Cleaning trails’ trashy reputations
A pair of former Spokane police officers will soon be hitting the trails near Coeur d’Alene as part of a U.S. Forest Service push to bring more law and order to an increasingly crowded backcountry.
Public lands in the region are being “absolutely overwhelmed” by the growing number of fun-seeking residents, particularly those who cruise through the forests on motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, said Andy Boggs, a Forest Service employee who helps manage recreation areas within the Coeur d’Alene River Ranger District.
The new forest protection officers won’t carry handguns or have arrest powers, but they will be able to issue tickets for nonviolent offenses, such as riding off trails or failure to have state registration stickers. Most of their patrols will be spent in the highest-use areas, including Canfield Mountain, Hayden Creek, Independence Meadow, Hudlow Meadow, Bumblebee Meadow and the Horsehaven area.
Of all these play areas, Canfield Mountain’s 35-mile trail network will probably get some of the highest attention from these new trail cops, Boggs said. The area is just east of city limits and becomes packed on weekends with motorcyclists, mountain bikers and quad-runners, not to mention hikers.
Boggs said the forest protection officers will be a key tool in the agency’s endless battle to keep Canfield safe and from becoming an ecological disaster area. The officers’ pay is provided through the North Idaho Resource Advisory Group, a citizen committee that distributes federal funds from the Secure School Act.
The agency is also organizing a massive cleanup of the area for Saturday – Earth Day – with volunteers from mountain bike and motorized sports clubs pitching in to clean trails, repair signs and remove trash. Because of its proximity to town, Canfield has long been used as an illegal dumping area.
On Tuesday, thanks to a tip, Boggs caught a resident dumping yard waste. The man received a $175 ticket and was ordered to clean his mess. Most are never caught, judging from a quick scan of the trailhead parking lot. In an area not much bigger than a basketball court, there were scraps of old clothing, several deer carcasses, tuna cans, a gin bottle, condoms, a strip from a pregnancy test, cans from every imaginable brand of cheap beer, plus at least four tires, although one of the tires was recently removed by Boggs.
“It fit my daughter’s car,” he said, laughing.
In a brush-filled gully were at least three washing machines, a large piece of furniture and an old car.
“I’ve been at it 16 years, and it’s been a constant headache,” Boggs said. But the littering and vandalism appears to be lessening in recent years as different types of users have been attracted to the area. Now, it’s common to see high school runners, dog walkers and hikers on the trails, Boggs said. Many carry mobile phones and are quick to call in lawbreakers. Trail groups have also done a better job of helping to turn in scofflaws, he said.
One indication of the recent changes can be seen in the signs hanging at Canfield. They’re still abused, but their lifespan seems to be increasing, Boggs said.
“They’ve been there for two full seasons. That used to be gone in a month,” he said, pointing toward a “No Shooting” sign punctured by several small holes. “I think we’re turning the tide.”
Mike Magill, vice president of the North Idaho ATV Association, said law-abiding trail riders welcome the agency’s push to clean up Canfield and add additional law enforcement officers.
“Canfield’s just hammered. It’s absolutely hammered,” Magill said. “Can you imagine what would happen on the highways if they pulled law enforcement off? That’s what’s happening out there. … It’s disheartening to see the off-trail riders and the damage they’re causing. All it does is reflect bad on us and cause more constraints.”
But Magill said he also hopes the Forest Service will spend time and money developing new trails. Part of Canfield’s problem comes from too many people and not enough local trails, he said. The region is crisscrossed with Forest Service roads, but they “are about as challenging as driving a golf cart across a course.”
Jeff Zuk, a retiree who moved to Post Falls last year from Illinois, spent a few sunny hours Wednesday afternoon riding his Yamaha motorcycle on Canfield’s trails. In his previous home, dirt bike trails were at least an hour away and cost $20 to use. Compared with that, Canfield’s hills, creeks and tall trees seem like paradise, he said.
“After today, you couldn’t drag me out of Idaho kicking and screaming,” Zuk said.