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Terwilliger Fire Update Southern Cascades Team Incident Commander, Neil Miller Incident Commander Trainee, Dirk Rogers September 21, 2018 - 9:00 A.M. Special Announcements: Southern Cascades Type 3 Team, Incident Commander Neil Miller with Incident Commander (Trainee), Dirk Rogers, assumed management of the Terwilliger Fire. The incident command post is located at the McKenzie Ranger District Fire Warehouse and fire camp at White Branch Youth Camp. Terwilliger Hot Springs remains closed for public safety. Hazard trees around the hot springs will likely need to be felled in the coming months, as well as trail reconstruction. Additional pictures of the springs received yesterday show the restrooms were burned by the fire. Please respect the closure area and keep out of the springs until the area is deemed safe by Willamette National Forest officials. Forest Service Road (FR) 19 remains closed to the public and firefighters due to unsafe conditions from gravity fall hazards...

Fire The Klondike Fire is 72% contained and 143,619 acres. Fire is most active at the confluence of Indigo Creek and Illinois River, Snail/Slim Creek drainages, Little Silver Creek, and Montana Springs. Smoke Today Winds today will be light and variable shifting to Westerly winds in the afternoon. Conditions will be dry and warm which may contribute to increased fire activity and smoke production. Poor air quality has set in earlier than usual in Agness thanks to a low inversion that trapped smoke in Agness rather than above it. With longer exposure to unhealthy to hazardous conditions, take action to reduce exposure by following tips here: https://www3.epa.gov/airnow/smoke_fires/reduce-your-smokeexposure.pdf. Brookings air quality should improve later today with onshore breezes setting in. Ashland, Medford, and Grants Pass may experience moderate air quality today as smoke is transported east. Smoke Tomorrow Higher humidities return tomorrow, 9/22, which should lessen fire...

We’re celebrating National Public Lands Day with even more opportunities to get out and discover recreation opportunities with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

On Sept. 22, the Dirty Harry’s Peak Trail and Far Side Climbing Area open, offering increased recreation access in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Natural Resources Conservation Area (NRCA) east of North Bend and just 45 minutes from Seattle.

The new trail received the majority of its funding from the Natural Areas and Sustainable Recreation capital budgets and are part of an ongoing project to enhance access in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie NRCA.

DNR got started on the project in 2015. Specialists designed and permitted the trail and began looking for stakeholders interested in collaborating to make it happen. A mix of non-profit groups, volunteers, government-led trail crews, and community members rallied behind the project. Then, they got to work.

“Through the collaboration process and working with multiple groups to help complete this project, it was great to see everyone step up and bring their organization’s skillset to the table with enthusiasm,” Sam Jarrett, DNR statewide trails specialist, said.  “The vital role these groups played in seeing this project come to fruition is really a testament to how strong and effective our state’s outdoor recreation organizations, volunteers, and agency trail crews can be when working together.”

Three years of collaboration

The first phase of the project was to decommission a significant segment of the old informal Dirty Harry’s Peak hiking route. The route was located on an old forest road where the agency was acting to remove old culverts and other barriers to enhance fish passage and habitat along a South Fork Snoqualmie River tributary.

With the loss of a segment of the old forest road route and an unsanctioned path to the Dirty Harry’s Peak area, DNR decided to repurpose an undesignated hiking and rock climbing access route and collaborated with Washington State Parks to provide developed access from the trailhead it manages at Far Side.

This route, known informally as Birdhouse Trail, was redesigned into a more sustainable location limiting new impacts to the conservation area. This strategy also eliminated the need to create a new trailhead.

DNR worked with the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust (MTSG) to convert 1.7 miles of upper elevation forest road to trail and decommission remaining forest roads. MTSG developed an additional 0.7 miles of new machine built trail that connects down to the project area boundary tackled by the Washington Trails Association (WTA).

WTA helped lead dozens of volunteer work parties and focused their efforts on a particularly difficult one-mile segment of hand-built trail over steep and rocky terrain.  This trail segment required technical trail construction skills to build carefully constructed rock steps and rock retaining walls on an approximately 1-mile segment of challenging trail. WTA contributed more than 12,000 volunteer labor hours to complete this part of the project.

