1st Thursday Monthly Work Party – Ashcreek – Dickinson Park – November 5th

Hello Trail Workers our November 5th  Work Party with the Portland Parks Stewardship team begins this coming Thursday November 5th, 2026, from 9AM to Noon meeting at the playground in Dickinson Park on SW 55th. The big white Portland Parks truck will be up there,

This month’s work will be some of our usual winter prep on the trails and some short new trail section. There is tread work to be done, some improvement of drains to get ready for winter, brush to remove, steps to clean, and other trail improvements. Our partners and leaders for these work parties are Portland Parks and Recreation Natural Area Stewardship.

If you plan to join in the fun, give me a heads up on email, (reply to this one) or text (503-753-8186) with your name and “I Will Be There”), I can then pass a head count to our Parks leaders. It is also OK to just show up on the workday. Please be at least 15 minutes early (8:45AM) to our work parties to get signed in and be ready to go.

We will be using lots of time-honored trail tools, the Green Grubber, McLeod, Pulaski, and wheelbarrows, shovels, rakes, pruners, saws, and more. Tool use and safety will be covered as we start the work party.

These are fun community events, and we need volunteers in 2026 and 2027, please join us! Everyone is welcome and no experience is necessary.  Youth participants must be at least 14 years old without a guardian and at least 10 years old with a guardian.

As always, our work is guided by the Portland Parks Natural Area Stewardship folks. Parks will bring all the tools, gloves, and materials we need, and also, possibly, coffee, snacks and water. On these work parties it is not necessary to stay for the whole event, and you can work at whatever level your skill and energy allow. It is just great to meet the neighbors and get in a little trail work exercise.

When you join us, please wear work clothing, sturdy closed toe shoes, long pants, long sleeved shirts. It is the Pacific Northwest who knows what weather we will get but several layers are always a good idea. If you like, bring your own water and snacks. We may walk up to a 1/2 mile out and back to our work location, but usually it is much less.

The Frey Trail in Marshall Park part of (Hi-Lo) Hillsdale to Lake Oswego Regional trail 2023. The Hi-Lo trail is now open, check it out.

Each year on the 1st Thursday of the month excepting July and August our Work Parties are held in one of the SW Portland Area Parks. All work parties begin at 9AM and run for 3 hours until NOON.

I look forward to seeing you out there helping us … help the trails.

Dave Manville
SWTrails Construction Lead