Outdoor projects approved

OLYMPIA – Area parks, the Centennial Trail and the Colville National Forest will share more than $300,000 in state recreation money, with much of that destined for off-road vehicle trails and programs.

The money, most of which comes from a small slice of the state’s gas tax, is part of $6 million for outdoor recreation projects around the state. Projects include improvements to boat launches, hiking areas, and firearm and archery ranges. The state’s Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation chose the projects from 100 proposals costing $12 million. About half were approved.

Local projects include:

•Patrols for the Liberty Lake Off-Road Vehicle Park: $58,565. The money will pay for part of a new patrol truck, safety equipment and emergency gear for a ranger, deputies and volunteers who patrol the county-owned park.

“In the past, we were really shy on resources to provide a person in the park to offset some of the trespassing, vandalism and illegal road-riding that was going on up there,” said county Ranger Bryant Robinson. A $37,000 state grant last year, he said, helped pay for a patrol all-terrain vehicle, as well as signs, a digital camera and brochures to encourage responsible use of the trails.

•Planning the extension of the Centennial Trail: $71,378. Trail proponents want to add a nearly two-mile stretch to the 37-mile corridor, which now runs from Idaho to Sontag Park, near Nine Mile Falls Dam. The added trail would run along the Spokane River and Lake Spokane, ending at Avista Utilities Resort, a public resort. The money will help pay for plans, permits, design and engineering work, with volunteers on the ground determining the exact route.

Most of the land is state-owned already; some of it is owned by Avista. Like the existing trail, use would be limited to non-motorized recreation such as hiking, jogging, roller blading and bicycling. Bill Fraser, a regional park planner with the state Department of Parks and Recreation, said the goal is to have the trail finished by 2009.

•A new bulldozer for the Airway Heights Off-Road Vehicle Park: $86,640. The privately run park is on county-owned land and needs to replace a late-1980s bulldozer. A growing group of competitive riders, as well as improvements in the campground and bathrooms, have led to a surge in activity at the park, Robinson said.

“They were using their poor little dozer almost nonstop, eight to 10 hours a day, to try to maintain the track in the park,” he said. “It’s time to upgrade or buy another one.”

•Campsite maintenance, Colville National Forest: $61,250. The money will pay for a seasonal employee to check campsites, meet visitors and clean up at the more than 400 campsites in the Newport-Sullivan Ranger District.

•ATV planning, Colville National Forest: $51,350: The money will pay for the environmental planning required to add more trails for high-clearance vehicles, reopen some roads closed to off-road vehicles and build short trails linking existing routes.