About Us

Photo courtesy of Patrick Fitzgerald

Who We Are

Friends of the Washington Park and Zoo Railway was established as a nonprofit organization registered in Oregon in 2018. 

The Friends of the Washington Park and Zoo Railway are neighbors, volunteers, rail and geology experts, and citizens of our region who love the Zoo Railway and want it to run again to the Rose Garden.

Mission Statement

The specific purpose of Friends of Washington Park and Zoo Railway is for the preservation, repair, secured ongoing operation, and the ecological restoration of the full Washington Park and Zoo Railway that runs between the Oregon Zoo and the International Rose Test Garden. Our organization throughout this process will be guided by the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Meet the Board

  • Kathy Goeddel

    President & Treasurer

    Kathy is on the boards of the Arlington Heights Neighborhood Association and Explore Washington Park. In 2022 she won the AARP Oregon Adrus Award for Community Service for her work in the AARP Tax-Aide and MFS-CASH Oregon VITA Programs.

  • Aaron Wigod

    Vice President

    Aaron is currently Vice President of Marathon Acquisition & Development, Inc., a real estate development firm located in Wilsonville, Oregon. Occupationally he spends most of his time developing, financing, and constructing multi-family and mixed-use real estate developments. Aaron also serves as general legal counsel for Marathon Acquisition & Development, Inc., Marathon Construction Services, LLC, and Marathon Management, Inc.

  • Arlen Sheldrake

    Secretary

    Arlen, retired after 35 years in the IT business. Active volunteer with the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation, and the Pacific Northwest Chapter, National Railway Historical Society. A 50+ year resident of the Oregon Zoo adjacent Sylvan-Highlands Neighborhood. 

  • Melissa Darby

    Board Member

    Melissa is on the research faculty in the Anthropology Department at Portland State University. Darby has worked for over forty years as an archaeologist and historian. She is the author of Thunder Go North, the Hunt for Sir Francis Drake's Fair & Good Bay, which presents the case that Francis Drake and his crew in the Golden Hind landed on the Oregon Coast, where they camped for most of the summer in 1579.

  • Kristi Wuttig

    Board Member

    Kristi Wuttig is the Arlington Heights Neighborhood Association Board Co-President. She is a past NWNW Coalition Board Director. She is a member of the Producers Guild of America and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, having worked on television dramas and documentaries.  She volunteers at her children’s schools, co-producing theater productions in her spare time. 

Endorsed by

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Get On Board!

Here’s how you can help…

  • Be counted among the thousands of supporters of the Rose Garden Loop Restoration on this Change.org petition.

    Sign The Petition Here

  • Every dollar helps! Your donation will aid in our mission of restoring the historic route including volunteer efforts, advocacy campaigns, and necessary professional services.

    Donate Here

  • Likes, follows and shares go a long way. Connect with us on socials to stay in the loop and help us win!

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