Cascade Volunteers (CV) was formed in 2005 by a group of passionate community members determined to maintain and create trails on the Willamette National Forest (WNF) in Oregon. More than 3,600 volunteers logged 193,000 hours from 2005 to 2018 — work valued at more than 4.9 million dollars. These contributions led the Willamette National Forest and CV to enter into a formal partnership in 2019. As the nonprofit friends group of the Willamette National Forest, CV works together with Forest staff to pursue a vision of public lands stewardship and appreciation that offers forest-wide support.
Mission: The mission of Cascade Volunteers is to connect individuals and communities to the Willamette National Forest and adjacent public lands through programs, stewardship, and education.
Vision: Communities connected in stewardship of public lands
CV and the Willamette National Forest have also identified the following Partnership Goals:
- Connection to Community – Support the forest in establishing and maintaining healthy relationships with diverse communities
- Connection to the Land- Create opportunities for people to foster and practice a Stewardship Ethic
- Create a Sense of Belonging- Encourage everyone from all walks of life to visit their National Forest – A place where everyone is welcome
- Forest Wide Support- The partnership will grow to support work across the entire WNF and represent all program areas