A couple of days on the Tanner Creek Trail

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Lurch
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Re: A couple of days on the Tanner Creek Trail

Post by Lurch » October 15th, 2014, 1:27 pm

Good to know the 777 road is clear again! :D

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Don Nelsen
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Re: A couple of days on the Tanner Creek Trail

Post by Don Nelsen » October 15th, 2014, 1:45 pm

Sean and Jo: Thanks! Your efforts are appreciated.

dn
"Everything works in the planning stage" - Kelly

"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller

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Sean Thomas
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Re: A couple of days on the Tanner Creek Trail

Post by Sean Thomas » October 15th, 2014, 5:07 pm

Thanks for all the kind words of support everyone :) I have really started to fall in love with the trails up there and its nice to know that a bunch of hikers(legends!) who have spent huge parts of their lives in the outdoors really appreciate the hard work.


Also looks like I was way off on the bench, but it sure looked new! :D Thanks to B2B for documenting the date.


MC - Your humble attitude is what makes you great. The log on Bell Creek alone out does anything I've done over the past few... err ever lol :)

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Sean Thomas
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Re: A couple of days on the Tanner Creek Trail

Post by Sean Thomas » October 15th, 2014, 5:09 pm

retired jerry wrote:"But in a world where one has to pay for a parking pass(where the funds are supposed to go towards maintaining trails)"

Actually, the law says the funds first have to go towards outhouse, garbage pick-up, and picnic table. If there are any funds left over, they can go towards trail maintenance.

They need to change the law.

The Forest Service is just following it and when they tried to use common sense, they got sued and the court forced them to follow it.

Uh oh, thread drift...

Hey Jerry dont muddle up my rant with facts :D

Looking into a little more, I'm not sure thats entirely how it works though, is it? I found a reference sheet from the USFS in terms of passes in the state of Washington.


http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOC ... 350935.pdf


According to the Forest Service:


"Where does the money go?
Ninety-five percent (95%) of recreation fee revenue is retained locally at the district or forest to operate and maintain day usesites, boat launches, trailheads and other recreation facilities that are fee sites. A portion of the recreation fee revenue is used to fund volunteer efforts and is used as a match for grant funds."


Then it goes on to say that the money put aside to be used as a match for grant funds is so important because,


"Using recreation fee revenue as a grant match allows the Forest Service to successfully compete for grant funds administered by Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO). Every year the Forest brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money from the Recreational Trails Program"


and,


"Without recreation fee revenue, we would not be able to compete successfully for many of these grants and would not be able to accomplish a large portion of the trail maintenance and construction projects and developed recreation site maintenance and enhancement projects that we get done."


So although you are correct in that many other services/duties are deemed more important by the FS in terms of where the money generated through recreational fee revenue is spent, it still says a portion of the funds are supposed to go towards maintaining trails. I always wonder, was a larger portion of the funding meant to go towards maintaing trails when this law was written, or is that just a misconception?


Also, the WTA seems to think a portion is spent on trail tending, "Roughly 80 percent of recreation fees—Northwest Forest Pass, National Park entrance fees and other federal recreation fees—go right back to maintaining and improving trails, land and facilities like toilets and campgrounds."


http://www.wta.org/signpost/nw-forest-p ... or-renewal

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retired jerry
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Re: A couple of days on the Tanner Creek Trail

Post by retired jerry » October 15th, 2014, 6:23 pm

"Ninety-five percent (95%) of recreation fee revenue is retained locally at the district or forest to operate and maintain day usesites,..."

The law says they can't charge a fee unless they have an outhouse, garbage, and picnic table.

That would be "maintain day usesites"


"I always wonder, was a larger portion of the funding meant to go towards maintaing trails when this law was written, or is that just a misconception? "

I think when they wrote the law, they were thinking about day use sites, not trailheads.

And they were thinking they shouldn't give the Forest Service much latitude, but spelled out exactly what had to be provided.

They were not thinking about maintaining trails.

mcds
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Re: A couple of days on the Tanner Creek Trail

Post by mcds » October 16th, 2014, 7:30 pm

You got me beat on that one too, Sean, hands down. Heck, ain't no one ever come close to calling me humble before. But "thankfully I still have many years to get into shape…", to co-opt someone else's sig.

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LakeOHiker
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Re: A couple of days on the Tanner Creek Trail

Post by LakeOHiker » October 18th, 2014, 5:25 pm

Not being familiar with this trail, where do you park? It sounds like a great alternative to a rainy windy day. Many thanks for your awesome work. It's tough that we have to go against "the rules" to keep trails open. Some of us did a little trail maintenance on Old Vista Ridge, but noticed they have time to put up all the Wilderness signs, and take down trail signs, but can't do maintenance.
Seeing the World on my own Two Feet!

mcds
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Re: A couple of days on the Tanner Creek Trail

Post by mcds » October 21st, 2014, 11:29 am

LakeOHiker wrote: Some of us did a little trail maintenance on Old Vista Ridge, but noticed they have time to put up all the Wilderness signs, and take down trail signs, but can't do maintenance.
That section of the Vista Ridge Trail is not a USFS system trail. Because of that, trail maintenance and sign posting on it is a different ball of wax (read illegal) than the trail work that Sean has posted about in this thread, which is on system trails. For a discussion, see this thread: Old Vista Ridge Trail to Owl Point and Perry Lake

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