Year-end Reflection from PNTA Executive Director, Jeff Kish
As I reflect on 2025, I’m encouraged by the strength and resilience our community showed in a year unlike any other. Even as our federal partners scaled back dramatically, PNTA stepped forward with determination, creativity, and a renewed sense of purpose. We strengthened our staff, expanded our volunteer capacity, and proved once again that when the Pacific Northwest Trail needs a champion, this organization—and supporters like you—rise to the occasion.
This year, we invested in building a strong, permanent team, welcoming three new employees whose leadership is already shaping the future of the PNT.
When federal agencies were forced to lay off experienced land managers, we acted. By bringing Gregg onto our team as Eastern Washington Regional Coordinator, we preserved critical institutional knowledge for the trail at a time when it might otherwise have been lost.
We also sharpened our voice and broadened our reach. Under Abs’ leadership in communications, PNTA has renewed its commitment to telling the story of our work and engaging supporters in the advocacy that protects this trail.
With Seher stepping in as our Volunteer Coordinator, we expanded recruitment and created more opportunities for people to get involved in caring for the PNT than ever before.
These gains were essential—because the year also brought unprecedented challenges. Due to deep federal funding cuts, our seasonal workforce was reduced by half. We had half as many seasonal crew members and logged half the hours of field work we normally rely on. With federal field staff nearly absent across the region, and other partners also forced to scale back, there were many days when PNTA crews were the only ones out on the ground keeping the PNT open.
And still, we delivered. One of the year’s greatest accomplishments was the reopening of the North Cascades National Park section of the trail. This critical segment simply could not have reopened without PNTA’s persistence, expertise, and willingness to do the hard work when no one else was able.
Looking ahead to 2026, our focus is on building resiliency. This year made it clear that we cannot rely on federal budgets to safeguard the PNT. If the government won’t be a dependable partner, then we must look to the one support system that has never failed us: you.
Your support is the most effective way to counter federal disinvestment in public lands. When you give to PNTA, you provide the certainty and stability this trail needs—ensuring that the PNT remains open, cared for, and protected, regardless of what happens in Washington, DC.
The Pacific Northwest Trail deserves consistent stewardship. Together, we can guarantee it.
Thank you for standing with us.
