THE FRIENDS OF MT. SPOKANE STATE PARK

Annual Report for 2003

Three meetings of the combined Friends of Mt. Spokane State Park and the Mt. Spokane State Park Advisory Committee were held in 2003. While the master trail planning process has been stalled due to unsecured funding, Friends Group members did assist in the reconstruction of a problem bridge on Trail 100.

A Friends Group volunteer also presented a second chain saw safety course for other park volunteer trail crew members. Volunteers made the arduous hike to the Ragged Ridge Natural Area Preserve three times during the summer to spray and pull Spotted Knapweed. There was a noticeable decrease in the number of plants over last year.

Planning discussions continued concerning the fire lookout project. Initial arrangements were made with the Washington Air National Guard to donate Chinook helicopter services this summer for transport of the fire lookout from its current storage place to the summit of Quartz Mountain. The Friends Group also helped locate the original fire finder as well as a set of original structural plans for the lookout’s reconstruction.

The Friends Group continued its discussion of a financial contribution to the lookout project. A replacement certificate signifying that the Vista House is on the National Historic Lookout Register was also located so that it can be re-installed in the Vista House. Other topics for discussion during the year included the new state wide parking pass requirement that started January 1, 2003, new access passes to recreate on neighboring Inland Paper Company land, possibilities for building a new snow play area, and the use of the park for formal outdoor learning experiences.

As a result of a Friends Group member suggestion, parks staff was able to insulate the roof of the NOVA Hut during the fall, making it much warmer for cross country skiers. A four page newsletter was published and mailed in February and the Friends web site was updated with the new information.

Jeff Gibson (business community representative) and Aaron Trainer (ex-officio neighboring property owner representative) were elected to serve on the Friends Group Board/Advisory Committee in January. Continuing members also include: Mark Augenstine, Bill Birk, Anita Boyden (treasurer), Mike Brixey, Ken Carmichael, Cris Currie (president), Tom Frost, Gino Lisiecki, Barbee Scheibner, and Aaron Spurway (secretary). The Group sadly had to accept the loss of Phil Bolich to cancer. He was one of the founding members of the Advisory Committee and will be greatly missed. Other continuing ex-officio members include Aaron Trainor, neighboring property owner; Brad McQuarrie, Director of Mountain Operations for the alpine area; and Dennis Parent, Forestry Operations Manager for Inland Empire Paper.

           Friends Group and Advisory Committee Roster for 2003
Mark Augenstine, Motorized Winter Recreation
Bill Birk, Nature Based Recreation
Phil Bolich, Passive Summer Recreation
Anita Boyden, Treasurer
Mike Brixey, Mountain Biking
Ken Carmichael, Equestrians
Cris Currie, President
Tom Frost, Non-motorized Winter Recreation
Gino Lisiecki, Active Summer Recreation
Jeff Gibson, Business Community
Barbee Scheibner, At Large
Aaron Spurway, Secretary
Aaron Trainor, Neighboring Property Owner

Annual Report for 2002
The long awaited final version of the new Mt. Spokane State Park brochure was finally completed last spring just in time for the start of the summer season and the Park’s 75^th anniversary.  The Friends Group had worked on this project, including the trail mapping, for nearly five years.  After substantial input from Friends Group volunteers, the final map and layout were completed by the Parks Commission Public Affairs Department staff, and the printing was done by the Washington State Department of Printing.  The best news is that we now have a product we can be very proud of!  Not only does the brochure contain an accurate, detailed trail map and 6 loop trail descriptions, but 9 photographs of the Park grace its 11" X 17" format.  Five corporate sponsors, whose names are on the back along with information about the Friends Group, generously contributed to the costs.  The brochure was particularly useful this summer since once again, the main park road was closed for reconstruction, and visitors needed to be directed to alternate access points.  Another very important aspect of the brochure is that it outlines the rules for all trail users and clearly identifies the Natural Forest Areas and the Natural Area Preserve within the Park.  Coupled with the Friends Group trail courtesy signs that are now posted at various trail heads, this will make it easier for the rangers to  educate visitors to the Park’s rules and better protect it’s natural and cultural resources from abuse. 
        The Friends Group also made significant progress in eradicating Spotted Knapweed from the Natural Area Preserve on Ragged Ridge.  Since this noxious weed propagates both by seed and by underground rhizomes that remain viable even after the plant is pulled, Parks Commission staff authorized the use of a new herbicide called Redeem, donated by the Wilbur-Ellis Company.  Thanks to Bill Birk and his llamas, enough water could be hauled out to Ragged Ridge to mix with the herbicide concentrate to cover all of the affected areas.  Volunteers then went back two more times over the summer to spray what came up after the initial treatment.  The kill rate was quite impressive, with very little damage to surrounding flora.  Since the seeds last several years, the project will continue indefinitely until the plant no longer germinates.  Summer trail access to the ridge from outside the Park has been nearly eliminated, so the dispersal of new seeds is now expected to be minimal.
        The third project for the year involved enhancing the safety for summer users of Trail 110 by modifying the layout of its switchbacks.  Trail 110 is a very heavily  used, mostly single track, multi-use trail that connects the upper Kit Carson Loop Road with the lower Kit Carson Loop Road.  Friends Group volunteers, including Mike Brixey (representing the mountain bikers), Phil Bolich (representing the equestrians), and Bill Birk (representing nature based recreation)  assisted Park staff in laying out the modifications that were recommended by the International Mountain Biking Association Trail Crew last summer.  After a few weeks of Inter-Agency Committee (IAC) grant funded work by members of the Washington Conservation Corps, the DNR prison crew, and Park staff, the result is a trail with a much more gradual overall decent and improved drainage, and a trail that is much easier to maintain and safer to ride and hike. 
        One additional set of trail improvements over the summer involved erecting more trail junction signs.  Friends Group volunteers determined that 9 different trail junctions still posed confusing choices for trail users, so the appropriate signs were ordered by Park staff and then installed by the volunteers.
        

ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2001

Activities Report

During 2001, the Friends accomplished most of the goals that were set for the year, starting with a snowy welcoming party for new park manager Steve Christensen and his family.  The Friends newsletter was also mailed in January, and in response, $310.00 in membership contributions were raised. A Friends Group bulletin board was custom designed and built by volunteer Bill Birk for the entryway at Bear Creek Lodge (formerly Kirk's Lodge).  It is now full of maps and other information about the park so that lodge guests can easily orient themselves to the park's resources.  The Friends also prepared additional information for the outside park office bulletin board.  Hand colored, laminated, topographic, park trail maps were posted on 3 other outside bulletin boards, but they were quickly stolen.  Bill also taught a chain saw safety course in the spring so that volunteers could be certified to operate a chain saw in the park for trail clearing.  Six volunteers attended and graduated from this all day review.  In March, the Friends organized a meeting of park staff, the Inland Empire Paper Company (IEP), natural resource interests, and the Winter Knights Snowmobile Club to address concerns having to do with snowmobiling in sensitive areas both within and immediately outside the park. IEP is now prohibiting snowmobiling in its plantation areas where riders have topped the young trees. The club agreed to put up more signs and make additional notations to their trail map to better indicate where snowmobiling is not permitted.  Park staff also developed a reporting mechanism for violations and some improvement has been noticed.

The Friends Group wrote, printed and made available in the park the first edition of its park brochure.  It contained a trail map and information on park history, recreation activities, facilities, hours, and natural resources.  This was the first brochure the park has had since 1989.  The second edition is currently being produced and corporate sponsors are being secured.  On Earth Day, the Friends Group had a booth during the festivities at Riverfront Park where the new brochure was distributed. In early June, the yield triangle trail courtesy signs, purchased by the Friends Group, were installed at key points on the trail system.  The signs are designed to be part of an educational effort to help hikers, equestrians, and cyclists properly yield to each other while using the trails, in an effort to minimize trail conflict.

During the summer, volunteers collected data on the damage to the Ragged Ridge Natural Area Preserve from illegal trail use. The information is being used for grant writing and for the preparation of  restoration plans for the area.  Volunteers also hiked out to the ridge three times to pull Spotted Knapweed from several small areas.  Park staff continued to plan for improvements to Trail 110, but no volunteer assistance was necessary.  Due to the ongoing need for park road closures, the appreciation day project was abandoned. Joey Klein and Lisa Cramton from the International Mountain Bicycling Association's (IMBA) Trail Care Crew visited Mt. Spokane for 3 days last August and taught a trail building class. The class was organized by Friends board member, Mike Brixey, and attended by 12 enthusiastic trail users.

The Friends also engaged in some political lobbying by highlighting the financial plight of the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.  Friends Group members wrote to their local legislators encouraging them to vote for more state support for parks and encouraged the general public to do likewise via its web site and newsletter.

The Friends of Mt. Spokane State Park and the Mt. Spokane State Park Advisory Committee continued to work closely together on management planning projects throughout 2000.  At its March meeting, the Friends Board modified its bylaws and board composition to mirror those of the Advisory Committee, such that the two groups can now officially operate much more as a single entity.  The Friends Group Board is not empowered to render advice to the Parks Commission, and the Advisory Committee cannot raise money, so the two groups will continue to maintain their separate functions while consisting of the same personnel.
 
Once the CAMP process land classification plan was approved in the fall of 1999, the task of creating an interim trail plan was initiated.  Additional input from mountain bikers and snowmobilers was obtained during two trail planning meetings in November of 1999, and additional data were gathered from the field.  Olympia staff then presented their draft interim trail planning document to the Advisory Committee at its February 2000 meeting for comments.  The plan was revised several times, presented at a public meeting on July 26, and eventually approved by the Commission in October, 2000.  The interim plan will be in effect until the long range trail plan is completed.  The Friends Group will assist in the plan’s implementation.

