GOLD BAR — The trail system at Reiter Foothills might get back on track thanks to a team of volunteer leaders.
The state Department of Natural Resources is trying to recruit 10 to 20 people to help keep scores of people focused on restoration efforts.
The leaders will act like mid-level managers, following a plan set out by DNR officials, who will maintain their presence at the foothills.
“Our budget is so strapped that we’ve got one guy out there, basically, with a lot of dedicated people showing up to help,” said Toni Droscher, a DNR spokeswoman.
DNR officials will train the volunteer leaders from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the foothills, a 10,000-acre space popular among off-road vehicle users and hikers.
The state closed the foothills to off-road riders in early November amid environmental concerns. Officials said a disorganized trail system needed to be redrawn on a smaller patch of land, keeping bikes and four-wheelers from splashing across salmon-bearing streams.
Since then, volunteers and DNR officials have been working at the foothills, which lie north of Gold Bar and Index.
In February, more than 90 people gathered with DNR officials at May Creek, while another 30 volunteers from the Gold Bar Nature Trails club focused on the area further north.
Work parties like that will begin happening on a regular basis this April. A new schedule will find the efforts taking place on the first Saturday and the third Sunday of each month. The next work party will be held on April 3.
If the stars align just so, those team efforts may help DNR meet its goal of reopening the foothills this year.
“There’s a lot of work to be done, and that’s why we’re really getting the community involved,” Droscher said.
Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455, arathbun@heraldnet.com.
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