Donations sought to expand Todd Lake boardwalk

A team of volunteers is seeking support in the form of donations to buy the material needed to expand the recently built Todd Lake boardwalk this year.

Discover Your Forest’s is accepting donations for the boardwalk at http://discoveryourforest.org/donate/.

The mission of the Todd Lake Trail Team is to build and maintain and trails around Todd Lake to help preserve its special natural features including wetlands, wildflower meadows and unique wildlife species.

In 2017, more than 35 Todd Lake Trail Team volunteers helped U.S. Forest Service staff build 170 feet of boardwalk over a wet and muddy section of the Todd Lake Trail, using private donations.

This boardwalk will keep hikers’ feet dry and stop damage to the wildflower meadows. Volunteers also maintained trails, trimmed overhanging vegetation, removed illegal fire rings, and decommissioned trail shortcuts..

Todd Lake Trail is a popular hiking, fishing and picnicking area offering stunning views of Broken Top Mountain. Todd Lake is also home to the Western Toad, Cascade Frog, and the Black Petaltail Dragonfly, three species threatened by loss of wetlands, habitat degradation, and environmental changes.

The Todd Lake volunteer team was organized by the family of Carol L. Swift. Carol was an avid outdoors woman and amateur biologist who loved hiking, wildflowers, history, archaeology and the outdoors. In 2013, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and passed away a short 17 month later. She loved Todd Lake and hiked there as often as she could. Her family organized this work in her honor at a place she dearly loved.

For more information go to www.discoveryourforest.org or call 541.383.5572.