Post by pistonschick on Mar 18, 2009 16:47:01 GMT -8
Hey Everyone,
Found a thread on TimberCrawlers about some TC Toyota Boys who found a massive land slide in the Chelatchie Prairie area and decided to go wheeling. Honoring my agreement with the TC Admins not to post the pics of the "oops" in exchange for sharing the pics with me -- here is the Piston's Wild public service announcement about the area that needs to get out there with pictures from DNR's files...
So everyone knows what I'm talking about - here are the pictures of the land slide in question (taken back in January 2009 by DNR).
This post is my plea to all recreational enthusiasts to help spread the word to stay out of this area with 4x4's, ATV's and dirtbikes...
I spoke this morning with my DNR contact and that slide area crosses two agency boundries. The slide starts on Gifford Pinchot National Forest property (S1000 road near the intersection of FS Road 54?) and slides all the way down into Coyote Creek which is very sensitive (non-motorized) DNR land.
This slide is HIGHLY unstable with multiple active fissures and they are expecting it to "break" again before the rainy season subsides...
I know everyone trys to play it cool when some kid "makes a mistake", but the consequences of their actions can be devastating to our sport...
This slide is a phenomenal act of nature that will draw quite a crowd of looky-loos over the next few months (especially environmentalists looking for evidence to complain about clear cutting forest practices). This was the primary campaign issue of our "new" Commissioner of Public Lands.
The 4x4 community simply cannot afford to be collateral damage in this political game...
Our club has been working furiously over the last 2 1/2 years with DNR to open 4x4 trails in the Yacolt Burn. Our club has invested over 3,500 volunteer hours into this project. Right now, we are on track to get permission in the Fall of 2009 to build 45 new miles of motorized trails in the Yacolt Burn with at least 25 of those miles for 4x4's. These trails will vary from moderate to extreme and will likely include rock crawling opportunities.
DNR is so optimistic that this will be approved that they have already hired consultants to start designing the trail system as well as a massive motorized campground and trailhead facility at 4-Corners. Darel and I, will be meeting with these consultants next week to make certain that the interests of the 4x4 community will be addressed in these designs.
If any 4x4's get caught in this slide area "playing around", it will be disastrous for our efforts to get 4x4 trails in the Yacolt Burn. If 4x4's go in and "cause" the slide to unnaturally "break" again - we can kiss those new trails goodbye.
If 4x4's go in there and someone gets killed or seriously injured in a slide - you can kiss ALL WASHINGTON 4x4 trails on DNR land goodbye (that includes Tahuya, Walker Valley (Reiter) and Ahtanum). They will cite "public safety" as the concern and close it all down.
4-Wheeling on public land is a privelege - not a right - and they can take that privelege back anytime they want to...
Again, kudos to TC for getting those incriminating pictures off of the web and out of the potential hands of environmentalists and I thank all of you in advance for your cooperation of this project.
One final but important note: THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO LEGAL 4X4 TRAILS IN SW WASHINGTON. You can go "snow-wheeling" or just driving on open service roads, but there is no where in SW Washington that you can legally go "mudding".
Thanks again,
Crystal Crowder
aka "Pistons Chick"
Piston's Wild Motorsports
Found a thread on TimberCrawlers about some TC Toyota Boys who found a massive land slide in the Chelatchie Prairie area and decided to go wheeling. Honoring my agreement with the TC Admins not to post the pics of the "oops" in exchange for sharing the pics with me -- here is the Piston's Wild public service announcement about the area that needs to get out there with pictures from DNR's files...
So everyone knows what I'm talking about - here are the pictures of the land slide in question (taken back in January 2009 by DNR).
This post is my plea to all recreational enthusiasts to help spread the word to stay out of this area with 4x4's, ATV's and dirtbikes...
I spoke this morning with my DNR contact and that slide area crosses two agency boundries. The slide starts on Gifford Pinchot National Forest property (S1000 road near the intersection of FS Road 54?) and slides all the way down into Coyote Creek which is very sensitive (non-motorized) DNR land.
This slide is HIGHLY unstable with multiple active fissures and they are expecting it to "break" again before the rainy season subsides...
I know everyone trys to play it cool when some kid "makes a mistake", but the consequences of their actions can be devastating to our sport...
This slide is a phenomenal act of nature that will draw quite a crowd of looky-loos over the next few months (especially environmentalists looking for evidence to complain about clear cutting forest practices). This was the primary campaign issue of our "new" Commissioner of Public Lands.
The 4x4 community simply cannot afford to be collateral damage in this political game...
Our club has been working furiously over the last 2 1/2 years with DNR to open 4x4 trails in the Yacolt Burn. Our club has invested over 3,500 volunteer hours into this project. Right now, we are on track to get permission in the Fall of 2009 to build 45 new miles of motorized trails in the Yacolt Burn with at least 25 of those miles for 4x4's. These trails will vary from moderate to extreme and will likely include rock crawling opportunities.
DNR is so optimistic that this will be approved that they have already hired consultants to start designing the trail system as well as a massive motorized campground and trailhead facility at 4-Corners. Darel and I, will be meeting with these consultants next week to make certain that the interests of the 4x4 community will be addressed in these designs.
If any 4x4's get caught in this slide area "playing around", it will be disastrous for our efforts to get 4x4 trails in the Yacolt Burn. If 4x4's go in and "cause" the slide to unnaturally "break" again - we can kiss those new trails goodbye.
If 4x4's go in there and someone gets killed or seriously injured in a slide - you can kiss ALL WASHINGTON 4x4 trails on DNR land goodbye (that includes Tahuya, Walker Valley (Reiter) and Ahtanum). They will cite "public safety" as the concern and close it all down.
4-Wheeling on public land is a privelege - not a right - and they can take that privelege back anytime they want to...
Again, kudos to TC for getting those incriminating pictures off of the web and out of the potential hands of environmentalists and I thank all of you in advance for your cooperation of this project.
One final but important note: THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO LEGAL 4X4 TRAILS IN SW WASHINGTON. You can go "snow-wheeling" or just driving on open service roads, but there is no where in SW Washington that you can legally go "mudding".
Thanks again,
Crystal Crowder
aka "Pistons Chick"
Piston's Wild Motorsports