Dear *{{First Name}}* ,

Spring is in full swing on the Pacific Northwest Trail (PNT) — and along with the lupines on the trail, new staff members are taking root at the Pacific Northwest Trail Association (PNTA). 

New Hires

One of our hires is Gregg Bafundo, (shown above) the new Regional Manager for Eastern Washington and Idaho. As the Regional Manager, Gregg will manage the ins and outs of the trail crews as they maintain, clear and complete the Pacific Northwest Trail. Gregg comes to the PNTA after a decade as a Wilderness Ranger with the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Gregg has an intimate knowledge of the trail with over 35 years of experience backpacking along the PNT within the Pasayten wilderness. Prior to working for the Forest Service, Gregg worked for various nonprofits that focused on public lands and conservation. 

“There is going to be a huge loss of institutional knowledge in the agencies.” Gregg said, in reference to recent cuts at the Forest Service and National Park Service, “Nonprofits like the PNTA have the opportunity to fill this gap. It’s really up to us to do the good work.”

He remains optimistic about the future protection and maintenance of the PNT:

“I’m looking forward to being able to share my years of experience with these young trail crews; hopefully they can keep that institutional knowledge alive and carry the banner.”

Our other new hire is Ab Evans, (shown above on a backpacking trip at Cape Alava) the Communications Manager — or, in other words, the person who’s writing this newsletter! Among other things, I will be the voice and photographer behind the social media and newsletters and will answer any questions you send to the info@pnt.org email. 

I was drawn to this position after thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2023 and the Pacific Crest Trail in 2024. Washington was the last state I walked through, and I never wanted to leave. Similar to Gregg, after the recent funding cuts, I wanted to use my skills to protect the land I had come to love during my thru-hikes. As a Communications Manager for the Pacific Northwest Trail, I am able to use my creative abilities to advocate for their conservation in the beautiful and wild state I can now call home.

PNT Print Map Requests

Although National Scenic Trails have seen an influx of backpackers and hikers using digital maps, we still provide waterproof print maps of the entire Pacific Northwest Trail. Print maps offer several types of information that can’t always be found on digital maps. These features include public land boundaries, an extensive overview of street maps and geographical features, land acknowledgements, permit information, alternates — and they will never run out of battery. 

We offer the digital copy of these maps on our website. You can have them printed yourself; however, if you purchase a print map through the PNTA, it will be about the same cost — with a membership to the PNTA included. Becoming a member of the PNTA allows you to become a part of our legacy of protection and stewardship of the Pacific Northwest. Due to demand, we've been able to secure an additional quantity discount, reducing the price to users from $100 to $75 plus shipping. You can fill out the request form for a map on the website by clicking on the button above.

Olympic Park Thru-Hiker Zone Permits

Olympic National Park recently simplified their permitting system for Pacific Northwest Trail thru-hikers. Until now, thru-hikers were required to call the Olympic National Park Wilderness Information Center to reserve their backpacking permits. Now, thru-hiking permits can be booked through Recreation.gov. This permit will have 7 different zones for PNT thru-hikers to choose from for places to camp on each night of their trip.

This limits the amount of logistics both PNT hikers and Olympic National Park Staff have to spend negotiating permit locations and creates for a more streamlined reservation process. This permit will also include a $0 layover for a night spent outside of the wilderness — allowing thru-hikers a day to resupply or zero without having to arrange multiple permits. More information can be found on the Olympic National Park Website.

68,000 Acres to be Managed by the Ecotrust Forest Management

The conservation efforts of the PNTA have been aided on the Western Olympic Peninsula by a forest investment and management firm known as Ecotrust Forest Management (EFM). They purchased 68,000 acres with the plan to manage the forest with eco-friendly practices. The purchased land is split between both Jefferson and Clallam County, with 37,000 acres in Clallam and 31,000 in Jefferson.

“The Olympic Peninsula is a national treasure, with incredibly productive and biologically diverse temperate rainforests, essential spawning grounds for salmon, important habitat for wildlife, and timber and other resources critical to the tribes and local communities,” Bettina Von Hagen, the CEO of EFM said.

“EFM has long recognized the importance of the Olympic Peninsula and has been invested in its ecological, social, and economic health for over 20 years. Our recent acquisition of the 68,000-acre Olympic Rainforest has allowed us to expand our presence on the peninsula and to think more broadly about managing for high-quality timber production, forest health, landscape connectivity and the flow of ecosystem services. Among those is recreation, and we are pleased and proud to be able to play a part in delivering important recreational amenities like the PNT to the public.”

EFM purchased this land from Rayonier, a timber real estate management fund who had owned the land for more than 80 years. EFM is no stranger to the Olympic Peninsula — this 68,000 acres will be in addition to their 25,000 acres on the Peninsula that they’ve acquired over the past 25 years. 

EFM’s eco-friendly land management practices aspire to rehabilitate landscape conservation, biodiversity, cultural significance and public recreation. Some of their land management practices include longer rotations, thinning, variable retention harvest and more. 

“EFM will work with PNTA and the Forest Service to explore the best options for siting the trail corridor to maximize the trail user experience while ensuring that EFM is able to effectively manage for timber production, watershed health and our long-term objectives,” Hagen stated.

The PNT routes through parts of the Jefferson County land. The PNTA will work with EFM and the Forest Service to establish a trail location through the newly-protected section of land. This will ensure the preservation of the forest that the PNT traverses through for years to come.

Recent Update on the Impact of Land Management Cuts on the PNTA

Our executive director recently wrote an update on the ongoing impacts of recent staffing and funding cuts on the PNT:

"In March, congress averted a shutdown by passing a continuing resolution to fund the government for the remainder of the 2025 federal fiscal year. Rather than looking at the federal budget line-by-line and making annual adjustments —as is done through the regular budgeting process— a continuing resolution extends funding levels from the previous budget to keep government programs operating.

At first glance, it should have been welcome news to have a budget for agencies like the Forest Service and National Park Service— instead, significant uncertainty remains." 

To learn more about the impacts on the PNT, visit our blog post.