If there’s one thing that we at FPC know for sure, it’s that everyone deserves to experience the physical and mental health benefits that Forest Park provides. And not only to just be there, but also to feel safe, and welcome on the trails.
With the demographics of the region growing and evolving, we are always looking for ways for both new and existing users of Forest Park to have all the information they need to feel confident in how to recreate responsibly and have the opportunity to get involved with stewardship of this special place.
Last summer, the Forest Park Conservancy launched the Forest Park Ambassador Program as a way to build skills in our community of volunteers in education and outreach. We reached out to one of our first volunteer Forest Park Ambassadors, Kelly Aguilar, who recruited her whole family to join the fun in the program’s inaugural year.
Kelly fell in love with spending time outdoors at a young age while living in the mountains in the ’80s. Now, she loves living in Beaverton for its close proximity to the trails of Forest Park and other green spaces, but recognizes that “it’s really important to notice how to take care of these places” and how valuable accessible and friendly education about community green spaces is.
“Doing my first trail work party [with FPC], I realized how much work goes into it” Aguilar explained. “I think about how they got gravel here, how they got a bridge here… and just what goes into taking care of the park”.
When Kelly learned about the Forest Park Ambassador Program, she jumped on the opportunity to sign up and to recruit her family members.
Both Kelly and her partner routinely brought their children along with them on their time volunteering at trailheads, sharing the information with her kids on Leave No Trace, and collecting important data for the Conservancy. She was able to teach them “what we were looking for in simple tick marks,” and their kids really enjoyed their time volunteering outside.
“We educated them on why staying on trails is so important, and soon they were shouting ‘dog off-leash!’ and were just as involved in the program as we were. It was both comical and educational,” Aguilar shared.
“All parents could do this, particularly when kids have a lot of endurance for hikes and time on the trails. It’s like being an Ambassador to my family.”
And now, you can be trained to become a Forest Park Ambassador from home, as all training is being held virtually! Check out our Events Calendar to sign up.
We hope to see you on the trails soon!