Volunteer at a National Trails Day event and make a difference!

Trails Day 2012 volunteers in Blanchard Forest. Photo by: Diana Lofflin, DNR

The American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day® is June 1. With the recent heat wave, it’s a great time to get out there and enjoy some of Washington’s beautiful trails. Celebrate National Trails Day® by volunteering to improve and develop the trails you love, at one of the many Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) events.

National Trails Day® is a celebration of the vast system of trails in the United States. All across the country organizations, as well as individuals, are organizing events to encourage people to experience the nature that surrounds them.

National Trails Day® is also a day to celebrate the volunteers that make it all possible. For every breathtaking view we have the chance to experience, there’s a volunteer who gave their time to share it with us.

Introduce a friend to Washington’s beautiful trails and invite them to one of these National Trails Day® volunteer events on June 1.

Tiger Mountain National Trails Day Event® – Near Tacoma

Help DNR and the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance construct a new non-motorized trail in East Tiger Mountain State Forest. To join in the fun, please sign-up through the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance.

Volunteers work on the Tarbell Trail. Photo: Josh Riepe, DNR

Little Pend Oreille ORV Trail Maintenance Day June 1- National Trails Day – Near Colville

Come out to Little Pend Oreille ORV Trail and help get the trails ready for the busy season. Volunteers will clear trails of brush, limbs, and other debris. We will also be working to replace boards on bridges, clean out culvert headwalls, and digg out or install waterbars.

Blanchard Forest National Trails Day® Event – Near Bellingham

Join a variety of groups as they work together to clean up Blanchard Forest. There is work for all skill and fitness levels. North Cascade Soaring Club, Pacific Northwest Trail Association, Skagit Chapter BCHW, Whatcom Chapter BCHW, and Whatcom Trails Cooperative are co-sponsoring the event.

Selah Cliffs NAP National Trails Day Event® – Near Yakima

Help pull knapweed along the valley bottom and clean-up the interpretative trail at Selah Cliffs Natural Area Preserve. Bring along work gloves, sturdy work shoes, lunch, water, sunscreen, and small digging tool if possible. Some tools will be available to use.

Reiter Foothills National Trails Day Event® – Near Gold Bar

Volunteers will work on ATV trails. Please bring your ATV and trailer to haul rock. If you don’t have one, there will also be opportunities to use powered wheel barrows, install signs, and other activities to build trails.

Tarbell Trail National Trails Day® Volunteer Event, Yacolt Burn – Near Vancouver

The Chinook Trail Association and volunteers will work on the Tarbell Trail between the L1300 Road and Cold Creek Day use area. We will harden the trail, do drainage maintenance, and possibly install skid resisters on puncheons.

Wedekind Trail National Trails Day® Volunteer Event, Capitol State Forest – Near Olympia

Join the Friends of Capitol Forest in replacing a section of old wooden puncheons with a number of culverts and improving drainage along the trail. Volunteers will also work on rehabbing the Wedekind Trail to remove fallen rocks and debris from the C-Line fire and fire fighting operations.

National Trails Day® on Mailbox Peak – Near North Bend

Join DNR and the Mountains to Sound Greenway at mailbox peak to continue construction of the new sustainable hiking trail. Visit the Mountains to Sound Greenway website to sign up for the event.

Nicholson Horse Trails Maintenance - Near Elbe

Join DNR and the Pierce County Backcountry Horsemen to do maintenance on Nicholson Horse Trail. Backcountry Horsemen will provide a late lunch at the end of the day for the trail workers.  Coffee and sweets in the morning!

Mt Tahoma Trails Maintenance June 1 and June 2- Near Ashford

Mt. Tahoma Trails Association and DNR will be working together to do trail maintenance on June 1 and June 2. To join in the fun meet at the Ashford Fire Station, at 29815 Hwy 706 E, by 10 a.m. Dinner on Saturday will be provided in Ashford by the Mt Tahoma Trails Association.

We’ll see you on the Trails!

If you’d like to know more about volunteer opportunities on DNR managed lands check out the DNR volunteer events page.

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Recreation Alert in Blanchard Forest: Road maintenance will limit weekday access

Volunteers help with a temporary fix to the roads up to the Blanchard Forest. Photo: Diana Lofflin, DNR.

May  16 – The BL-16 (formerly the B-1000) is closed 6:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

 BLML – closed for the day

May 13 – 16 Intermittent delays – roads will be open.

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be replacing old culverts and fixing worn roads in the Blanchard Forest Block.

Construction will begin May 6 and run through July 1.

During the weekday construction, you can expect intermittent road closures for up to 10 hours, and expect up to 20-minute delays otherwise. The Blanchard Lower Trailhead will be accessible throughout the process, allowing for trail access  (see map).

Good news: The construction will only take place Monday through Thursday, from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Weekend warriors will still have the opportunity to play at Blanchard without any delays Friday through Sunday.

If you are looking to use the paragliding launch site or access the upper trails on a weekday, check back on this blog and we will post construction updates below.

