Volunteers needed for ATV work party

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting a volunteer ATV work party in the Reiter Foothills area near Gold Bar.

The two-day event will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 27, and Sunday, June 28. Volunteers will help facilitate a trail extension that will traverse through the area known as Reiter Foothills Area No. 4. A significant number of ATVs and ATV trailers are needed to help during the work party, as materials need to be hauled along the existing ATV trails to a staging area.

The Reiter Foothills area is located near Gold Bar off Reiter Road. -á

"We are asking for 40 to 50 ATVs to haul trail-building materials,GÇ¥ said project volunteer Ted Jackson. "Also, if they have trailers, that would be helpful.GÇ¥-á -á

Once the DNR has enough rock and other trail-building materials positioned in the staging area near the undeveloped sections of trail, crews from the Washington Conservation Corps will begin constructing a 2-mile segment of ATV trunk trail that will loop through Area No. 4. The goal is to have the trail constructed by fall 2015.-á

The work party is being coordinated by DNR Cascade District Recreation Manager Benjamin Hale. The hope, Hale explained, is to accumulate as much volunteer labor as possible, since it helps the DNR secure grant funding. Oftentimes, grant applications consider the donations of labor that an organization or project receives, quantifying the labor and converting it into what's called a match.

This year, the DNR has applied for a total of five grants through the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO), a state department responsible for distributing funds for various recreationally-oriented projects across the state. The RCO examines the level of match when reviewing its grant applications. -á -á -á

"RCO values how much volunteerism GÇô donated labor GÇô is included as match because it shows the level of support the local community has on the project,GÇ¥ Hale said. "Projects with a significant amount of volunteerism illustrate a project with much support and excitement.GÇ¥

The RCO prioritizes the enhancement of parks, trails, boating facilities, water access, off-road vehicle areas, athletic fields and firearm and archery ranges. -á

Cash donations, other grants, donations of labor, land, equipment and materials all fit within the definition of a match. The grant funding, which is contingent on the Legislature passing the 2015 GÇô 2017 biennium budget, would fund five specific areas, including ATV single-track trail development, four-by-four trail development, phase two of non-motorized trail development, education and enforcement for the Reiter Foothills area and off-road vehicle trail maintenance.-á

For more information about the trails at Reiter Foothills, visit www.dnr.wa.gov/RecreationEducation/Topics/RecreationPlanning/Pages/amp_rec_reiter_foothills.aspx.-á

DNR is asking potential volunteers to take the following survey: www.surveymonkey.com/r/SV2TKD5.-á

For any questions regarding the work party, please contact Benjamin Hale at benjamin.hale@dnr.wa.gov or 360-854-8451.-á