How to be heard over the roar of ORVs

Nothing like the buzz of motorcycles to ruin a great hike. I once tried to hike the historic Naches Pass Trail to Government Meadows and found the place turned into one noisy, gigantic mud pit thanks to hundreds of ORV riders.

Tired of motorcycles and ORV ripping up trails and fragile meadows?

Hikers will have a crucial opportunity to make their voices heard as the Wenatchee-Okanogan and Colville National Forests hammer out their 15-year forest plans.

How can you speak up for non-motorized recreation? The Wenatchee-Okanogan National Forest is now working on a map of all motorized routes in the forest.

Three very important public meetings this month will explore just where motorized routes will be allowed and where they'll be excluded. You can be certain that ORV groups will be packing these meetings, so it's crucial that hikers attend too. Why not schedule a backpacking-and-advocacy weekend in Eastern Washington? Here are the dates and locations of these important meetings:

All meeting times are 9:30 a.m.-noon.

• Sat. June 10 in Okanogan at the Okanogan County PUD auditorium, 1331 N. Second Avenue
• Sat. June 17, in Ellensburg at the Hal Homes Center, 201 N, Ruby Street
• Sat. June 24, in Cashmere at the Events Center meeting room located in the new Apple Annie's Antique Mall building located at the junction of Highway 2 and Eels road.

Interesting that all the meetings are in Eastern Washington. News flash to managers of the Wenatchee-Okanogan: many of the hikers on trails in your National Forest come from west of the mountains. Why were no meetings scheduled on the west side?

There are many points to make but here are three important recommendations for the Mad River-Entiat region of the Wenatchee.

• The entire Entiat Roadless area should be recommended for inclusion in the Glacier Peak Wilderness
• Forest Road 5700 and its spurs should be closed and added to the Entiat Roadless area
• The Goose Maverick ORV Tie Trail project should be abandoned

If you're interested in attending, please contact WTA's advocacy director, Jonathan Guzzo, at (206) 625-1367 or jonathan@wta.org.

For background on WTA's vision for the Wenatchee-Okanogan-Colville, read this pamphlet. It offers sample letters and other useful  information. For additional info, click here.

Photo of motorcycle ruts on the Taneum Ridge Trail near Cle Elum.