May 16 – The BL-16 (formerly the B-1000) will be closed - 6:30 a.m – 4 p.m.
May 13 – 16 Intermittent road closures and delays expected
May 20 – 23 Intermittent road closures and delays expected
May 27 – 30 Intermittent road closures and delays expected
June 3 – 6 Intermittent road closures and delays expected
June 10 – 13 Intermittent road closures and delays expected
June 17 – 20 Intermittent road closures and delays expected
June 24 – 27 Intermittent road closures and delays expected

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Hooves and wings unite to clean up Samish Overlook

Equestrian riders and paragliders come together to volunteer at Samish Overlook. Photos: Rick Foster, DNR.

Samish Overlook in Blanchard Forest near Bellingham (map), not only offers stunning views of the San Juan Islands, but also is a place where hikers, paragliders, and equestrian riders work together to preserve this beautiful recreation area.

On March 9, almost 40 volunteers came out to clean-up Blanchard Forest and the overlook. The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) would like to thank each of these volunteers for their hard work and the following partner organizations:

• North Cascade Soaring Club
• Whatcom Back Country Horsemen
• Skagit Back Country Horsemen 

Check out photos from the event and the fun volunteers had after they cleaned up the site!

Equestrian riders clean up trails

A horse and rider take a break after spending the morning clearing trails at Blanchard Mountain. Photo: Rick Foster, DNR

Ten volunteers brought their horses and rode up from the lower trailhead to clear brush and wind throw from the trails. They split into 2 groups and covered 7 miles of trail with enough time to meet up with other volunteers at the overlook for lunch. They continued working in the afternoon with the rest of the volunteers at Samish Overlook.

Paragliders and other volunteers clean up Samish Overlook

Volunteers clean up a paragliding launch site at Samish Overlook. Photo: Rick Foster, DNR.

At Samish Overlook, about 30 folks spent time spring cleaning the overlook. The work consisted of removing grass in the gravel paths and putting down 6 yards of new gravel. Other volunteers were weed eating and clearing short brush from the paragliding launch sites. Volunteers also filled in ruts at one of the launches, cleared around plants that were put in last year, and picked up garbage around the site.

Volunteers were able to get a lot of work accomplished with time to take advantage of the great weather to play…check out the photos!

Find out about upcoming volunteer opportunities in your area or join us and invite your on April 13 for another Samish Overlook volunteer event.

Related blog: Thank you volunteers! Blanchard Forest has new horse mounting blocks

 

Don’t forget your Discover Pass, your ticket to millions of acres of state-managed recreation land.

 

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Thank you volunteers! Blanchard Forest has new horse mounting blocks

Volunteers at Blanchard Forest install much needed equestrian mounting blocks. Photo: Christ Thomsen, DNR.

The Whatcom County Pony Club stepped up to make a difference at Blanchard Forest near Bellingham (map). 

Club members and Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) staff  realized there was a great need for mounting blocks at equestrian trailheads on state trust land in Whatcom and Skagit counties. Equestrian mounting blocks are safer for horse riders to use than trailer hubs, slippery rocks, logs, and other potentially unsafe substitutes.

Check out our photos!

The first two blocks were installed at Blanchard Forest in October 2012 with another seven mounting blocks scheduled to be installed soon.

Volunteers and Washington Conservation Corps crew members made the mounting blocks from lumber and gravel donated by the community.

DNR would like to thank volunteers from the local community, the Whatcom County Pony Club, WCC crews, and the Back Country Horsemen of Whatcom County for this revitalizing project.

Want to get involved? Check out our volunteer calendar for upcoming volunteer events or join us on March 9 at Samish Overlook on Blanchard Forest for a Spring clean-up.

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Blanchard Forest Advisory Group supports DNR concept

A view of Mount Baker from the upper ‘core area’ of Blanchard Forest. Photo: DNR.

The Blanchard Forest Advisory Committee met recently to look over recommendations about Blanchard Forest and, more specifically, about how the upper portion of the mountain will be managed.

The 4,800-acre state trust lands on Blanchard Forest are managed sustainably to provide funding for the local school district and county services, and  also to offer non-motorized recreation and research opportunities.

DNR had been evaluating whether to transfer about 1,600 acres the upper ‘core’ of the forest out of State Trust lands status and into a Natural Resources Conservation Area (NRCA), its ecosystems to be protected and limited to hiking, nature observation and research. After considering some drawbacks to the NRCA concept, and recognizing ways to achieve conservation goals as well as other recreation benefits, DNR brought the proposal to the group to gain a broader local perspective.

Expressing concern about the various limits on how NRCAs can be managed, advisory committee members gave their support to keeping the 1600-acre ‘core’ area on the mountain as state trust lands, but managed in a manner similar to an NRCA. Committee members wanted to see an emphasis on wildlife habitat, older forest conditions, vistas, and maintenance of forest ecosystem health while allowing non-motorized, low impact recreation such as hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, and hang gliding. They also encouraged DNR to continue purchasing replacement properties to replace those set aside in the core area of the forest under previous agreements. This approach is consistent with the Blanchard Strategies Group recommendations developed in the late 2000s and would allow the trust to continue to produce natural resources revenue to support the beneficiaries.

Members of the 11-person Advisory Committee were appointed by the Commissioner of Public Lands to provide diverse local perspectives about proposed activities on state trust lands in Blanchard Forest, in Skagit County. Members represent organized non-motorized recreation, a trust beneficiary, a forest land manager, a forest industry representative, a land trust, a conservation/forest ecologist, a community member, a state agency, a local business and an education representative.

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