THE WILD CASCADES FALL 2020 - THE JOURNAL OF THE NORTH CASCADES CONSERVATION COUNCIL - NPS HISTORY
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
THE WILD CASCADES
The Journal of the North Cascades Conservation Council
Fall 2020
visit www.northcascades.org • www.facebook.com/northcas/ THE WILD CASCADES • Fall 2020 1
THE NORTH CASCADES
CONSERVATION COUNCIL was
THE WILD CASCADES Fall 2020 formed in 1957 “To protect and
preserve the North Cascades’ scenic,
3 President’s report — Phil Fenner
scientific, recreational, educational,
4 N3C Actions — July to October 2020 and wilderness values.” Continuing
6 Mountains on their minds: Early women climbers, conservationists and this mission, N3C keeps government
chroniclers in the Pacific Northwest — Joan Burton officials, environmental organizations,
and the general public informed about
8 NPS ignores Wilderness in Thunder Creek planning — Dave Fluharty
issues affecting the Greater North
9 Olympic mountain goats arrive in the Cascades Cascades Ecosystem. Action is pur-
Trees in Trouble by Daniel Mathews
sued through administrative, legal,
and public participation channels to
10 Sahale harm reduction — Phil Fenner protect the lands, waters, plants and
11 Monte Cristo CERCLA route status — Ed Henderson wildlife.
12 Glacier monitoring is essential work — Tom Hammond Over the past half century N3C has
16 Corvid’s eye led or participated in campaigns to
create the North Cascades National
17 N3C comments on scoping for the Nisqually to Paradise Road corridor Park Complex, Glacier Peak Wilder-
plan
ness, and other units of the National
18 Forest Service thumbing its nose at locals in Nooksack logging row Wilderness System from the W.O.
Douglas Wilderness north to the
19 Restore Gold Creek Valley or maintain Gold Creek Pond? Restoration at
Gold Creek Valley: Hope for the future — Jim Evans Alpine Lakes Wilderness, the Henry M.
Jackson Wilderness, the Chelan-Saw-
20 Park proposes rotten land deal in Stehekin to give away public land — tooth Wilderness, the Wild Sky Wil-
Dave Fluharty and Carolyn McConnell
derness and others. Among its most
22 Support Wild Wallace land reconveyance to save forest near state park, dramatic victories has been working
Gold Bar — Kathy Johnson with British Columbia allies to block
It’s not over till it’s over at the Marblemount quarry — Jose Vila, Skagit the raising of Ross Dam, which would
River Alliance have drowned Big Beaver Valley.
23 In Memoriam, Frank Fickeisen N3C is supported by member dues
N3C membership application and private donations. These contri-
butions support the full range of the
Council’s activities, including publica-
COVER: Researcher Mariama Dryak explores the terminus of the Lower Curtis Glacier.
tion of The Wild Cascades. As a 501(c)
It’s not every day you see someone (in shorts!) crawling out from under a glacier. —Tom
Hammond photo (3) organization, all contributions
are fully tax deductible to the extent
allowed by law. Membership dues for
The Wild Cascades one year are: Living Lightly/Student
$10; Individual $30; Family $50; Sus-
Journal of the North Cascades Conservation Council taining $100.
EDITOR: Anne Basye
EDITORIAL BOARD: Philip Fenner, Anders Forsgaard, North Cascades
Tom Hammond, and Ed Henderson Conservation Council
P.O. Box 95980
Pat Hutson, Designer | Printing by Abracadabra Printing
University Station
The Wild Cascades is published three times a year (Winter, Spring-Summer, Fall). Seattle, WA 98145-2980
Letters, comments, and articles are invited, subject to editorial review.
N3C Website
The Wild Cascades Editor
www.northcascades.org
wildcascades@northcascades.org
North Cascades Conservation Council
PO Box 95980, University Station, Seattle, WA 98145-2980
The Wild Cascades is printed on recycled paper.
2 THE WILD CASCADES • Fall 2020
N3C Board
Officers
president
Philip Fenner
vice president Founded in 1957
Carolyn McConnell SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
treasurer
Tom Brucker
Lisa Bergman, pro tem
The President’s report Fall 2020
2020 is getting a reputation as the worst year anyone can remember. Those of
secretary us who grew up in the 60s and 70s lived through a sort of Golden Age, despite
Marc Bardsley what seemed the turmoil of those times. We’d conquered disease and set aside
enough of the natural world that the next generations would have it better than
we did. Or... maybe not. The idea of controlling nature and saving it at the same
Other Directors time has just about reached its limits. With no “planet B” in the offing, this one-
and-only home of ours now seems to lash back at us and our many misbegotten
Scott Crain efforts to subdue it to our purposes.
