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Schroder
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PostSun Jan 26, 2020 3:46 pm 
It appears to me that the Singletary / Middle May cut will be highly visible from the trail to the falls, not just the view from Gold Bar.

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Nancyann
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PostSun Jan 26, 2020 8:06 pm 
That is unfortunate, as is the recent massive scalping below Mt. Stickney, which is inevitably marching north along the top of Stickney Ridge.

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Kim Brown
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PostSun Jan 26, 2020 9:00 pm 
Schroder wrote:
The Snohomish County Council has reversed itself on the Singletary harvest and the stand has been renamed the Middle May timber sale. County Council backs contested timber harvest near Gold Bar
Quote:
A benefit could come after the trees are logged, because bridges and roads built for the harvest will be left, creating other recreational opportunities. “Wallace Falls is already overrun and packed,” Low said.
Infrastructure will also provide access to more trust lands up there; more logging. I'm out of free HeraldNet articles and wanted to double check - is the 25 acres they originally set aside still set aside, or is that included in the Middle May unit? A judge in 2018 put the stops to the sale citing the need for more environmental studies. I can't find the enviro Checklist on DNR's site (it apparently was there at one time, but it won't open for me. There may or may not be a full-on State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) requirement, but the judge did say more studies are required... That doesn't mean that's still the case (or does it?). I also can't locate the suit on Washington Forest Law Center's website (there's not much current on their site). Long story short, I can't locate anything on DNR's site, and logging isn't discussed in the 2010 Reiter Recreation Plan. Since the transfer hasn't actually taken place, no studies will be done now; I was just wondering about the 25 acres. If they thin, rather than scalp, that would be acceptable. Island Center Forest on Vashon is very nice after thinning. But I doubt that's what Middle May will be. The local junior tax beneficiaries as well as the schools seem to really really really want that money.

"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area." Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
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Kim Brown
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PostTue Jan 28, 2020 8:11 am 
Hm. Woke up in the middle of the night realizing my compliment to the thinning on Vashon may be misdirected. Island Center is a King County park. If DNR is the logging agency (I don't know that is, easy enough to find out ), the direction comes from King County, not DNR. So I'm back to ... Huh, the bastards, anyway. Why I oughta....! ( to those with no sense of humor: I am joking)

"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area." Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
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ale_capone
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PostTue Jan 28, 2020 9:04 am 
I think it will be rather ugly, both from town, and portions of the trail. The clear cut west of stickney is bad enough.Too bad they cant just avoid any area around the falls. Pretty much the whole photo Schroeder posted. I'm not anti logging. I wonder if they plan on spraying post cut? I was not aware they did this until recently. Toxic spraying from helicopters. This is a link from a quick search. I think they might post current spraying on svena fb page. It would be good to listen for choppers, avoid areas, and pay attention to wind direction. https://svena.org/letter-of-protest-for-toxic-spray/ At the first rest stop entering washington, there is a kiosk promoting washington as a photographer's paradise. Out of a half dozen photos, wallace falls is one of them. Odd choice, but it seems to be the one promotable thing the area has. It's always busy. Think they would want to keep it looking nice.

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Kim Brown
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PostTue Jan 28, 2020 10:02 am 
ale_capone wrote:
It's always busy. Think they would want to keep it looking nice
Those taxing jurisdictions $ee money a$ looking pretty darn nice. They apparently need it, and this is the way they can get it. It's a damned if you do, damned if you don't problem. I see both sides. (tho those who don't see both sides - this doesn't mean I agree with one or the other or disagree with one or the other. I just see both sides)

"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area." Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
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ale_capone
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PostTue Jan 28, 2020 10:39 am 
Eyes in back af your head and a mirror. See both sides from both sides, while looking at both sides. I see what your saying, from this side.

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Kim Brown
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PostTue Jan 28, 2020 3:41 pm 
I see I was full of sh## about DNR and Island Center Forest. DNR xferred land to King Co, which Island Center Forest is managed as a model for sustainable forestry, environmental protection, etc. and the resources plan and management is from a really cool-looking organization, Northwest Natural Resource Group. This is outside of the thread's subject so I'll shut up about it.

