community concerns about the condition of trails and cultural resources in the area. These meetings eventually led to the creation of a membership-based non-profit organization, the Wallowa Mountains Hells Canyon Trails Association (WMHCTA), which was officially launched on February 13, 2017.
The purpose of WMHCTA is to achieve “boots on the ground” improvements in the condition of trails, river corridors, and cultural heritage sites (e.g., cabins, traditional Native American sites) on US Forest Service and other lands in northeast Oregon. As the name implies, the focus of the group is on the trails and rivers of the Wallowa Mountains and Hells Canyon regions, although other areas, such as the Elkhorn Mountains and the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness, may be included. WMHCTA mobilizes volunteers in order to improve recreational access, prevent deterioration and damage to natural and cultural resources, and provide educational and developmental opportunities for students and adults.
WMHCTA is part of the Eagle Cap Partnership (ECP), a cooperative agreement among Eastern Oregon University, the USFS, and Wallowa Resources (a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the economic and environmental health of rural communities through land stewardship). The ECP seeks to implement a “collective impact approach” to achieve broader and faster results in multiple land and water stewardship arenas, including trail maintenance and improvements.