State to address recreation in Reiter Foothills

Published 10:16 pm Thursday, April 30, 2009

GOLD BAR — Starting today, Reiter Foothills State Forest in east Snohomish County will be the focus of an education campaign that will include officer and volunteer foot patrols in the 10,000-acre forest between Gold Bar and Index.

The Department of Natural Resources is in the beginning stages of a plan to manage the area. For years, the area has been popular with off-road vehicle enthusiasts. Unauthorized trail building and riding has strained the area’s natural resources, especially fish-bearing streams. Littering, dumping, vandalism and unsafe shooting have contributed to the problem.

Signs will be posted showing where people can recreate and what they can’t do. The focus of the patrols will be education and awareness, although officers can issue citations. The education campaign will continue through the end of June. The state has been working on a long-term plan for managing the forest with citizens.

For more information call Bill Wallace at the DNR Northwest Region Office at 360-854-2801.