[Damian]

[seawallrunner]

more information here: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/projects/flood-damage-roads/index.shtml the new EA was completed by May, and public input was requested soon thereafter.

[Odonata]

here is a 15 page PDF (a little slow loading) that "discusses the public scoping efforts that took place pursuant to 40 CFR 1501.7 for the Mt. Loop Road Repair proposal." http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/projects/mtn-loop-ea/mtn-loop-ea-chap4-appendices.pdf I think they could of done a better job of publicizing the scoping meetings to the general public. If you don't belong to one of the listed organizations and didn't read the local paper certain days you probably did not know about them.

[Quark]

Requests for public input were blasted all over the newspapers, every local hiking organizations' websites and periodic publications, as well as the FS website and the PCTA and it's links. Other organizations concerned about the roads/trails that may have had information about the proposals would have been (but I don't know for sure) the various fishing organizations, audubon, mycology, etc. I attended a talk by the National Parks regarding the flood damage held at REI several months after the floods. The talk was advertized on WTA's website, REI, and the FS website. Both FS and NPS trails/roads were discussed, and more information was handed out at this talk, as well as a WTA table with even more handouts including color maps and PCT re-reoute information. WTA also had a meeting and invited several FS personnel to discuss the impact of the floods in each of their districts (you would have had to subscribe to a specific mailing list, but it's free and anyone can do it). Like the closing of the Mid Fk, the calls for public input was out there, but if you're not active in the hiking community, you won't see it. They're not going to knock on your door and invite you to a teaparty. If you're active in the outdoors and care about the outdoors, you should have run across something, somewhere, about the floods, the damage, and plans for repair. Shortly after the floods, even if you didn't care, this stuff was in the newspapers a lot. If you just drove to the trailhead in those areas and saw information about re-routes and closures - or hit a cement barricade and cones - these things should prompt a prudent person to investigate; if for nothing else, then out of curiosity. If you moved here since 2003, you would not have seen all this information; I have seen a few TR's posted by frustrated hikers on WTA's website that mentioned road closures as if it were news. If it were me, I'd investigate out of curiosity, and discover what it's all about. These people may have done so, and now understand.

[seawallrunner]

...or read the web page I found that page quite by accident. Some months ago, a friend and I ran a race on Blanshard then decided to scope out the Mountain Loop Highway that we saw on our WA state map. Had no idea about the washout, closure etc... just found the horrific remains of bridges

washed out bridge at White Chuck

washed out bridge at White Chuck crossing

and so we turned around, took a different back road to come back... when I returned home I did some googling and came across the page I referenced above. Glad to hear that there will be a reconstruction effort, sad to see that it's as slow in WA as it is in BC to get major infrastructure work done - particularly when it's out of the way.

[Quark]

[Blue Dome]

[Odonata]

Well, I'm not sure what I expected them to do. Maybe I was waiting for the tea party invitation . I belong to one of the clubs listed and did hear about the scoping meetings. I regret not attending one of them as I would like to see the road fixed. My eye was on another issue, the North Cascades Park fish EIS, and I didn't want to spread myself too thin. Kinda kickin myself now though. Growing up just outside of Arlington I have a soft spot for the loop.

[polarbear]

[Damian]

Dang you're angry Quark. And what the heck is a cat rack?

[Quark]

angry schmangry, no I'm not; just frustrated that people alla time blame others for what went wrong. Given the subject matter and the Forest Services' intended audience, I personally feel the FS did everthing it thought it could do, to get the word out to those interested. What better way to disseminate the information than amongst user group organizations, clubs, newspaper, and the official FS website? Those are places the FS would assume a hiker would get information from.* On the other hand (there's always another hand), Darrington District is my very favorite area, Glacier Peak, the Culprit in the White Chuck drainage wreckage is my favorite Washington peak, well - I might be more interested in the plans than some others, but not on environmental impact issues, rather of access and the impact of destinations. Plus, I like the phrase "point of repose," and I like to say of any flood damage that western Washington** has not yet reached it's point of repose. I got a lot of mileage out of the floods of 2003. A cat rack is a person who sits on the sofa and is immediately sat upon by cats. It's my function after work hours. *intentionally ended with a preposition with. **Blue Dome, should "western" be capitalized here?

[Blue Dome]

[MtnGoat]

Cat rack. I like it. That term will be popular at my place.

[MCaver]

My name is Michael, and I am a cat rack.

[aestivate]