A local DNR trail crew, with support from a Washington Conservation Corps crew, renovated the lower 0.4 miles of trail by repurposing an old forest road grade-to-trail and developing a new trail segment adjacent to the trailhead. These crews also focused their efforts on sign and kiosk installations.

Discover Dirty Harry’s Peak Trail

The years of collaboration and sweat poured into the trail up Dirty Harry’s Peak paid off. DNR is proud to present the new trail with formal access to the Far Side climbing area—though the hike is not to be underestimated.

Dirty Harry’s Peak Trail is a challenging 3.8 mile trail that provides a much-needed hiking addition to the very popular and often overcrowded recreation areas within the Mountains to Sound Greenway corridor, west of Snoqualmie Pass. It begins near the South Fork River valley bottom north of I-90 and ascends to approximately 4,200 feet on elevation.

Dirty Harry’s Peak Trail uses re-routed and renovated segments of a former unsustainable and non-designated trail and is rocky and steep in many sections. It’s perfect for visitors with technical hiking skills and a good level of fitness. It’s not recommended for children or pets because some segments have off-trail exposure to cliff bands and the hike is considered challenging. Hikers are rewarded for their effort with treks through older forest stands that have intermittent views of both the South Fork River valley and surrounding mountains.

To download or print a trail map, click here.

Head out to the Far Side Climbing Area

DNR staff are excited to increase access to more outdoor climbing opportunities near Seattle.

The Far Side Climbing Area has informally existed for years, but this project provided access signs for the trail junctions and maps of the area.

Far Side offers predominately bolted crags ranging in difficulty from 5.6 to 5.12a. There are a handful of trad lines and six multi-pitch options.

The Access Fund and Washington Climbers Coalition were instrumental in providing climbing expertise and helping to bring DNR together with local climbers from the community to provide feedback and to help evaluate an existing network of undesignated trails that served as an informal access to various climbing routes.

“Our partners in the climbing community were really receptive to DNR’s project design goals of developing the minimal trail mileage necessary to provide both the main hiking route to Dirty Harry’s Peak and access to popular climbing area spur trail junctions,” Jarrett said. “We’re reducing the overall associated impacts to the natural area landscape in an effort to provide low-impact recreation.”

The Access Fund and Washington Climber’s Coalition also teamed up to bring trail building resources to the project.  The Access Fund-Jeep Conservation Team contributed a mobile pair of professional trail builders that travel across the nation. They oversaw several large volunteer work parties throughout the three-year project development period.

The partnership has resulted in fewer unsanctioned trails and associated impacts, with improved visitor information.

“We worked together to help visitors navigate between hiking and rock climbing pursuits through an improved signage system,” Jarrett said. “We also tried to retain the natural aesthetic of the surrounding environment as much as possible while still providing enough wayfinding information for visitors.”

For a map of the climbing area, click here.

To visit the Far Side Climbing Area’s Mountain Project page, click here.

The public planning process

The DNR Snoqualmie Corridor Recreation Plan was released in March 2015 and included high-priority plans to identify and establish new hiking trail opportunities from the Far Side Trailhead to access the Dirty Harry’s Peak area. It also called for DNR to work with the climbing community to improve rock-climbing access and management in the Interstate 90, Exit 38 area.

The new trail system is a result of the local input and community support that went into that planning effort.  Visitors will continue to see improvements identified in the plan on the ground for the next decade.

Conservation efforts in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Valley 
Middle Fork Snoqualmie Natural Resources Conservation Area, managed by DNR, was established in 2011 and stretches across the forestland east of North Bend to the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest. It protects wildlife habitat, scenic views, and the upper reaches of the rivers. In addition, it provides an approximate 20-mile trail system for low-impact day-use recreation opportunities.