Dave Fluharty I don’t need to list the depredations that have befallen us as a species this
year. But I do want to reassure our members that we have not lost sight of our
Anders Forsgaard mission. We may be playing a defensive game now, but we‘re defending the
exceptional and unique natural heritage the founders of N3C worked so hard
Jim Freeburg to preserve for us. It’s not always a linear process, and progress can sometimes
seem transitory. There continue to be disturbing trends bigger than anything
David Gladstone
our founders faced, like climate change with all its impacts on our glacier-clad
mountains, which we’re continuing to monitor and report on to raise public
Ed Henderson
awareness, as you’ll read on page 12.
Kurt Lauer I was personally lucky enough to be able to take some time away from other
obligations to seek my own solace in our North Cascades in September, and
Thom Peters
the timing couldn’t have been more dramatic: I left for the mountains just as
the huge smoke cloud invaded the skies and turned a fine summer into a grey
Advisors morass. Canceling my other plans, I opted to just find a stream of cool, clear
water coming off the slopes of Eldorado Peak, where I found the fresher air that
Brock Evans hovered just above the water surface. The rain returned to clear the skies and
the air we breathe, a welcome relief despite the wetness. That was the right time
Kevin Geraghty for me to hike into the deepest, most isolated ancient forest I could find. Then
the skies cleared and I could get a dose of the high country with its sea of peaks
Tom Hammond and bright autumn colors. Those scenes will stay with me through the shorter
days and longer nights ahead. Helping the Park Service restore the damage to
Robert Paul Kendall Sahale Arm had special importance to me (see page 10). The impacts of the Mon-
te Cristo mine remediation also drew me on a ground-truthing mission attended
Fayette Krause
by the local media (see page 11).
Dave LeBlanc Looking ahead, we as a nation face a crucial choice next month. We have great
power to set new priorities and values when we emerge from the current politi-
Thom Schroeder
cal morass.
Phil Fenner
philf@northcascades.org
visit www.northcascades.org • www.facebook.com/northcas/ THE WILD CASCADES • Fall 2020 3
DEFENDING WILD ESTABLISHING,
AREAS AGAINST EXPANDING AND
N3C DAMAGING
INDUSTRIAL USES
PROTECTING
WILDERNESS AREAS
Actions Why it matters: resource extraction —
mining, logging, hydropower — is the
most harmful use of public land. N3C
strives to save what remains wild, miti-
Why it matters: federal land designation
as Wilderness and Park is the gold
standard of ecosystem protection,
precluding most damaging industrial and
gate what’s been lost, and restore what’s commercial exploitation.
JULY to OCTOBER been damaged.
2020 Submitted letter to the National
Continued public participation in Park Service (NPS) and the North
Cascades National Park (NOCA) ob-
Advocacy carried out by the Seattle City Light (SCL) Skagit
jecting to the proposed McGregor
Hydroelectric Power Relicensing.
As the relicensing process moves Meadows land exchange in the Ste-
dedicated N3C volunteers to the next phase with the Federal hekin Valley. N3C objected based
Energy Resource Committee (FERC) on adverse environmental impacts
in the last three months N3C board members are participat- on public lands in the Stehekin
ing on the Steering Committee and River Valley of Lake Chelan Nation-
to protect and preserve Resource Workgroups meetings. al Recreation Area (LACH), lack of
transparency of the public process
the North Cascades lands,
Continued consulting with Skagit in developing and proposing this
River Alliance to prevent any re- exchange, and NPS failure to pro-
vide sufficient detailed information
waters, plants, and wildlife. sumption of mining at the former
to allow for knowledgeable public
quarry site near Marblemount. (See
page 22.) comment. (See page 20.)
Signed joint letter to the Bureau
of Land Management regarding a
geothermal Lease Sale in the Mount
Baker area. The letter restated
the conditions agreed to in the
2015 final EA and Consent to Lease
agreement for potential geother-
mal development in the Mount
Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
(MBSNF).
Participated in a “plant carry” work
party at Cascade Pass where the
NPS is attempting to stabilize the
rebuilt trail at Sahale Arm. The
native plants are being used to
re-vegetate the meadow around a
recently constructed retaining wall.
(See page 10.)
