$748,000 will help build Reiter trails and hire warden

  • By Alejandro Dominguez Herald Writer
  • Monday, June 6, 2011 12:01am
  • Local NewsIndex

INDEX — About $748,000 was awarded last week to help develop trails at Reiter Foothills, with at least some of the money slated to hire a warden for the area.

That’s in addition to $325,000 already provided by the Legislature to develop non-motorized trails in the area.

The Department of Natural Resources is seeking to develop 35 miles of trails on the 2,000 acres between Index and Gold Bar. Half of the property will be developed for use by four-wheelers and dirt bikes. The rest would be for hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders. The total cost to develop the trails is pegged at $3.6 million.

In late April, an environmental review study had stated the project would not harm the nearby forest.

A state committee gave notice last week that the DNR would receive the money. The committee advises the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office on which projects to fund.

One of these grants is for $115,000, which DNR plans to use to create a warden position for two years.

The main duty of this position is to provide information to trail users and write citations if necessary, department’s spokeswoman Toni Droscher said.

“The main role would be to provide education,” Droscher said.

DNR also is getting $532,862 to develop the motorized trails, and $100,000 to help developed the non-motorized trails.

The department could get more funding with revenue from the newly created Discover Pass, which charges people for the use of recreational areas. DNR would get 8 percent of a projected revenue of $5.1 million* in two years, but it is still not clear how much would go to Reiter, Droscher said.

Meanwhile, several conservation groups have decided against challenging the results of the environmental study.

“We still have concerns but overall, the positive aspects outweigh the negatives,” Seattle-based lawyer Karl Forsgaard said.

Forsgaard was representing groups including Sierra Club, the Pilchuck Audubon Society and Friends of Wild Sky that had some issues with how motorized trail users would affect wildlife and streams.

Instead of challenging the decision, the groups plan to work with DNR in meetings and with field tours, Forsgaard said.

The next step for the project is to get permits from Snohomish County to continue with development and design the non-motorized trails.

Alejandro Dominguez: 425-339-3422; adominguez@heraldnet.com.

* Correction, June 9, 2011: An earlier version of this story misstated the amount of projected revenue.

Talk to us

More in Local News

Two snowboarders head up the mountain in a lift chair on the opening day of ski season at Stevens Pass Ski Area on Friday, Dec. 2, 2022, near Skykomish, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ski season delayed at Stevens Pass due to minimal snow

Resort originally planned to open Dec. 1. But staff are hopeful this week’s snow will allow guests to hit the slopes soon.

Siblings Qingyun, left, and Ruoyun Li, 12 and 13, respectively, are together on campus at Everett Community College on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, in Everett, Washington. The two are taking a full course load at the community college this semester. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Siblings, age 12 and 13, are youngest students at EvCC campus

Qingyun Li was 11 when he scored a perfect 36 on the ACT test. His sister, Ruoyun, was one point away.

Edmond’s newly elected mayor Mike Rosen on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mayor-elect Rosen wants to ‘make Edmonds politics boring again’

Mike Rosen handily defeated incumbent Mayor Mike Nelson. He talked with The Herald about how he wants to gather the “full input” of residents.

A speed camera facing west along 220th Street Southwest on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Traffic cameras, and tickets, come to Edmonds; Mukilteo could be next

New school zone cameras in Edmonds will begin operating in January. Mukilteo is considering enforcement cameras as well.

A person walks their dog along a flooded Old Snohomish Monroe Road on Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021 in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Flood-resistant floors and sandbags are price of riverside life in Sultan

Flooding is a threat every year for 75,000 locals — and the long-term forecast suggests it’ll only get worse in the coming decades.

Everett Community College is introducing a new Trojan design as the college's symbol of student spirit and athletics. The design incorporates the Feather Star, EvCC's official logo, in the Trojan's cape.  (Dan Bates / The Herald)
Amid staffing crisis, student nurses run into shortages in education too

Everett Community College’s nursing program has 79 slots. Hundreds apply each year — and that’s just the first hurdle.

A family walks through the Wintertide lights Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, at Legion Park in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Wintertide Lights returns for the month of December in Everett

The free family event is open nightly at Evergreen Arboretum and Gardens in Legion Park.

An order is delivered to one of the first cars at Chick-Fil-A's store in Marysville on its opening day Thursday on May 21, 2020. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Chicken with a side of traffic: Everett Mall Chick-fil-A opens Dec. 7

The new Everett Mall Way restaurant is the popular chain’s fifth Snohomish County location. Openings often cause traffic backups.

A suspected gas explosion on Wednesday destroyed a house in the 19700 block of 25TH DR SE in Bothell, Washington. (Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue)
‘Gas explosion’ destroys Bothell house; no injuries

A vacant home blew up Wednesday in the 19700 block of 25th Drive SE, throwing a garage door across the street.

Lynnwood Mayor Christine Frizzell speaks during a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the 196th ST SW Improvement Project near the 196th and 44th Ave West intersection in Lynnwood, Washington on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Jarred by anti-Semitic rants, Lynnwood council approves tax increase

Three people spewed hate speech via Zoom at a council meeting this week. Then, the council moved on to regular business.

From the patrol car footage of Everett police officer Ryan Greely, Molly Wright sits in the back of a police car after being arrested for obstructing a law enforcement officer on Aug. 10, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Screenshot from a video provided by Molly Wright)
‘My rights were violated’: Everett officer arrests woman filming him

Ryan Greely arrested Molly Wright in August on charges of obstructing, though state law generally allows filming police in public.

The Days Inn on Everett Mall Way, which Snohomish County is set to purchase and convert into emergency housing, is seen Monday, Aug. 8, 2022, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Over $130M for affordable housing set to be approved by County Council

The five-year investment plan of the 0.1% sales tax aims to construct 550 new affordable units.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.