Getting there
Traveling east on Interstate 90, take Exit 38. Follow SE Homestead Valley Road staying briefly on Grouse Ridge Road before tuning into the Far Side Trailhead, which closes each day at dusk.  Traveling west on Interstate 90, take Exit 38. Take an immediate right turn on Grouse Ridge Road, after a short drive park at the Far Side Trailhead.

To download or print a trail map, click here.

The Washington State Parks & Recreation Commission owns, manages, and maintains the Far Side Trailhead.  DNR collaborated with state parks to improve visitor information at the trailhead kiosk, including new trail system maps to improve the user experience.

A Discover Pass is required to park at the trailhead, get yours here.

 

Incendio Klondite - Zona Oeste El dia de ayer: La actividad del fuego fue minima a pesar de la presencia de aire seco y condiciones ventosas sobre la parte mas alta de la zona afectada. La mayor parte del incendio se enfoco en las areas de Slim Creek, Indigo Creek y Little Silver Creek. El dia de Hoy: Los bomberos continuan concentrando su trabajo en la limpieza del camino forestall 150 y hacia el Este a lo largo de la 2308 dirigiendose hacia la carretera Bear Camp. Los helicopteros continuan conel derramamiento de agua con el fin de evitar la propagacion del fuego a lo largo del eje del incendio el cual esta ubicado desde el final del camino 150 hacia la parte inferior de Indigo Creek. Asimismo, en la parte Sur a lo largo de la parte mas activa del perimetro del incendio ubicado al Sur de Horse Sign Creek. Se continua con la labor de reparacion de suppression sobre los caminos que se encuentran entre el area del fuego donde los asesores de recursos continua evaluando las...

Blue Mountain Ranger District plans operations in the Damon South Unit, located southwest of Seneca. Prairie City Ranger District is scheduled to conduct operations in the 16 Road Unit, located near Crane Prairie off Forest Road 16. Emigrant Creek Ranger District- No active operations today.

Incendio Crescent Mountain y McLeod las cuadrillas continúan reparando el daño causado por las operaciones de extinción de incendios, usando excavadoras para reparar y tapar las líneas de buldócer y las que se excavaron a mano. La reparación de supresión se realiza para minimizar la erosión del suelo y restablecer las funciones ecológicas dañadas. Todas las reparaciones ocurren bajo aviso de asesores de recursos locales. Ocasionalmente se ve humo y llamas dentro del perímetro del incendio donde los combustibles pesados retienen el calor que se intensifica después del mediodía. Esto causa el fuego, que persiste en pastos secos y hierbas debajo de los combustibles pesados, se desplace lentamente. No es inusual que los árboles individuales ocasionalmente se quemen. Hoy se actualizaron las cifras de superficie para los incendios Crescent Mountain y McLeod con base del mapeo GPS. Los bomberos continúan logrando los objetivos de supresión y reparación relacionados con los...

Incendio Crescent Mountain y McLeod las cuadrillas continúan reparando el daño causado por las operaciones de extinción de incendios, usando excavadoras para reparar y tapar las líneas de buldócer y las que se excavaron a mano. La reparación de supresión se realiza para minimizar la erosión del suelo y restablecer las funciones ecológicas dañadas. Todas las reparaciones ocurren bajo aviso de asesores de recursos locales. Ocasionalmente se ve humo y llamas dentro del perímetro del incendio donde los combustibles pesados retienen el calor que se intensifica después del mediodía. Esto causa el fuego, que persiste en pastos secos y hierbas debajo de los combustibles pesados, se desplace lentamente. No es inusual que los árboles individuales ocasionalmente se quemen. Hoy se actualizaron las cifras de superficie para los incendios Crescent Mountain y McLeod con base del mapeo GPS. Los bomberos continúan logrando los objetivos de supresión y reparación relacionados con los...

