Posted: 3/26/2006 11:31:09 AM EDT
I'm trying to get a roll call of SW WA ARFCOMmers. If you live in Vancouver, Battle Ground, Ridgfield, Yacolt, Amboy, Camas, Washougal (I apologize to anyone if I forgot to add your community name), Skamania County, Cowlitz County, or if you think where you live is in SW WA (including any Oregonians that wish they lived here  or would come up here for a shooting or cleanup party), then let me know here, or IM me. I'd like to start organizing some things that would be fun and also some cleanups that our shooting spots out in the woods nead really bad (This includes any OR events or cleanups that are going on, we need to start some cross-border communications about what we are doing).Thanks in advance. I'm going shooting!  ETA: Fair warning: I'm gonna bump this topic every now and then. |
English Pit is closed?  I live in Washougal... it's farely close to me, and it is on my way into work(take Fern Prairie in), but I've never shot there. |
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Well, I don't want to clash with the May 7 date taht the PDX area folks are using for the Memaloose area shoot and clean up, some WA folks may want to go to that event, too. I'm thinking either the weekend before or after that. What I'd like to do soon is just meet somewhere in Vancouver, probably off of 205 and Mill Plain because it's kind of central even to PDX folks that might be interested, look at some maps to figure out where we start, and how much we think we can do. Jonathan and I know where we go shooting, but we don't know where everyone else goes, and how bad the mess is there. I would like to start with an idea of going to a different mess a month and cleaning it up after doing some shooting. I have a pickup with a canopy, and a small trailer. I can also put a "held together with baling wire and duct tape" body on it to carry a fair amount of trash. I'll try to get in touch with the WA DNR and the Forest Circus in SW WA to see is there is someplace we can dump the trash for no/little $. I'll post a map soon with the locations marked where I like to go shooting just to get the those ideas flowing, too. |
Here are the two places I have been going to go shooting. To give credit where it's due, I have National Geographic's Topo maps program. These are both on Northfork road, a few miles up from the area of the Mercatile store at about 1500 feet elevation. The snow is gone, and there is a lot of trash at the lower location, and someone recently spray painted "smoke meth" on a couple of rocks there. We don't have to start here, this is just a suggestion. I am sure there are worse places in the county that could use some attention. If anyone starts to go to these locations after seeing where they are on the map, please pick up your shells if you can, and take some trash out with you if possible. It will go a long way towards keeping our outdoor recreation possibilities open. I have no problem putting these locations up here because they are public property and everyone in the area knows about them, especially the illegal dumpers. The more folks that use these places to go shooting, the less illegal dumping that may occur? I hope. |
Little update: I sent an email to the WA DNR regional headquarters, and this is what I've gotten back:
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That is awesome! Got your email by the way... working on a map still. Basically, go up Bear Prairie and hit Skamania Mines, and when the road splits, stay left(kinda towards Yacolt). Then that turns into gravel after aways, then splits again, stay right this time(left takes you to Yacolt IIRC, been a while). It's about 3 or 4 miles(maybe more) from the beginning of Skamania Mines.. |
I got another email from the DNR, this one from the Public-Use and Stewardship Forester for the area, Shayne Cothern. Here it is:
What blows is that I will be in Port Angeles on that day at a CE class. This kinds sucks for me, because I started the whole idea, and now I won't be here for this event, which I would really like to do. Basically, if folks went out into the Yacolt Burn State Forest, or just about anywhere else in SW WA for that matter, and haul the trash to Rock Creek Campground, the DNR will haul it to Larch Moutain Correctional Center and put it in their dumpsters for free. They will also feed you at the campground to thank you for your efforts. For those that can't participate in the Pick Up the Burn event on 4-22, there will be other dates when I or others will be going to do cleanups. What say you folks? Does 4-22 sound good to you, or should we plan on another day, or both, or what? Understand, there are no good days for everyone to do this kind of thing. |
Yes!
Cool. I wasn't able to check my shcedule when I talked to him on the phone. There is also a spot on a planning commitee for recreational shooters if a grant comes through for them. It will be part of the planning process and what may become the new WAC and DNR policy for public recreational use of DNR lands throughout the state. If there is someone that wants to tackle this task, I can get you some contact info for an application. |
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Here is who to contact for more info on the Pick Up the Burn event [email protected]. If you know there is big stuff like a burned out car, etc., maybe he can make arrangements for the right equipment to get rid of it? This would really mean a lot to me if even one person showed up to this cleanup day, and mentioned to the WA DNR folks that you are from the AR15.com forum. I have Ed Avila's permsission to use the site name for anything we want to do that is good  I may be able to juggle some classes around to make it, but we had other plans in Port Angeles, like visiting with my dear sweet grandmother. The one with a Ruger Blackhawk on her hip and a shotgun in her hands if she doesn't know who's at the door!
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