Gifford Pinchot National Forest Summer 2003 Feature Story Ideas

Vancouver, WA -- See how experts rehabilitate a salmon stream; talk to teachers spending their summer in the woods, see your Northwest Forest Pass fee dollars at work.

These and many other activities are occurring throughout the Gifford Pinchot National Forest this summer. They make great feature stories, and give reporters a chance to get out of the office and into the woods. The following is a list of story ideas, dates, and contact names.

Note: Office names are abbreviated as follows:

• Forest Headquarters, Vancouver: FH
• Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Amboy: MSH
• Mt Adams Ranger District, Trout Lake/Wind River area: MARD
• Cowlitz Valley Ranger District, Randle/Packwood area: CVRD

County Sponsored Forest Improvement Projects: There are a number of Forest Improvement Projects taking place on the Forest this summer including stream riparian and channel rehabilitation, survey and implementation of noxious weed control programs in SW Washington, replacement of the septic system at the Trout Lake Park in Trout Lake, Wash., habitat improvement projects. These are all funded by Title II dollars from the two Gifford Pinchot National Forest Resource Advisory Committees (RACs) under the Secure Rural Schools and County Self-Determination Act of 2000, which gives counties a payment in lieu of taxes on federal lands. Contact: Sue Ripp (360) 891-5153 or Dave Olson (360) 891-5154.

Skamania County Forest Youth Program: Summer-students from high schools in Skamania County will work with Forest employees on broad ranges of Forest improvement projects including; recreation trails, engineering survey projects, facilities and campground maintenance. Contact: Tom Linde, MARD (509) 427-3200.

Forest Road Crews work hard to keep Forest roads open: After heavy winter damage to Forest Roads 30 and 88 Forest Road Crews are hard at work repairing the damage and plan to have both these roads open in July. Contact Neil Oliver (509) 395-3370.

A new horse campground is opening north of Trout Lake, Washington, with the help of the Mt. Adams chapter of the Backcountry Horsemen and new trails are under construction – June through September. Contact: Jon Nakae, MARD (509) 395-3480.

Backcountry Horsemen of America chapters have several work parties planned throughout the summer to maintain portions of the Pacific Crest Trail and transport fish to restock high mountain lakes. Contacts include Jon Nakae, MARD (509) 395-3480, or Jim Nieland, MSH (360) 449-7800.

“Pick Up the Pinchot” for National Public Lands Day – September 20, 2003: This annual event encourages volunteers to help improve their national forest. “Pick Up the Pinchot” will offer volunteers the opportunity to help cleanup their national forest. The Cowlitz Valley Ranger District will host a litter pick up, Mount St. Helens NVM is sponsoring a clean up, and the Mt. Adams Ranger District will also host a litter cleanup on the District. Contact: Dave Olson, FH, 360-891-5154, Jon Nakae, MARD (509) 395-3480, Hans Castren at MSH (360) 449-7800 or Steve Hoecker CVRD (360) 497-1100.

Special Forest Products program: Makes available such forest products as huckleberries, mushrooms, bear grass, and bough sales. Find out how the public can gain permission to gather products from the Forest. Contacts: Julie Ashe, CVRD (360) 497-1100 or Bob Gavenas, MARD (509) 427-3200.

Wilderness Stewards Partnership with Washington State helps provide additional rangers for wilderness patrol during the summer in the Mt. Adams, Indian Heaven, Goat Rocks and William O. Douglas Wildernesses as well as the Mount Margaret Backcountry in the Mount St. Helens NVM. Contact: Jon Nakae, MARD (509) 395-3352 or Diane Bedell CVRD (360) 497-1173.

See your Northwest Forest Pass Fee dollars at work. A number of improvement projects are planned at various recreation sites around the Forest this summer. Several of these projects include providing climbing Rangers on Mt. Adams, road maintenance on Forest Road 82 leading to the Mt. Adams South Climb and rebuilding a bridge over Grand Meadows Creek on the Pacific Crest Trail. These improvements will be completed using fees collected through the Northwest Forest Pass Fee Demo program. Contact: Jon Nakae, MARD (509) 395-3480.

Trail maintenance work: See your dollars in action accomplishing projects during July and August. An agreement with Skamania County Adult Corrections allows inmates opportunities to do service by working on the national forest in a residential program called “Forest Project”. Contact: Tom Linde, MARD (509) 427-3353.