Klondike Fire West Zone Yesterday: Fire activity was minimal despite drier air and breezy conditions on the upper elevations of the fire area. Most of this activity was focused in the Slim Creek, Indigo Creek and Little Silver Creek areas. Today: Firefighters continue to focus on mopping up along the 150 Road and east along 2308 Road toward Bear Camp Road. Helicopter bucket work will continue to hold fire spread along the ridgeline from the end of the 150 road down to Indigo Creek, and from there south along the active portion of the fire perimeter south of Horse Sign Creek. Suppression repair is continuing on roads within the fire area as resource advisors continue to assess repair needs of dozer and hand lines. Weather: Weather forecast over the next couple days is expected to support low to moderate fire behavior with continued smoldering and creeping. Higher relative humidity is expected late Friday that will help to hamper fire behavior. Klondike Fire East Zone and...

Because of minimal changes in the status of the Taylor fire and the East Zone of the Klondike fire, this site will only be updated weekly. Most activity is on the West Zone of the Klondike fire, and that page is updated frequently. If fire behavior warrants, this page will be updated more

Firefighters continue to patrol and secure the fire’s perimeter as well as repair lines to a more natural condition. Personnel are identifying equipment no longer in use for suppression or repair work and are being moved to other areas of the fire where they are needed. For example, work on the Snowshoe Fire is near completion and both personnel and equipment are being moved to the Miles Fire. Crews will be released to their home units or reassigned to other incidents as needed. Appropriate hazard reduction for employees, contractors, and the public may be needed. This work includes the identification and mitigation of danger trees next to roads, trails, and firelines which pose a significant threat to firefighters and the public when the area is reopened. A thermal trough pattern at the coast will help generate northeast winds each night and morning across the higher elevations. On Friday westerly winds will increase and become gusty east of the Cascades ahead of a cold front....

Southwest OR – Effective immediately, the Bear Camp Road is open to public travel following a week closure because of suppression efforts on the Klondike Fire. The RRSNF and fire officials would like to caution that there is still fire traffic on the road, and that the public should drive slowly and cautiously. The Burnt Ridge and Chrome Ridge roads remain closed to protect public health and safety. The public is encouraged to follow the RRSNF on Facebook and Twitter for current updates regarding closures, or the Forest

Special Statement Smoke Forecasting has returned for the Klondike Fire. Air quality monitors will be placed back online in Brookings, Selma, and Merlin. Fire The Klondike Fire is 72% contained and 142,896 acres. Fire is most active at the confluence of Indigo Creek and Illinois River, Snail/Slim Creek drainages, and Little Silver Creek. Smoke Today Winds today will be primarily out of the NE with Brookings likely receiving more smoke than has been the case over the past couple weeks. Weather conditions are favorable for good mixing, however, and smoke concentrations should remain in the moderate range for much of the day. Agness will continue to experience heavy smoke impacts in the hazardous to unhealthy range from mid-morning to early afternoon. Other areas should experience good air quality. Smoke Tomorrow Tomorrow winds shift, coming from ENE in the morning and W- NW in the afternoon. Wind speeds will also drop a bit leading to more drainage-related smoke movement. Gold...

Terwilliger Fire Update Southern Cascades Team Incident Commander, Neil Miller Incident Commander Trainee, Dirk Rogers September 20, 2018 - 9:00 A.M. Special Announcements: Southern Cascades Type 3 Team, Incident Commander Neil Miller with Incident Commander (Trainee), Dirk Rogers, assumed management of the Terwilliger Fire this morning. IC Miller would like to thank Northwest Incident Management Team 8 and firefighters for all the hard work in the containment of the Terwilliger Fire. Terwilliger Hot Springs will remain closed for public safety. Hazard trees around the hot springs will likely need to be felled in the coming months, as well as trail reconstruction. Forest Service Road (FR) 19 remains closed to the public due to unsafe conditions from gravity fall hazards including rocks, debris and fire weakened trees. The closure begins at the junction of FR 408 south to Box Canyon. The public is asked to respect the road and area closures for the...

