$$$$$ FOR TRAILS

[Dave_Schuldt]

FINALY SOME GOOD NEWS!!!!!

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/eastsidenews/2002216517_trails23e.html

[catbirdseat]

Hey, that is great, Goldmyer Hot Springs finally gets a bridge. That will make it accessible no matter how high the water gets.

[Fairweather]

While I'm happy to see $$$$ for trail maintenance, I have to wonder how hikers can lay claim to any NOVA dollars. How would we like it if ORV'ers got their hands on Forest Trail Pass Demo Program $$$ ?

[graupel]

While I'm happy to see $$$$ for trail maintenance, I have to wonder how hikers can lay claim to any NOVA dollars. How would we like it if ORV'ers got their hands on Forest Trail Pass Demo Program $$$ ?

 

Who is to say they don't already? There is nothing in the Demo Program that obligates the money to be spent on trails or spent on things that benefit hikers. Does installing more outhouses and interpretive signs at trailheads contribute anything to brushing out the trails so they are still usable?

Edited April 4, 2005 by graupel

[Fairweather]

Very true.

[Dave_Schuldt]

Outhouses are important. I think the arguement is that hikers use gas to get to the trail head so they should get some of the money. I bet some ot the fee demo $ gets used for mixed use trails that alow motos.

[marylou]

While I'm happy to see $$$$ for trail maintenance, I have to wonder how hikers can lay claim to any NOVA dollars.

 

Good lobbying. Plus the law currently allocates 20% of the money raised through NOVA to go for non-motorized activities.

 

Here's some basic info on this from WTA's website. web page

[Dave_Schuldt]

To persons interested in the Nonhighway and Off-Road Vehicle Activities Program

(NOVA) and the National Recreational Trails Program:

 

Last year, after passage of the NOVA bill (Substitute House Bill 2489), the

Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation (IAC) and the NOVA Advisory

Committee proceeded directly to updating the related policy manuals and

processing the first group of applications. At that time, things moved so

quickly that there was no time to update the NOVA Plan for consistency with the

new law.

 

Now, however, we have started that update process. That is, we have reviewed

the current plan and have prepared a draft for adoption by IAC. In this draft,

we have focused on updating:

 

a.. · the acknowledgements page

b.. · definitions

c.. · the text to make it consistent with the new law, eliminate redundancies

and make clarifications, and

d.. · the organization, primarily by integrating the nonhighway road,

nonmotorized and ORV policies into a single section.

 

On the web

[http://www.iac.wa.gov/Documents/IAC/Grants/NOVA/Draft_plan_cvr_ltr.pdf] we have

placed two links to Word documents showing the revisions. One is a little

easier to read as it is the "clean" document without additions and deletions.

The other document shows the additions and deletions. Please respond to me

with any comments you may have by July 1. Our intent is to seek IAC board

approval when it meets on September 15-16.

[Suz]

It doesn't matter how high the water gets right now without it. There's a bridge over the Middle Fork at Dingford Creek, and the trail continues up to and past Goldmyer to join the road again.

 

Since they'll be gating the road there anyway, why is it helpful to put in a bridge?? You still won't be able to drive farther up the road on the north side. Ah, another $100,000 wisely spent...

[ken4ord]

Hey, that is great, Goldmyer Hot Springs finally gets a bridge. That will make it accessible no matter how high the water gets.

 

 

 

That sucks!!! I was excited that they were closing the road a Dingford which was going to make the Springs more inaccessible, at least for the general population, now they are putting in a bridge. It takes the adventure out of going up to that place. I have several fond memories of going up there on a winters day by myself in shorts and tevas, fording the freezing cold river with water up to my waist, scared shitless that if I fell in that I would probably get pinned under some blow down that would inevetiably be down stream. Then relief would settle in once I had fired up my first and I was soaking in the hot water up there. Days like that I would have the place all to myself. That bums me that they are going to ruin that.

[catbirdseat]

The Goldmyer folks really want that bridge. They are afraid there might not be enough visitors to defray the costs of maintaining the place. I think that with the bridge, the number of visitors will still be less than now.

[ken4ord]

Yeah, it still sux though.

[estivate]

It doesn't matter how high the water gets right now without it. There's a bridge over the Middle Fork at Dingford Creek, and the trail continues up to and past Goldmyer to join the road again.

 

Since they'll be gating the road there anyway, why is it helpful to put in a bridge?? You still won't be able to drive farther up the road on the north side. Ah, another $100,000 wisely spent...

 

Burntboot Creek, unbridged on the Middle Fork trail, can be a significan obstacle at high water. In addition, I expect a road walk, or ride, is probably faster and more idiot-proof than a trail walk, or ride of equivalent length.

 

But essentially I agree with you. It's a questionable use for that much money. I speculate that implicitly is is a sweetener or quid-pro-quo to Goldmyer to get them to go along with the closure. Not that anybody would admit that.