Founded in 2016, and for every year since, we have experienced growth in all of our program areas. 2025 was no different and we are excited to share some of the highlights in our 2025 annual report including our Workforce Training Network within our Youth Stewardship Project, National Forest Trail Work, and our Volunteer of the Year.
A message from the Executive Director
In the summer of 2009, I set out on a grand adventure—my first attempt to hike the entire route that would one day become the Bigfoot Trail. The journey began with awe as I traversed the vast wilds of the Yolla Bolly and followed the deep, flowing rhythm of the Trinity River Country. But everything changed as I climbed into the Trinity Alps. The maps promised a trail winding deep through the wilderness, yet the land told another story. The trail disappeared beneath walls of brush and fallen timber. For 24 grueling hours I bushwhacked through dangerous terrain—cut, scraped, and utterly exhausted—until I finally emerged onto a dirt road near Hobo Gulch. Dropping to my knees, I kissed the ground in relief. In that moment, a single question ignited in my heart: How could it be that such a spiritually powerful place was being forgotten? That spark became a vision—and that vision gave rise to the Bigfoot Trail Alliance.
Fifteen years later, we stand in a moment of transformation. This year, we hired our first paid staff—a historic milestone. Trail Crew Lead Jacob Shinners is now leading trail restoration efforts across the Klamath Mountains, and Development Director Mike Splain has joined us to build the capacity needed to grow our mission. We also saw our first leadership transition, as I stepped down as Board President to serve in this new role as Executive Director, and we proudly welcomed Laura Chapman as our new Board President—the first person other than myself to hold that position.
And we are just getting started.
In 2026, we aim to hire our first seasonal youth trail crew, expand our education program, and build a thriving network of stewards committed to the ecological and cultural future of these mountains. Our work is guided by a simple belief: trails are pathways to connection—between ecosystems and people, between generations and cultures, between the land and our shared future.
These are challenging times. The landscapes we love are under increasing pressure from wildfire, funding shortages, and climate change. If you value the work we are doing to keep these trails open, to train the next generation, and to restore the ecological health of the Klamath Mountains, I ask you to join us. Become a member. Make a donation. Share your love of this place. Together, we will ensure that no hiker ever again has to ask, “Where did the trail go?”—because the Bigfoot Trail will endure, cared for by the community who loves it.
Beavers, Trails & Youth Leadership: The Klamath Mountains Workforce Training Network
In 2025, the Bigfoot Trail Alliance proudly partnered with Ascend Wilderness Experience, Scott River Watershed Council, Salmon River Restoration Council, The Watershed Research and Training Center, and Trinity County Resource Conservation District to deliver a groundbreaking youth stewardship initiative focused on ecological restoration and workforce development in the Klamath Mountains. With funding from the Humboldt Area Foundation’s Klamath River Fund, support from The Nature Conservancy at Miner’s Creek Ranch, and meal sponsorship from Coast Central Credit Union, twenty youth participants built beaver dam analogues to restore watershed function and completed hands-on trail work to improve public access. This collaboration not only advanced climate-adaptive restoration strategies but also empowered emerging conservation leaders—strengthening community partnerships and ecological health across the region.
Re-establishing the Hazel Trail: Honoring Culture & Connection
In August, the Bigfoot Trail Alliance partnered with the Hoopa Valley TANF Program, tribal elders, and youth to restore a historic trail into a hazel-harvesting grove—an enduring thread linking ecology, culture and community. For generations, hazel (Corylus cornuta) has provided basket-weavers in the Klamath Mountains with flexible, strong shoots; by clearing brush, rebuilding tread and supporting access, this project renewed both a pathway through the forest and a pathway through time. Listening to elders, working with young stewards, and wielding tools together, we reaffirmed that trails are not only routes—they are lifeways.
Teens Explore Science & Stewardship in the Trinity Alps
In July the Bigfoot Trail Alliance joined forces with Ascend Wilderness Experience, California Native Plant Society, and Cal Poly Humboldt to host an immersive five-day field internship in the rugged beauty of the Trinity Alps Wilderness. Eight teens ventured into high-country meadows, backpacks and notebooks in hand, learning vegetation survey protocols, collecting specimens for the Cal Poly Humboldt Herbarium, and diving into real-world ecology—linking watershed health, fire resilience and plant community dynamics. The experience wove wilderness skills with scientific mentorship, helping young people discover not only wild landscapes but also their place within the broader story of conservation and community stewardship.
National Forest Trail Work
In 2025, the Bigfoot Trail Alliance advanced its mission across four national forests—restoring ecological corridors, connecting communities, and empowering the next generation of stewards. Through fires, rainstorms, and rugged terrain, our volunteers demonstrated unwavering commitment to the Klamath Mountains. Below is a comprehensive summary of our accomplishments by forest and combined totals.
Work by forest
Across all forests….
Volunteer of the Year: Brad Marston
The Bigfoot Trail Alliance is proud to honor Brad Marston, Professor of Physics at Brown University, as our 2025 Volunteer of the Year. Raised in California with a lifelong passion for hiking, Brad has transformed his love of wild places into a remarkable dedication to trail stewardship. Since 2018, he has journeyed west nearly every summer to work with our crews across the Yolla Bolly Mountains, Trinity Alps, and Marble Mountains—contributing well over 300 hours of volunteer time. Whether clearing logs from high passes or repairing fire-damaged tread, Brad brings scientific curiosity, steady leadership, and a tireless work ethic to every project. His devotion to restoring wilderness trails and inspiring others in the process exemplifies the very best of our mission. Thank you, Brad, for your extraordinary service and spirit!
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