The Interim Trail Plan has placed additional restrictions on snowmobile use within Mt. Spokane State Park, but it has also provided an opportunity for a new snowmobile route to the summit.  Snowmobiles are now restricted to the existing groomed snowmobile trail, the Kit Carson and Day Mountain meadows, and the CCC meadows, as well as a couple of designated ungroomed trails.  All other cross country snowmobile use is prohibited.  Recreational snowmobile use is not permitted within the boundaries of either the nordic ski area or the alpine ski area.  However, Mt. Spokane 2000 (the alpine area operator) and the Parks Commission did reach agreement to designate a snowmobiling corridor (on a trial basis) from the Cook’s Cabin area to the south end of the summit.  Snowmobilers will be required to stay within this marked corridor or risk losing the corridor completely.  It is critical for skier safety and enjoyment that snowmobilers not enter the ski area and that skiers not enter the snowmobile corridor.  Studies of plant growth within the corridor boundaries have also been initiated to help determine any possible effects of snowmobile use on the fragile sub-alpine vegetation. Additionally, snow depths will be monitored so that the meadows can be closed to snowmobiling when depths are insufficient. 

Park staff also reached an agreement with officials at Inland Empire Paper to prohibit snowmobiling on the north summit of Shadow Mountain at the far end of the nordic area.   And as part of the recent road repair, a new parking area was added to the Lower Kit Carson Loop Trail Head (the hairpin).  A $20 Sno-Park permit is required to park in this lot during the winter.  Trails 100 and 110 (accessible from the new parking area), and trails 120a and 120b (accessible from the park entrance), have been designated for snowshoeing and back country skiing.

During the spring of 2000, the Friends Group Trails Committee produced a trail map with all of the junctions numbered as well as a slightly revised trail numbering system. Then during the summer, several trail improvement projects were completed by Friends Group volunteers.  About 25 new or modified trail number signs were erected at trail heads and intersections.  These signs have made navigating the trails much easier even as the group continues to work on a new brochure, map, and trail guide.  Several log water bars and steps were installed on Trail 100 to help control some badly eroded areas.  Numerous unofficial trails were filled in with slash and rocks to also help control erosion.  Volunteers erected a railing and re-routed the lower part of Trail 110 near the park entrance to help prevent accidents from cyclists coming down the hill and riding out into the main road.  A patch of Spotted Knapweed was discovered  next to the trail on Ragged Ridge, so volunteers hiked out four different times through the summer to hand pull these highly invasive noxious weeds.  Additionally, the Trails Committee designed and produced 20 aluminum trail courtesy signs depicting the yield triangle that will be installed next summer throughout the park.  An accompanying poster was also produced which further explains recommended trail etiquette. 

A bronze plaque, honoring the many volunteers (especially Carl and Roxie Miller) who planned and built the Selkirk Lodge was designed, purchased, and installed in the Selkirk Lodge by the Friends Group.  The Friends Group and the Winter Knights Snowmobile Club each paid half of the cost, to remind everyone that the lodge was planned and built by volunteers for the enjoyment of all.  A bulletin board in the Selkirk Lodge was also designated for Friends Group use.  All three lodge bulletin boards were updated with current information.

Due to increasing problems with soil erosion, dumping, vandalism, wood theft, tree damage, and illegal off road vehicle use, the Inland Empire Paper Company (IEP) is revising its public use policy.  The company is restricting entry to all of its lands and is considering a user fee program.  A new gate was installed just below the Selkirk Lodge on the road leading out of the park.  It will be kept locked during the summer to prevent unauthorized vehicle access to paper company lands.  Illegal ORV use on the Ragged Ridge section of the park has been a problem for over 25 years.  Since riders gain access to the ridge through IEP lands, the company’s new restrictions should really help put an end to the problem.  The company has also promised to assist with closing the trails from IEP land that lead to Ragged Ridge.

The spring of 2000 brought some heavy rains which washed out a substantial portion of the only paved road into the park.  As a result, the road was closed to all but authorized vehicles above the Lower Kit Carson Loop Trail Head for most of the summer.  Using funds that were left over from the road reconstruction studies as well as funds previously earmarked for projects in other parks, this section of road was rebuilt for about $800,000.00.  This included the addition of a new parking area and surface patching the rest of the pavement.  Periodic, temporary road closures are expected to continue over the next several years as the remainder of the road is rebuilt.

The year 2000 came to a close with the resignation of the parks’s beloved manager, Peter Wood, and the hiring of its new park manager, Steve Christianson. 

In  July, 1999, the Friends Group held its second annual Mt. Spokane State Park Appreciation Day.  Dr. Arthur Partridge, retired professor of entomology and forest pathology, joined Friends Group Board Member and retired natural resources professor Bill Birk, in an afternoon of environmental awareness experiences near the newly reconstructed CCC cabin.  Various displays were set up in the cabin, and a potluck picnic supper was held.  The event was open to the general public and about 40 people attended.  The Friends sold newly created t-shirts at the event along with the new park trail maps that the Back Country Horsemen had just published. 

The Friends Group and Advisory Committee also helped to secure the purchase by the Parks Commission of the 160 acre Quartz Mountain property.  After obtaining a copy of the Quartz Mountain owner’s Forest Practice Act application, Friends Group members submitted extensive comments to the Department of Natural Resources regarding the owner’s logging plans.  As a result, the proposed logging operation was further delayed and State Parks was able to complete their purchase of the property on December 30, 1999.  Quartz Mountain is now officially part of Mt. Spokane State Park!