Press Releases

Stevens Pass Proposes Mountain Bike Park (Washington)

US Forest Service – Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Contact: Renee Bodine
Office: 425-783-6015

Stevens Pass may build a new mountain bike park and replace an old water treatment system next year, and the public is being asked to comment on it. The Forest Service will make a decision about the proposed plan based on what the public says about the environmental assessment. “We want people to participate in this process,” said Sean Wetterberg, team lead for the plan. The public has 30 days from when the plan was published, Dec. 17, 2009, to comment.

The plan proposes a mountain bike park that includes seven miles of downhill-mountain biking trails just south of the Granite Peaks ski lodge. The pass will build trails between five and eight feet wide with natural berms and jumps, two miles of single-track trails and develop three areas to teach technical skills and safe riding techniques.

Read more…

Goldmark Works to Improve Recreation Opportunities on DNR-Managed Lands (Washington)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 22, 2009

DNR Advances Recommendations From Sustainable Recreation Work Group

OLYMPIA, WA – Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark today announced agency-requested legislation aimed at improving funding for recreation on trust lands managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The bill requests authorization for DNR to charge recreation access fees in certain situations, explores a multi-agency access pass, creates a concessionaire pilot program, and revises DNR?s recreational immunity.

The bill is a direct result of consensus recommendations made by the Sustainable Recreation Work Group in a report submitted to the Washington State Legislature. Bill sponsors are Sen. Ken Jacobsen (D-Seattle) and Rep. Brian Blake (D-Aberdeen), both of whom represented the legislature on the Work Group, as did Rep. Judy Warnick (R-Moses Lake). Rep. Warnick is also one of the bill?s co-sponsors.

Read more at Goldmark Works to Improve Recreation Opportunities on DNR-Managed Lands (Washington)

Icy Roads Make for Hazardous Travel on Many Roads in the Palouse Ranger District (Idaho)

NEWS RELEASE
Clearwater National Forest, 12730 Highway 12, Orofino, ID 83544
Contact: Elayne Murphy (208)476-8200

Potlatch, ID – The combination of various weather conditions and events has made travel hazardous on many Forest Service roads throughout the Palouse Ranger District. Light to moderate snow that fell across the region, followed by extremely cold temperatures and clear weather, has created an extremely slick and dangerous layer of ice in many spots.

“To varying degrees, situations such as this occur every year on the district”, said Dave Brady, Engineer on the Palouse Ranger District. “However, with the weather we have had recently, conditions seem to be worse than normal. Right now, I’d urge anyone who is thinking of venturing out on our road system to think twice – and if they decide to head out, bring all the proper winter survival gear with them.” While the condition of all District roads is not known, the icy conditions seem to be affecting roads at lower elevations to a larger degree.

The likelihood of road conditions improving is not good for the foreseeable future. The forecast for the next couple of days calls for the possibility of light amounts of snow, followed by a period of relatively cold temperatures.

For updates regarding district road conditions, contact the Palouse Ranger District at (208) 875-1131.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/clearwater/News/Assets/091221_palouse_roads.pdf

New ARB Roof Rack for 2003-2009 Toyota 4Runner

Need more cargo room but limited to the space in your 4th generation 4Runner (2003-09)? Have a lot of outdoor toys, but don’t have an efficient way to carry them? Need a safe way to carry auxiliary fuels cans? ARB is proud to announce the release of 3 ARB Roof Racks for the 2003-09 Toyota 4Runner in steel with a mesh floor, steel with a rail floor and the all new alloy rack with a mesh floor.

Read more…

Echo Ridge Nordic Area Opens (Washington)

News Release – USDA Forest Service – Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
Contact: Joe Kastenholz, Chelan Ranger District Resource Assistant, 509-682-4900
Ken Dull, Chelan Ranger District Winter Recreation Manager, 509-548-4962
Website: www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee
Twitter updates: http://twitter.com/okawennf

Chelan, WA- This week’s winter storms have brought deep powder snow to the Chelan area, allowing the winter season’s beginning of cross country skiing. The Chelan Ranger District is happy to announce that Echo Ridge Nordic Area is officially open for cross country skiing with most of the system trails already flat packed with a corduroy surface. Fantastic scenery may be seen from many of the trails that will have tracks set as snow conditions allow. Almost all trails are open. “Zoom” and the “Inner and Outer Rim Trails” are scheduled to be open before Christmas.

Ski passes are required and available on-site at Echo Ridge Trailheads. Fees for Day Passes are $10.00 per adult, with no charge for skiers and snowshoers age 17 and under. Season passes are $70.00 and are available at the Chelan Ranger Station located at 428 W. Woodin Avenue. The Chelan Ranger Station is open Monday – Friday from 7:45 AM to 4:30 PM.

For current winter trail information, please contact the Chelan Ranger Station at 509-682-4900.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee/news/2009/12/04/index.shtml

Create Holiday Memories in Nature

For Release on December 16, 2009
Contact: Valerie Fellows (703) 358-2285

The weather may be chilly, but it’s still a great time to get outside and see birds, mammals and a host of other wildlife species in your own neighborhood. This holiday season, create lifetime memories and establish new family traditions by getting outdoors with your camera and capturing photos of yourself and your family and friends exploring nature.

Visit a national wildlife refuge, a national fish hatchery, or even a stream or woods in your own neighborhood. Then share your best photos of you and your family enjoying the natural world with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its Let’s Go Outside photo project, which already includes more than 4,000 images. Your photos will become part of an online image mosaic being compiled from thousands of photos.

Here’s all you have to do:

Read more…

Tahuya Clean Up a Success (Washington)

DNR called and you answered. Our Tahuya State Forest cleanup last weekend near Belfair was a success. Some 50 volunteers helped collect more than 50 cubic yards of garbage that had been dumped in the area (think of a sidewalk about 3-feet wide and one mile long). More than 50 tires, plus sofas, mattresses, bikes, propane tanks, even pianos. Coordinating the event was Jesse Sims, Recreation Manager for the DNR South Puget Sound Region. Following the cleanup, Sims said, “Any and everything you could imagine. I will not get into all the details!”

Read more at Tahuya clean up success. Thanks volunteers!