Crescent Mountain and McLeod Fire crews continue to repair damage caused by firefighting operations, using excavators to mend and obscure dozer and hand-dug line. The intent of suppression repair is to minimize soil erosion and restore damaged ecological functions. All repairs occur under advisement of local Resource Advisors. Smoke and flame are occasionally spotted within the fire perimeter where heavy fuels retain heat that intensifies by mid- afternoon. This causes the fire, lingering in dry grasses and forbs under the heavy fuels, to creep slowly. It is not unusual for individual trees to occasionally torch. Acreage figures for Crescent Mountain and McLeod Fires were updated today based on GPS mapping. Firefighters continue to progress in achieving suppression and repair objectives related to values at risk such as private property, infrastructure, timber, and critical habitat. Campfire Closures: On Monday, September 17, 2018, the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest announced...

Crescent Mountain and McLeod Fire crews continue to repair damage caused by firefighting operations, using excavators to mend and obscure dozer and hand-dug line. The intent of suppression repair is to minimize soil erosion and restore damaged ecological functions. All repairs occur under advisement of local Resource Advisors. Smoke and flame are occasionally spotted within the fire perimeter where heavy fuels retain heat that intensifies by mid- afternoon. This causes the fire, lingering in dry grasses and forbs under the heavy fuels, to creep slowly. It is not unusual for individual trees to occasionally torch. Acreage figures for Crescent Mountain and McLeod Fires were updated today based on GPS mapping. Firefighters continue to progress in achieving suppression and repair objectives related to values at risk such as private property, infrastructure, timber, and critical habitat. Campfire Closures: On Monday, September 17, 2018, the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest announced...

Inciweb Information: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5948/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NatchezFires2018/ Natchez Fire Information 503-867-7959 Email: 2018.NatchezFire@firenet.gov Current Status: Acres: 33,340 Engines: 5 Containment: 84% Water Tenders: 5 Total Personnel: 148 Graders: 1 Crews: 3 Helicopters: 3 Happy Camp, CA- On September 17 at 0600, management of the Natchez Fire was assumed by a local Klamath National Forest Type 3 Incident Management Team. Ed Willy is the Incident Commander. Weather: A warming and drying trend is forcast for today through Friday, with temperatures moderating through Sunday. Today through Sunday’s Activities: Firefighters will continue to monitor for and extinguish hot spots within firelines and continue with repair and rehab on controlled fire boundaries. Smoke: Air quality and health information are available at http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com. Information from a temporary air quality monitor located in Happy...

Southwest OR – Effective at noon, Monday September 17, the Bear Camp Road is open to public travel following a week closure due to suppression efforts on the Klondike Fire. The RRSNF and fire officials would like to caution that there is still fire traffic on the road, and that the public should drive slowly and cautiously. The Burnt Ridge and Chrome Ridge roads remain closed to protect public health and safety. The public is encouraged to follow the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest on Facebook and Twitter for current updates regarding closures, or the Forest Website.

Miles Fire Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team assembled Sept. 10 and began its assessment of the Miles, Columbus, and Snow Shoe fires burn scars. It is under the direction of Joe Blanchard, watershed program manager for the Umpqua National Forest and Claire Campbell, soil scientist for the Lolo National Forest. The team is surveying the burned areas to determine if emergency treatments are warranted. They are looking at potential safety risks to the public and Forest Service personnel as well as natural and cultural resource damage from post-fire rain events. BAER team surveys are rapid assessments of the burned area to determine the potential for increased post-fire flooding, debris flows, and rock slides. They will also assess the potential for spread of noxious weeds and public safety along trails and roads. The BAER team will analyze the data they collect during the surveys, to produce a “Soil Burn Severity” map. This is the first step in assessing potential watershed...

Comandante: Brian Gales Diputado, IC: Larry Nickey Aprendiz IC: Aaron Schuh RESUMEN Incendio Klondite. Zona Oeste. El dia de ayer, se observo un aumento en la actividad del incendio debido a la presencia de una masa de aire seco y rafagas de viento. Dicha actividad fue captada en las siguientes confluencias de los rios: Indigo Creek con Illinois River, en los drenages de Snail y Slim Creek y tambien en Little Silver Creek. A pesar del nivel de humedad que se presento el fin de semana pasado, todavia hay residuos de material de combustion seco quemando con facilidad. De acuerdo al pronostico del tiempo, se presentaran condiciones similares el dia de hoy y muy probablemente el dia de manana. Los bomberos continuan enfocandose en la limpieza y sosteniendo la linea de fuego a lo largo de la carretera 2308, asi como tambien en la proteccion de las estructura en el area de drenaje de Little Silver Creek. Se continua con el trabajo de reparacion de gradeo o nivelacion de caminos y en las...

