Posted: 2/8/2005 11:23:03 AM EDT
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I've been looking at all the various maps and gazettes I have and can find not one trail that goes by the shooting areas above the lower pit that has been closed for some time. Just how did Fiends of the Trail get the county council to close the area? Am I missing something? I mean if you look at the shooting and fishing sports (along with the skiers driving by) they bring a lot of money into the area. What do the hikers bring in, in terms of money. Most of the people I see on the trails have REI, North Face, etc. labels on their stuff. And I haven't seen an REI in Monroe or Sultan. It also seems the closure is not enforced and ignored by lots of people. Last time I was up that way I must have seen 50 people shooting in the closed area. So what's the real story here? Seems to me like the county could spend a couple thousand, do a little bulldozing and cleanup and have some great shooting ranges. They could even put a use fee on the range and make a bit. |
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You are 100% correct about there not being any trails close by, What Friends of the trail did, was mount a huge amount of time on cleaning up after Illegal dumping and putting the brunt of the blame on the shooters because what better place to dump garbage then a nice wide area off the roadway that not one goes to at night?... Now I spent lots of time out there cleaning up and a lot of it was shooters that were pigs, but most of the trash was from the 4X4 people that would camp along the shooting areas at night and leave all of their Beer bottles and trash behind while tearing up the area trying to do hill climb shit,( dont get me wrong, I think it sounds like fun, but Reiter pit is where you goto do that stuff, not along the basin rd where there are no 4x4 area's) Then there were the weekley people that were to cheap to pay the $17.00 dump fee for the dump that was right out of town. Since the DNR dont take control of the roadway and leaves it up to the county to maintain, DNR gave the choice to close down the area to the Sno Co board. So a group from King Co gets to come in and tell Sno Co what to do with State land.  They are now hitting very hard on teh Cedar ponds area, and when they get that done ( and they will) there will no common places left in this area to shoot...I have a couple spots that I shoot at now, and I dont share, I dont tell. If you want to go, you can go with me, but that is the only way you are going to find them. I clean up after myself, and they are nice, but kinda of a pain to get to. Make no mistake Friends of the Trail are rabid Anti-gunners, they just use the trail thing to get more attention. I have had the main guy ( cant remmember his name right now) in my face, and tried to be cool with him. He is a 2 faced silver tongue devil, He had the county both king and Snohomish along with the DNR in his pocket...He is also the same guy that wants a Ammo Tax by the round and the funds to go to his group. The basin rd is enforced, but due to the lack of deputies in the area, it will take a while to get to you. A little known secret among the LE crowd also is.... There is no law along the Basin rd after dark. They will go if they have to, but they will not go alone  If any of you guys see Friends of the trail kicking up in your area, get ready for a fight...only 3 people show'd up in Sno Co and I think myself DaBunny and maybe less then 6 others even wrote letters.  As for your comment about the county turning it into a great range... That is how it all started, they trucked in tons of rock, and were getting ready to turn it into a huge but simple range area with part for the Sheriffs office... Then the libs on the board out number'd and got the votes the next session to cut the funding just before the middle of the project, and another animal rights group threw a fit.... ( notice a pattern here on who is fighting, and who is not?) I was kinda young when that was in the works, and my facts may be a little off, but Im willing to bet STRAT could fill you in a little more in the early goings |
tom wales was profiled and had a pic of him out cleaning up with freinds of trails. I will do some research and see what i can find. I would really like a membership list of ceasfire and compare it to friends of trails list but i cannot find any member lists for ceasefire |
Im thinking of joining both groups..... |
Look at Friends Of The Trail's board of directors:
Looks like they've got some people with inside connections. |
And ther "Friends of Friends Of The Trail:
AND A BIG WTF???
These fuckers are really complicit in shutting down public shooting areas??? 
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on ceasfire/tom wales but i did read a article about friends of trails getting the sultan basin shut down and wade holden was on a rampage calling all the shooters out at the pit punks and stoners. I would link it but i do not know how. |