The Trails Club of Oregon
now has 501(c)(3) status!
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This status will enable tax advantaged donations.
A donation option is available under the payments tab on the website.
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TCO Trails Report (update - May 31, 2026)
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- Cougar Rock Trail - clear, no obstacles, brushy (ferns) in short sections
- Elevator Shaft Trail - clear, no obstacles, not brushy
- High Water Trail - clear, no obstacles, brush cleared May 31
- Ornament Trail - clear, no obstacles, brush cleared May 31
- Basin Cutoff Trail - clear, no obstacles, brush cleared May 31
- Nesika to Franklin Connector Trail - clear, no obstacles, brush cleared May 31
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Note that conditions can change quickly on these trails.
Please report any change in Multnomah Basin trail conditions to
tripschair@trailsclub.org Thanks!
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TCO 2026 Social Picnic Walk
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Nesika History and Conservation Event
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Volunteer Weekend at Nesika
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Hike Wildwood End-to-End Summer Soulstice
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Wednesday Evening Summer Solstice Hike
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Obsidian/Scott Loop Backpack
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Costa Rican and American meet - Tyee
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Leader: Paul Cutter & Gabriella Maertens
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Introductory Backpack - Tyee
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Leader: Tom Thrall & Julia Carroll
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Leader: Sebastian Powers-Leach & Julia Carroll & Tom Thrall
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Provisional Members:
Nicholas Persson
New Members:
Aden Debord sponsored by Rob Parker and Trisha Schultz
Leea Voetberg sponsored by Candace Bonner and Dave Letcher
Catherine Dalziel sponsored by Lori Leach and Wendy Maihack
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Photo: Dolores Niebergall - Inside Out Flower
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Photo: Dolores Niebergall - Oregon Iris
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Photo: Dolores Niebergall - Avalance Lili
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Photo: Dolores Niebergall - Solomon's Plume
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Photo: Dolores Niebergall - Common Columbine
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Trail Blazer
Roll
Vice President
Eric Zimmerman (chairing, in Bev's absence)
Treasurer
Sydney Jackson
Membership
Lori Leach
Tyee Trustee
Eric "Zinger" Eisinger
Nesika Trustee
Pete Recksiek
Trips Trustee
Craig Gwydir
OE&O Trustee
Sebastian Powers-Leach
Publications
Joel Reitz
Absent: President Bev Drottar; Secretary Rebecca Knudeson (still in Turkey). Lori and Joel taking minutes with AI-summary assistance per the April plan.
Headline: The IRS has officially recognized TCO as a tax-exempt public charity under IRC §501(c)(3), effective March 2, 2026 (EIN 93-6026721). Donor contributions back to that date are tax-deductible. The board noted this will drive follow-on work — donation-receipt forms for volunteers/donors will likely become a future agenda item.
Housekeeping: Replace the third-line Zoom URL in the agenda template with the simplified alias trailsclub.org/zoom.
Agenda Items
501(c)(3) follow-on filings DECIDE
Oregon Secretary of State Annual Report due 6/7/26 ($50). Also need to file Articles of Amendment (or Restated Articles) to update Non-Profit type to Public Benefit Corporation with members ($50 additional fee). (Lori)
Discussion: Existing articles already say "consistent with §501(c)(3)," so the change may amount to a state reclassification only ($50) with no substantive edits to the articles themselves. Open question whether changing the articles needs a membership vote (bylaws clearly do).
Action: Eric Z and Lori will work this offline — confirm whether restated articles are actually required, what (if anything) needs to change, and whether a membership vote is needed — before bringing anything back to the board. Lori will file the Annual Report.
OE&O motion: drop the $2 non-member hike/event fee MOTION / VOTE
Sebastian moves to stop collecting the $2 fee from non-members, now that we're a 501(c)(3), and replace it with an optional donation. (Sebastian)
Discussion: Craig noted some social-media groups (OHC, Portland Hikers) won't accept event posts with fees. Joel raised that the fee partially offsets liability insurance and acts as a small join-incentive. A $5 voluntary contribution alternative was floated. The 501(c)(3) lens (donations are tax-deductible, fees are not) shifted the room.
Decision: Motion passed 7 approve, 1 abstain (Joel), 0 nay. The $2 fee is eliminated for hikes and day events. Multi-day backpacks ($2/day under current P&P) are included for now, pending a P&P review.
Action: Craig will gather data before the June meeting — opinions from current hike leaders, what Mazamas does, possibly a membership survey via newsletter — then report back. Donation-solicitation strategy (before/during/after events) will flow from that.
