Stricter control coming to recreational land near U.S. 2

Published 11:11 pm Monday, May 11, 2009

GOLD BAR — Aaron Ingersoll and his buddies took in the trees, the streams, the stunning view of Mount Index and then they did what hundreds do every weekend at Reiter Foothills.

They put their Ford Bronco into gear and chewed their way up a hill.

Outdoor enthusiasts come from near and far to use thousands of forested acres stretching from Sultan to Index. For decades, the land has been the Wild West of recreation areas with scant oversight or management.

That’s about to change.

The Department of Natural Resources is in the final stages of a plan to bring some order to the 10,000-acre forest.

Officials plan to separate Reiter into areas for motorized vehicles, horses, mountain bikes and hikers. They also want to establish designated trails and eventually build bathrooms, trailheads and campgrounds. Officials also no longer want people in the area after sunset.

Ingersoll, a 24-year-old from Sammamish, said that’s fine with him as long as he can ride here.

“I don’t like the way some people treat the land,” he said last week, referring to the beer cans left behind.

Then he climbed back in the Bronco, his friend gunned the engine and the truck resumed its crawl up a boulder-strewn slope — mud splattering in its wake.

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Reiter Foothills has developed an unfortunate reputation.

On any sunny weekend, hundreds converge on Reiter. Many ride responsibly. Others come to party.

Overuse, littering, dumping, vandalism, unsafe shooting and the occasional drug lab have turned a backwoods paradise into a place some people no longer want to take their children.

So many trails criss-cross the landscape that Lonn Turner described the trail system as “a bowl of spaghetti.”

The Gold Bar city councilman has ridden off-road vehicles here since the 1970s. His son rode his first dirt bike at Reiter pit.

It’s a place Turner loves.

It’s also a place he feels needs some regulation.

“People are tired of riding along enjoying yourself and then all of the sudden seeing the hulk of a burned-out car,” Turner said.

The damage caused by paths carved willy-nilly through forests and streams is a major problem for DNR.

Volunteer groups patrol trails, haul away garbage and restore damaged areas. It’s still not enough.

Unauthorized trails and heavy use have strained the area’s natural resources, especially fish-bearing streams, said Mark Mauren, a recreation program manager for DNR. Off-road vehicles churned up sediment in streams, hurting fish and drawing the attention of the state Department of Ecology and the Tulalip Tribes.

“People are going to be frustrated if they can’t go on their favorite trail,” he said. “We’re doing it because there’s an environmental reason.”

By law, DNR must manage its land to produce income for schools, prisons, state mental hospitals, counties and the state. The agency also should provide recreational access, but only if it doesn’t interfere with its main purpose.

DNR had no money to address the problems at Reiter until 2007. The Legislature has since provided DNR with enough money to make a plan and get started.

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DNR hasn’t settled yet on how Reiter will be divvied up.

Officials have spent more than a year meeting with local city leaders, recreation groups and people who live in the area. DNR wants people to feel they have had a say in the process, but it’s officials who will make the final decisions.

Two tentative plans presented to the Gold Bar City Council recently show motorized access contained to between 1,010 and 1,100 acres in the southern portion of Reiter. Mountain biking and hiking trails run along both sides of Wallace Falls State Park. More trails, including those for horseback riders, would be located near May Creek.

Officials are using a science-based approach to determine how trails will snake through the area. Those trails will be limited to areas where the soil and geography can support them. Officials haven’t yet released where those trails might go and how many miles of trails each area might contain.

People who visit Reiter should already notice changes.

Kiosks with signs show where people can drive off-road vehicles and what they can’t do. Portable toilets are strategically stationed. Concrete barriers like giant grey Legos block off sensitive areas. More officers, some on dirt bikes, are talking to people and issuing citations.

DNR plans to schedule a public hearing sometime in the next several months.

Debra Smith: 425-339-3197, dsmith@heraldnet.com.