County interested in taking control of Reiter Foothills

Published 11:09 pm Thursday, February 25, 2010

GOLD BAR — Snohomish County officials have their eye on a sprawling piece of troubled land.

County Executive Aaron Reardon voiced his full support on Wednesday to take over the Reiter Foothills — a 10,000-acre spot that is popular among off-road-vehicle riders but now closed to them.

Reardon’s office sent a letter to Olympia expressing interest in the foothills. That came after a state Senate committee hearing where the notion of the state giving away the land was mentioned.

“It was something that we needed to jump on,” said Brian Parry, one of Reardon’s executive directors.

Reiter Foothills — an area about six times larger than the county’s biggest park — was a top draw for off-road vehicle users until November.

That’s when the state Department of Natural Resources shut it down for environmental restoration. The work, which may be finished this year, will include redrawing a haphazard trail system on a smaller piece of the land to keep off-road vehicles from damaging salmon-bearing streams.

Reardon’s letter was spurred by a Wednesday meeting of the Senate Natural Resources, Ocean &Recreation Committee.

Reardon sent his letter to state Sen. Ken Jacobsen, the committee’s chairman, to voice “full support” for the county to take possession of the foothills.

“Recreation is not the core focus of the DNR,” he wrote. “It is, however, the focus and role of Snohomish County Parks.”

The letter caught some by surprise.

County Councilman Dave Somers, whose district includes the foothills, said Reardon didn’t broach the subject with the council, which ultimately needs to sign off on the plan.

Somers called the idea worth exploring, but said many questions are unanswered.

“I can’t really see how we’re going to approve this unless we have a plan to finance the maintenance and operations,” Somers said.

County Parks director Tom Teigen said financing might be possible and agreed that many details need to be resolved.

Sprawling wilderness sites such as the foothills don’t need as much staffing as well-tended parks, he said, which require regular mowing and weeding.

The foothills could fit into the county’s broader plans, Teigen said. He pointed to Wenberg County Park, which the county took over from the state in July.

“These are public spaces,” Teigen said. “Whether it’s the state, the county or the city that owns them, they’re incredible assets.”

Reconveyances — the act of the state giving land to a county — can be long and expensive processes.

For instance, a reconveyance in Whatcom County has a budget of $300,000, DNR spokesman Aaron Toso said. The county would have to shoulder any costs, he said. That includes staff time, appraisals and legal costs.

The county has been working on another reconveyance for about 40 years, in an effort to create a gun range near Olney Creek in east county.

Still, news of the county’s interest in the land cheered some riders.

Ted Jackson went riding at the foothills about twice a month before the state closed the property, he said. Now, he is helping DNR officials with restoration efforts.

He said the county might be more responsive to riders and nearby cities, which cite the foothills as a tourist draw.

“At the county level, they’re going to be a little more in tune,” he said.