We are thrilled to welcome Tim O’Brien and Alex Juchems to the Foothills Rails-to-Trails Coalition Board, following their election at our January board meeting.

Tim O’Brien
Tim is a retired business professional and President of the Enumclaw Plateau Community Association, where he works on local trails, land use, and forest restoration. He’s passionate about expanding the trail network for both recreation and transportation.

Alex Juchems
A resident of Bonney Lake, Alex is deeply committed to native habitat restoration and community wellness. As a long-time supporter of Rails to Trails, he’s dedicated to preserving trails as vital habitats and resources for future generations.

We are excited to have them on board and look forward to the contributions they’ll make to our work!

For more than 20 years, John Selby has been a permanent fixture for the Foothills Trail Coalition. Recruited by founding member Ernie Bay, Mr. Selby was talked into joining early in his retirement. As a lifelong lover of the outdoors and trails, the commitment was one that was easy to say yes to.

“My first job was on a trail crew in Olympic National Park,” Mr. Selby said. “I started the job the summer after high school graduation and continued it for three years while I was in college. I just loved being out there. And I still love it all these years later.”

Mr. Selby has deep roots in the Pacific Northwest, having grown up in Port Angeles before attending University of Washington. Upon graduation as a mechanical engineer, he joined the Peace Corps to avoid the Vietnam War and relocated to Tunis, Tunisia with his wife Dottie along his side for a two-year stint managing the diesel electric production for the country.

Upon the conclusion of his Peace Corps commitment, the Selbys returned to the Seattle area where John had hopes of working for Boeing, but the company was in a slump, making furthering his education an appealing opportunity. While Mrs. Selby worked at Seattle Metro, Mr. Selby worked toward his Master’s Degree in mechanical engineering which ultimately led to a career at Weyerhaeuser Research and Development which would last 30 years,  in the first five of which he worked in Washington, Oregon, and Oklahoma.

During this time, he and Dottie settled down in Edgewood where he quickly became an avid user of the Foothills Trail and began a 50-year love affair with running – one he ended on his 80th birthday on December 21, 2022.

Together, the Selbys volunteered for the Mt. Rainier Meadow Rovers program – an important organization within the National Park that involves interacting with park visitors and providing educational information about the park, its trails, wildlife, ecosystem, and more. The Selbys enjoyed this opportunity for more than 15 years – until Dottie’s passing in 2011.

Since then, Mr. Selby has remained active with the Foothills Trail Coalition and stuck close to the area, seeing the organization undergo a positive transformation and reach decades-long goals. His involvement has not been limited to the role of board member, he also served as the editor of the Trail Line News for eight years and he continues to be a regular contributor to the publication.

For decades, the Foothills Trail Coalition was a source of community, with many in-person events and monthly meetings lost to COVID and the now-gone Courtesy Patrol. 

The Courtesy Patrol used to meet once a month and interact with trail users. Typically a guest speaker was invited to join them with an interest in trails, the outdoors, or similar organizations, which would garner community interest and provide education.

With the disbursement of some highlights of the organization have come the rise of others.

“I think one of the greatest changes has been hiring an excellent executive director,” he said. “We’ve had amazing presidents and board members over the years, but there are challenges with our organization being volunteer-led. Bringing in Shayla was a game changer and I’m looking forward to seeing Breanna carry on a lot of those changes and contribute new ones of her own.”

John, alongside the entire Coalition, recently celebrated the official completion and opening of the Foothills Bridge over the White River which now connects Pierce County to King County.

“It’s amazing to finally see this project completed and I think it’s one of the Coalition’s greatest achievements,” he said. “Connecting these trails into a large network rather than lonely segments will allow trail usage to skyrocket and people are going to see the full potential.”

Instead of runs, these days Mr. Selby kicks off every day with an hour-long walk with his partner Karen and their loveable dog Buddy near their residence, a home that’s been in his family for 72 years located on Key Peninsula facing Henderson Bay. The family enjoys beautiful views of Puget Sound and Mt. Rainier. The love of trails runs in the family, with John’s brother Jeff volunteering for the close-by Peninsula Trails Coalition.