Membership readings & votes VOTE
Aden Debord (Rob Parker / Trisha Schultz), Leea Voetberg (Candace Bonner / Dave Letcher), Catherine Dalziel (Lori Leach / Wendy Maihack). Provisional: Nicholas Persson. (Lori)
Decision: Aden, Leea, and Catherine approved unanimously. Nicholas has paid but has not yet attended an event or submitted his full application — remains provisional; he knows what's needed to finish.
Roster after votes: Golden 8 · Junior 3 · Life 34 · Life/Golden 4 · Provisional 14 · Regular 200 · Total 263.
Aging Yanmar tractor at Nesika DISCUSS
What's the plan? Repair, replace, sell, retire? (Pete)
Background: Bob replaced head & head gasket ~a year ago; it never restarted. Pulled out of the back of the garage last weekend; bucket already removed. Kabota now handles the work. Ken has approached diesel-mechanic schools about a donation but doesn't expect takers.
Action: Pete will evaluate whether the tractor can be safely Kabota'd from its current spot to the Nesika parking lot. Board revisits at the June meeting to decide between donation, junking, or further disassembly + trailer haul-out.
Tyee group rate request DECIDE
Jeff Lawton has asked about hosting a group of 25 non-members at Tyee and would like a group rate. (Eric E.)
Action: Not enough detail to act. Eric E asked Jeff for clarifying information (who is the group, what's the purpose). Revisit at the June meeting.
Tyee work party May 27–31 & Forest Service defensible-zone meeting 5/14 CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
Looking for ≥10 volunteers; BBQ included. Hoping defensible-zone work counts toward this year's work-in-lieu for the FS bill. (Eric E.)
Discussion: No vote required. Scope: defensible-zone clearing, basement water intrusion (outdoor grading + indoor wood-chute wall seal), crawl space above men's room, storage room. FS meeting is 5/14 at 12:30 PM at the lodge. Eric E will bring his 4-wheeler, trailer, and log splitter for the (hundreds of) downed trees legally collectable nearby. Recruitment tool: brisket & BBQ.
Website / IT items DISCUSS
(a) Phone-friendly lodge payment form prototype at trailsclub.org/pay; (b) Move from Bluehost email to free Google Workspace for Nonprofits. Not seeking decisions — just feedback. (Eric Z.)
Action (a): Demonstrated trailsclub.org/pay/ — quicker phone payment for lodge meals & accommodations. Lodge chairs and hosts asked for visibility into who has paid online so they can verify quickly. Board wants to keep pushing this forward.
Action (b): All positive on the Google Workspace move. Waiting on Google's fee-waiver approval (Goodstack verification in progress). Once approved, Joel & Eric will migrate emails and users.
July or August meeting skip DECIDE
Carried over from April. Bev's April note proposed July off; need to land it this month.
Decision: Unanimous vote to cancel the August meeting (most board members unavailable on the 2nd Tuesday of August).
Threadneedle → Fidelity transfer UPDATE
Carried over from April. (Old business)
No update — still awaiting next steps from Chris Monte.
Removal of Stripe / credit-card processing fees from online payments DISCUSS / VOTE
New business. (Eric Z.)
Discussion: We currently pass Stripe processing fees through to members at checkout. Those add-ons totaled ~$600 in 2025. Board's preference: absorb the fees (cleaner UX) and replace the lost revenue with an easy one-click optional donation at checkout.
Decision: Approved unanimously, on a trial basis through the next General Membership meeting. Measure whether donations cover the loss and revisit then.
Summer social — Sellwood Park, Sat June 6 FYI
Booked. Craig leading a hike. Promo graphics in progress. (Jeffrey)
Reports Filed
- Treasurer (Sydney): Reconciled through April; register balance $17,228.62 on 4/30. Now eligible for QuickBooks nonprofit discount — Sydney + Eric Z working this in May; Sydney is waiting on Eric Z for TechSoup login (QuickBooks Advanced required for migration).
- Nesika (Pete): Linda's History Weekend 4/18 (Reading Nook cleanup, docs scanned, new shelf by Glen). Volunteer weekend 4/25 — ~24 volunteers; moved tractor out of basement, wired dorm, wall brackets for wood, brush clearing, $21 in donations.
- Trips (Craig): April day hike to Nesika; Wednesday-evening hikes continuing. Stormy Trails committee 5/8 — High Water, Basin Cutoff, Ornament, Elevator Shaft, Nesika/Franklin Connector, Cougar Rock all clear. Call for hike-leader help.
