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Hiker Headlines: Hike Smart Webinar, Coronavirus Relief and Road Openings

Posted by Jessi Loerch at May 14, 2020 04:08 PM |
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It's May 14. We have an upcoming webinar to answer all your questions about how to hike safely right now. A new bill in the U.S. Senate would fund wildfire prevention and provide coronavirus relief to the outdoor industry. And a couple important roads opened up this week. Here's some news you might have missed while out on the trail this week.

It's May 14. We have an upcoming webinar to answer all your questions about how to hike safely right now. A new bill in the U.S. Senate would fund wildfire prevention and provide coronavirus relief to the outdoor industry. And a couple important roads opened up this week. Here's some news you might have missed while out on the trail this week. 

steamboat rock Sarah Peters.jpg
State parks, such as Steamboat Rock State Park, and other public lands have started to reopen for hiking. Photo by Sarah Peters. 

You have questions, we have answers: Join us for a free webinar at noon on Thursday, May 21 — just in time for Memorial Day weekend. With more public lands now open for day use, we’re all learning how to hike safely during this health crisis. We’ll offer practical tips — from hiking in a mask to using our Hiking Guide to discover lesser-known adventures — to help you recreate responsibly. We’ll answer your questions and share the latest information about where you can hike.

Learn, connect: While we are all having to keep our physical distance, we’re finding ways to connect virtually. In addition to our upcoming webinar, there are number of upcoming events of interest to hikers — and you can enjoy them from your own home. Two of the events will help you learn more about Mount St. Helens and other volcanoes in our area — just in time for the 40th anniversary of the Mount St. Helens eruption.

Help for the outdoors: On Monday, Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon introduced legislation that would provide significant investment in wildfire prevention and relief to recreation outfitters and guides. It also provides funding:
  • to hire and train for land and conservation corps jobs,
  • to address the U.S. Forest Service maintenance backlog,
  • for the full and permanent funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund
  • for land management agencies to purchase and provide personal protective equipment for their employees.
WTA supports this bill and will continue to track its progress through Congress. To keep up to date on our advocacy work, sign up for the Trail Action Network. 

Open for the season: The North Cascades Highway has reopened. Crews finished clearing the road earlier this week. The North Cascades National Park is still closed to visitors and there is limited access to facilities along the highway.

Fixed! Over the winter, a major landslide forced the closure of the Middle Fork Road outside of North Bend. The road offers access to many popular hiking areas. The road reopened earlier this week after crews were able to finish repairs. Note that not all the trailheads along the road are open — check the status before you head out.

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  • Sign up for Families Go Hiking, our email newsletter for families with plenty of tips on keeping kids busy.

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