His greatest hopes for the Foothills Trail are its eventual completion which will create a continuous path from the Puget Sound all the way to Mt. Rainier National Park. He foresees Gail Canyon being the best, most scenic route for the completion, however three other routes are under consideration. He also hopes more in-person opportunities become available, like events and the reinstatement of the Courtesy Patrol which created just one more important connection with the local community.  

John says, “The thing I am most proud of is creating the Rainier to Ruston Relay, known as the R2R. In 2003 we were trying to find a way to get people out on the trail on National Trails Day, the first Saturday of June. I thought, I know how running relays work. I’ve run the nearly 200-mile Hood to Coast Relay 17 times. So, in 2003 I organized a relay from Mt. Rainier to Ruston Way on Puget Sound with family and friends. In 2005 the Coalition agreed to sponsor it, and the rest is history. It has become our largest fundraiser and has introduced thousands of people to the Foothills Trail. I am trying to make the world a better place, and the Foothills Trail Coalition is one of the best ways to do just that.”

The Foothills Rails to Trails Coalition is excited to announce the successful funding for the replacement of the Spiketon Ditch Bridge on the Foothills Trail. This achievement is a testament to the power of advocacy, collaboration, and a shared commitment to enhancing Pierce County’s trail system.

The Spiketon Ditch Bridge is a key part of the Foothills Trail, connecting communities and drawing visitors who boost local businesses. Its closure due to safety concerns was a setback, felt especially during the celebration of the White River Bridge opening this summer. However, it spurred action to expedite its replacement. The Foothills Rails to Trails Coalition, alongside ForeverGreen Trails and Pierce County Parks, worked diligently to secure funding. We coordinated messaging with trail advocates and testified at County Council budget sessions to highlight public support. These actions ensured funding approval, with construction planned for Summer 2025.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the County Parks Department, the County Council, and the Executive for prioritizing this essential project. As we look to 2025 and beyond, the Foothills Rails to Trails Coalition remains dedicated to advocating for investment in recreational infrastructure and ensuring our trails continue to thrive.

Thank you for your continued support of our mission. Together, we’re paving the way for a brighter, more connected future.

During her nearly 30 years of involvement in the Foothills Coalition, Pat Johnson, one of our current board members, couldn’t be more excited about the completion of the White River Pedestrian Bridge set to open later this month.

“This is a project that’s taken a lot of advocacy and a lot of collaboration over the past 10 years, and finally we’ll have a bridge that will not only improve the Foothills Trail, but give trail users easier and safer access to Enumclaw and King County,” she said.

The bridge will increase recreational usage of the Foothills Trail with residents of both counties now being able to access the other easier than ever, and being built out of steel, has an expected lifespan of 70-80 years, ensuring its use by future generations.

“I’ve seen the Foothills Trail make such a positive impact on the quality of life of local residents over the years. For me, it’s a great way to get out in nature and clear my mind,” she said. “And I see people of every age out on the Trail enjoying themselves almost every day.”

As the former mayor of Buckley, Ms. Johnson is eager to see utilization of Buckley’s public services by its nearest neighbors.

“There are such great offerings in Buckley that are immediately along the Foothills Trail including restaurants, ice cream and coffee shops, and activities like our playground, skatepark, and the Youth Activity Center that will be easily accessible along with our downtown and the great events we host like Tunes Along the Trail,” she said.

The new Foothills Trail Bridge over the White River will give Pierce County Foothills users the opportunity to continue to extend their rides by about two and a half miles, following Encumclaw’s paved trail system that spans the entire town and leads into King County’s network of trails.

Ms. Johnson anticipates the new White River Pedestrian Bridge will create a new opportunity for Pierce County residents to opt for commuting using the Foothills Trail rather than driving.

“There’s no question that biking home to Pierce County will be quicker than the drive,” she said. “SR-410 experiences terrible backups during rush hour so this is a great, fast alternative that’s both good for residents and the environment.”

Ms. Johnson is a near-daily Foothills Trail user and is looking forward to more than extending her regular walks along the Foothills Trail; she’s eager to use the new bridge as a vantage point to see salmon, eagles, and other birds that frequent the area.

The Foothills Coalition extends their sincere thanks to former Buckley mayor Pat Johnson as well as King County, Pierce County, and the Washington Recreation & Conservation Office, among many other individuals, for making this project a reality!