Visit a thinning timber sale: Located in Canyon Creek area of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest just east of Amboy, Wash., the Crayon Timber Sale on Mount St. Helens NVM. Look at young stand thinning for the purpose of reducing overall stocking density, accelerating the development of habitat conditions for late succession habitat and optimal thermal cover. It will involve various techniques such as variable density thinning, development of gaps through the creation of small openings as well as the planting of species such as western red cedar. Contact: Bob Obedzinski, FH (360) 891-5124.

Restoration of high Mountain meadows: The high meadow habitat preservation and restoration project on the CVRD will take place in mid-August. This project will focus on controlling encroachment of young trees as well as the removal of noxious weeds in five high-elevation dry meadows. Contact: Andrea Ruchty, Botanist MARD (509) 395-3414.

Participate in a “Weed Rodeo:” This years Cowlitz Valley "weed rodeo" is scheduled for July 16. This is a cooperative project between CVRD, Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington State D.O.T, and Lewis County Noxious Weed Control Board. Local community members are encouraged to volunteer to pull spotted and diffuse knapweed at the intersection of U.S. Hwys 12 and 123 - the purpose is to help prevent these noxious weed species from spreading into the National Park. Contact: Andrea Ruchty, Botanist MARD (509) 395-3414.

Teachers in the Woods: In late June and early July local science teachers will start the season by assisting with a Martin Skipper butterfly monitoring project near Mt. Adams. They will also monitor Avian productivity and survivorship at the St. Cloud Recreation Area in the Columbia River Gorge near Skamania, Wash., survey tree conditions at Planting Creek seed orchard, survey for blister rust – an exotic fungus – and other diseases on white bark pine and other higher elevation conifer trees (namely gall aphid on sub alpine and silver fir), and work on the Trout Creek stream restoration project near the Wind River work center north of Carson, Wash. Contact: Diana Perez, FH (360) 891-5108 or C.L. Swatland with Wolftree, Inc, cswatland@beoutside.org (503)-239-1820.

Yacolt Burn “Could it Happen Again?” – June through October. This exhibit, created by a National Fire Plan Grant, is currently on display at Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center located in Stevenson, Wash. It is designed to inform people about fire, the history of the Yacolt Burn, and show them ways to protect their home in the event of another large wildfire in Southwest Washington. The 1902 Yacolt Burn is the largest recorded wildfire in the history of the state of Washington. The Interpretive center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Contact: Roger Peterson, FH (360) 891-5007 or Wade Alonzo Washington Depart of Natural Resources Fire Prevention Specialist (360) 609-4174.

Pedal the Pinchot VI: Ride through the Cascade Mountains and enjoy spectacular views of Mount St. Helens and ancient northwest forests. This annual event sponsored by the Rotary Club of Woodland, Wash. will take place on Saturday July 20. The event raises funds that benefit recreation and wildlife on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Contact: Sue Ripp (360) 891-5153.

Volunteer Trail maintenance days: In cooperation with the Washington Trails Association a series of projects will happen on the Mount St. Helens NVM this summer, beginning at the Coldwater Lake Trail from June 28 – July 5. The Washington Trails Association will again be working on the Craggy Peak Trail July 26 and 27, and the Boundary Trail August 16-17. The Ptarmigan Climbing Club will help do trail maintenance on the Ptarmigan Trail on August 23. Contact: Tom Hauss MSH (360) 449-7800.

Urban Youth Campout: Youngsters’ ages 2-12 will have the opportunity to camp-out in their national forest as part of the annual Bud's Urban Youth Camp-out. Sponsors include the Community A.M.E.Z. Church in Vancouver and Vancouver/Clark Parks and Recreation. During this camp-out the kids will tour Ape Cave, and hike the Trail of Two Forests. Contact: Earl Ford, FH (360) 891-5105.

Teen Tree Stewards: The Teen Urban Forestry Club is sponsored by Vancouver/Clark Parks and Recreation Teen Services and composed of teens ages 13-18. The teens go through a weeklong course on tree measurement and inventory. They will participate in an overnight campout to practice the skills they've acquired during the training. After returning home, they will undertake projects in their own community using those skills. Contact: Earl Ford, FH (360) 891-5105.

Improvements to fish passage on Forest Road 42: This activity will improve the road, reduce sediment and improve fish passage. Contact: Karen Thompson, MSH (360) 449-7826