Wallowa Mountain Hells Canyon Trail Assoc. Meeting

The Wallowa Mountain Hells Canyon Trail Association are having their annual organization meeting.  To attract volunteers and members, a meeting will be held April 26, 6:30 p.m.at Toma’s Conference Room, Enterprise.

Mike  Eng, who is helping launch the organization and volunteers, said Association directors will be installed and this summer’s projects discussed. Volunteers with skills ranging from using trail clearing tools to web design are sought to help administer the Association and coordinate maintenance projects with Forest Service personnel.

The Wallowa Mountains Hells Canyon Trail Association was born out of the obvious backlog of maintenance for the approximately 1,184 miles of summer and wilderness trails into the mountains and the canyon as well as the historic ranch homes, barns and cabins.The new Trails Association will be an important component of a Charter Ranger District recently formed by Eastern Oregon University, Wallowa Resources and the U.S. Forest Service thatseeks ways for the Forest Service to meet its mission in the face of diminishing funds.

            “This is a boots-on-the-ground organization that came together to improve trails and facilities on public lands,” Rick Bombaci said, one of the Association’s organizers.
            For the past six months a group has begun plotting the course of the association over lunch meetings. Bombaci said the Trails Association is registered as a nonprofit with the state of Oregon and an application has been filed to achieve 501(c)(3) nonprofit status from the IRS in hopes of attracting funding for maintenance projects.