After more than a decade of hard work and collaboration between a diverse group of stakeholders, Blanchard Forest has reached a significant milestone.

About 100 people gathered on top of Blanchard Mountain on Sunday despite the chilly rains of early fall along the Salish Sea to celebrate turning the final corner in the Blanchard Forest Strategy, a plan that includes the concept of conserving a 1,600-acre portion of Blanchard Forest.

Washington State Commissioner of Public lands Hilary Franz, never one to have her spirits dampened by the weather, bounded up to Samish Overlook offering hugs and congratulations to the shivering groups of stakeholders gathered atop the mountain to celebrate.

After more than a decade of careful planning and collaboration, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), its partners and supportive members of the Legislature secured a total of $16.5 million, enough to fully implement the Blanchard Forest Strategy. The money is being used to acquire replacement lands for the core zone so DNR can continue to meet its fiduciary requirements.

“We now have something, through your hard, tireless work, to pass on to our children—and I don’t just mean this unbelievable mountain,” Commissioner Franz said. “I mean the vision that you can maintain this mountain and tell this story.”

The original Blanchard Committee began in 2006 and have spent the past 12 years working on this project. The committee came to the table on behalf of Blanchard and its beneficiaries for years, putting in the work to achieve a unique strategic plan.

In 2008, the committee completed the Blanchard Forest Strategy and the plan, which includes the concept of conserving the core zone, went into action. The committee included interest groups like Conservation Northwest, community members in Skagit County, industrial forest managers, Backcountry Horsemen of Washington, Skagit Land Trust, and Pacific Northwest Trail Association to reach this milestone.

It was a long road, but conservationists, the timber industry, outdoor recreationists, and the county that relies on state timber revenue were united in realizing the vision for Blanchard Mountain.

Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz addresses a crowd at Samish Overlook during the Sept. 16th Blanchard Celebration. Photo by Sarah Dettmer

None of this would have been possible without key supporters in the legislature throwing in their support for the project.  Franz said she is grateful for the support of the legislators like Senator David Frockt, Senator Kevin Ranker, Representative Steve Tharinger, and Representative Jeff Morris who fought to get DNR funding to acquire replacement lands.

DNR has already used $4.5 million in legislative appropriations to purchase about 920 acres of nearby forestland from willing private sellers.  DNR, in partnership with the Blanchard Committee, is busy purchasing and transferring lands with the remaining $12 million of available funding in order to complete the acquisition of replacement lands for the core zone.

DNR continues to seek additional forest lands to provide timber revenue for Skagit County and other local services, including the Burlington-Edison School District.

As the Commissioner delivered her thanks to the crowd, the rain took a brief pause and the San Juan Islands appeared through the mist beyond the Samish Overlook.

“This area represents what is so amazing about Washington State,” Commissioner Franz said. “You’ve got the mountains, you’ve got the Salish Sea, you’ve got our unbelievable islands, our working forest, and our old-growth forest right here reminding us that we’re some of the most fortunate human beings to be able to live and grace this landscape and call this place home.”

About Blanchard

Blanchard Forest is a 4,800-acre forest in Skagit County managed by DNR. It is located on the southern end of the Chuckanut Range, north of the City of Burlington. The forest is state trust land that DNR manages to generate revenue to support Skagit County public services. A Discover Pass is required to visit the area.

It’s a popular spot for hiking, biking, horseback riding, hang gliding and paragliding. The forest also produces timber that generates revenue for beneficiaries such as Skagit County, the Burlington-Edison School District, Skagit County Road Department, Medic One, the Port of Skagit, and United General Hospital.