- OEO (Sebastian): Committee met 4/26. Exploring farmers'-market tabling under 501(c)(3) status, planning a Tyee open-house (TBD), looking at Discord for committee comms.
- Social (Jeffrey): Sellwood Park booked for 6/6 (see above).
- Publications (Joel): No report.
- President (Bev): Absent; Eric Z compiled and chaired.
- Secretary (Rebecca): Absent (Turkey); April minutes approved by email 4/15.
Outstanding Cross-Meeting Work Items
- Articles of Incorporation question — Eric Z + Lori, offline.
- Hike-leader / Mazamas / membership donation data — Craig, by June meeting.
- Tractor logistics evaluation — Pete, by June meeting.
- Jeff Lawton group-rate clarifying info — Eric E, by June meeting.
- QuickBooks nonprofit discount migration — Sydney + Eric Z, during May (Eric Z owes Sydney the TechSoup login).
- Donation-receipt forms for volunteers/donors (downstream of 501(c)(3) status) — future agenda item.
Submitted by Eric Zimmerman
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Outdoor Education and Outreach
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For activities such as bicycle, snowshoe, and XC skiing check with the leaders for the difficulty level. Good equipment for the specific activity is required for all events. For hikes, snowshoes:
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- Class A - Shorter, less strenuous activity, typically 4 to 8 miles, less than 1500 feet elevation gain.
- Class B - Moderate to difficult, typically 6 to 12 miles, up to 3000 feet of elevation gain.
- Class C - Long and difficult, strong experienced participants only, typically over 8 miles, and over 3000 feet of elevation gain. Boots are recommended for B/C hikes.
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Harsh conditions may increase the exertion and skill required; be prepared. Contact the trip leader if you have any questions and to let him or her know that you will be attending. Bring the 10 Essentials and please, no alcohol. Pets allowed on designated trips only.
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Stay with the group and follow the leader. The leader is responsible for the group's safety. The leader determines which route is taken. The leader has authority to determine if a participant is prepared for the activity. Group safety must come first.
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There is no charge for day activities. Please contribute to any carpooling expenses at the rate of $.20 per mile. With multiple riders the driver can collect up to $.50 per mile shared by all the riders. Other fees may apply.
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If you have RSVP'd for an activity at a lodge involving food expense and are unable to participate, you are obligated to do one of the following: Cancel before the food is purchased, find someone to take your place, or pay for your share of the food.
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All activities must be approved by the appropriate activity coordinator or the Trips Trustee.
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P.O. Box 19891
Portland, OR 97208-0891
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Organized 1915 Incorporated 1923
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Member of the Federation of Western Outdoors Clubs (FWOC)
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Electronic subscription is included with membership.
Send address changes and club correspondence to:
Membership@TrailsClub.org or the address above.
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The purpose of the Trails Club is to foster and stimulate interest in hiking, climbing, skiing, camping and
other similar outdoor activities and to promote activities of a social nature for the benefit of its members.
The Club’s interests and concerns are conservation of natural beauty and resources of the country.
All Club activities are affected by the voluntary participation of the members.
Membership requirements include an approved outdoor activity, a scheduled lodge visit, recommendations by two members within a one-year period, approval by the Board of Trustees, and payment of $50 in dues and a $15 entrance fee.
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Usually second Tuesday of the month, 7:00pm, over Zoom.
See the calendar on the TCO website for the link if you wish to attend.
Contact the President prior to a meeting if you have an issue to bring to the board.
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Trails Club of Oregon & Meetup Websites
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Our website (TrailsClub.org) is the official site for club events and information.
There is also a Trails Club Meetup site that allows event planners to organize TCO events online, and
publicize these events to a wider audience (Meetup.com/Trails-Club-ofOregon/events/).
However, all events posted on the TCO Meetup site should be added to our TCO website as well.
While we try to get every event in the Trail Blazer and on the Trails Club website (www.trailsclub.org), some events, especially those planned on short notice, may not appear in The Blazer.
Use the Calendar menu item for a listing of events.
Registration on the website is not required to view the events.
Also: All may use the Payment menu item on our website to pay your membership dues.
You can pay for all members in a household in one transaction.
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Send write-ups to: Blazer@TrailsClub.org
Submissions are due by the fifteenth of the month prior to publication.
Trail Blazer Editor: Joel Reitz
Send pictures, new events, corrections and anything else for the
Trails Club of Oregon website to: webmaster@TrailsClub.org
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