"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area." Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
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bgnelson
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PostWed Feb 26, 2020 12:42 am 
I'm part of a group of locals from Sky Valley who have been pushing for an alternative to the clear cut bordering Wallace Falls State Park. Some of us have gone down to a few of the Board of Natural Resources (BNR) monthly meetings. They ultimately decide whether to approve the Middle May sale. There is also an email campaign going right now. Here's a link with more info and to join that: https://skyvalleyfuture.org/ You can sign up and just send the prewritten email, make your own edits, or write your own message entirely. Middle May would be 193 acres over 3 units, 80 acres of which would directly border Wallace Falls State Park within 500 feet of the first part of the Woody Trail, just across the river. It would be a "variable retention harvest," DNR's name for leaving 8+ trees per acre, in an area where 300-400 trees per acre currently live. They also plan to build 5.5 miles of roads and 5 new bridges. The plan is to cut 95% of the trees in those 3 unit, plus all trees at least 40 ft wide for all the roads. This is a naturally regenerated 80-100+ year old forest. Middle May is currently scheduled to go to the BNR for approval at their April 7 meeting. We're also trying to get people to go to their March 3 and the April 7 meetings in Olympia to speak during the public comments calling for an alternative plan. There may also be a local meeting in the valley with the county coming up in a couple weeks about this issue. I'm not sure of the details yet. Please join the email campaign calling for another option to clear cuts next to Wallace Falls State Park. https://skyvalleyfuture.org/

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treeswarper
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PostWed Feb 26, 2020 6:05 pm 
A similar cut was done in the mid 1980s on the north side of Hwy 12. I can't recall off the top of my head whether it was near Glenoma or Mossyrock. They left old growth Doug fir standing. We thought the leave trees would blow over, they stayed up. They are still up with a young 30 something stand growing all around them. It looks nice. It was replanted and the seedlings grew quickly, like they do.

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treeswarper
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PostWed Feb 26, 2020 6:17 pm 
Here it is, on the hillside above the Glenoma area. Unit

What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human––animals and aliens are great possibilities
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bgnelson
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PostWed Feb 26, 2020 11:12 pm 
30 years is a long time to wait for it to look nice again. And it's pretty apparent when there's a patch of 30 year old trees next to 60-100+ year old trees. There are such spots not far from this. But we're also not calling for all logging to stop. We also haven't pushed back against the 10+ other timber sales over the last 5-6 years in the Reiter Forest, or all the timber sales up the Sultan Basin road.

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BigBrunyon
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PostThu Feb 27, 2020 2:35 am 
ale_capone wrote:
Eyes in back af your head and a mirror. See both sides from both sides, while looking at both sides. I see what your saying, from this side.
This is all wrong. When you're pushing up a tail adjacent to a clear cut (or any other trail for that matter!) you should be tunnel vision focused about 10-15 feet ahead, readin' that trail contour. Scannin' for hazards. Then let the ground approach in your peripheral and let your feet react 'ccordingly. This approach allows you to maximize your efficiency coverin' ground.

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Schroder
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PostFri Feb 28, 2020 6:17 pm 
I remember when the road/trail to Wallace Falls was surrounded by clearcuts and it's taken my entire lifetime to develop into a forest worthy of a hiking destination. DNR has a couple of hundred square miles of harvestable forest in that area and over Stickney Ridge into Olney Creek, not to mention the vast area south of Highway 2 in Markworth Forest. I think it's ridiculous that they can't set aside a few hundred acres in the Wallace River drainage to protect the scenery of that trail.

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bgnelson
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PostFri Feb 28, 2020 7:28 pm 
There will be a public meeting at the Startup Events Center, the old Startup Gym, on March 11 at 6pm. Multiple agencies will be there. Show up if you can, and let them know we want alternatives to clearcuts next to Wallace Falls State Park.

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