4 THE WILD CASCADES • Fall 2020
PROMOTING PROTECTING ANCIENT FORESTS, WILDLIFE
ENVIRONMENTALLY AND WILDLIFE HABITAT
SOUND RECREATION Why it matters: like real estate, they’re just not making ancient forest anymore. We
IN WILD AREAS seek to restore watersheds and fisheries damaged from decades of heavy logging and
road building and protect significant forests from degradation. From microscopic fungi
Why it matters: balancing access with to top predators, the wilderness ecosystem’s living members are interdependent, so
economics and Wilderness preservation, keeping viable populations of each species is essential to preserve the ecosystem for
we evaluate motorized use and places future generations.
where it needs to be limited to reduce
land impacts and recurring road repair
costs.
Signed joint letter with 30 conserva-
tion organization to the Washington
State Department of Natural Resourc-
Signed joint letter to the Secretary of
Agriculture opposing proposed exemp-
tion of the Tongass National Forest
Submitted comments to the NPS on es (DNR) supporting the Trust Land from the 2001 Roadless Area Conserva-
a revised EA for relocation of a trail Transfer (TLT) specifically endorsing tion Rule. The largest U.S. national for-
and campground in the Thunder Creek the Cascade River Project transferring est is an important carbon sink. Turning
Valley, off Ross Lake in the south unit 1,200 acres with a willing recipient, Se- over enforcement of the Roadless Rule
of NOCA. We noted the NOCA had attle City Light in the Skagit River Basin. to the not-so-tender mercies of the
addressed many of the comments in State of Alaska and the timber industry
our critique of the project scoping and
asked the NPS to minimize use of heli- Signed joint letter to the Region 6
Forester commenting on Deferred
Maintenance Priorities, which now can
will set a precedent and effectively end
roadless protection in the Tongass and
throughout the U.S.
copters rather than use as extensively
as proposed since Thunder Creek was and should be addressed since passage
recently added to the Stephen Mather
Wilderness. (See page 8.)
of the Great American Outdoor Act
makes funds available. Signed joint letter from 100+ conserva-
tion and environmental organizations
calling on the nation’s large oil compa-
Submitted scoping comments to the
NPS for a traffic study for the Nisqually Submitted scoping comments to the
Mt. Baker Ranger District of MBSNF on
the proposed North Fork of the Nook-
nies not to pursue fossil fuel develop-
ment in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. The letter cites the threat to
to Paradise Road in Mount Rainier
National Park. The road is heavily trav- sack Vegetation Management Project. the Alaska native communities and the
elled, and parking is inadequate. N3C We raised a number of concerns. The environmental damage to the wildlife
expressed its concern that Wilderness project encompasses a large area con- that depend upon the refuge.
values be protected. (See page 17.) taining old growth, Late Successional
Reserves (LSR), and Riparian Reserves.
Continued following the Monte Cristo
Signed joint letter with 18 other Total mileage of new and reopened CERCLA track in Inventoried Roadless
conservation organizations support- roads is not identified. A project this Area (IRA), which will remain open
ing the Skykomish Ranger District of large requires an EIS and more detailed through 2021 to allow access for moni-
the MBSNF trail relocation plans for information before the public can eval- toring of ground water leakage. We will
the Blanca Lake and Heybrook Ridge uate and make intelligent comments. ensure that MBS permanently closes
trails. The improved trails will provide (See page 18.) the track when monitoring is complete.
improved recreational access while (See page 11.)
protecting the surrounding Wilderness.
Continued supporting SnoKing Wa-
Signed joint letter to the Washington tershed Council’s (SKWC) appeal of
State Recreation and Conservation Snohomish County Permit to “rebuild”
Funding Board supporting water access the Index-Galena Road in North Fork
on the North Fork of the Nooksack of Skykomish River. The old roadbed is
River in Whatcom County. now the new river bed in this salmon
bearing stream. The appeal was heard
Signed joint letter to Washington State on October 16 in Olympia. The judge
Recreation and Conservation Funding denied the appeal and construction
Board supporting Washington State may proceed in 2021.
Parks’ acquisition of Mt. Washington to protect a popular climbing and hiking
Trail property, an inholding in the destination and provide management
Olallie State Park in the Mountains to for sustainable outdoor recreation,
Sound Greenway National Heritage scenic values and wildlife habitat.
Area. This is an important opportunity
visit www.northcascades.org • www.facebook.com/northcas/ THE WILD CASCADES • Fall 2020 5
Mountains on their minds:
Early women climbers, conservationists and
chroniclers in the Pacific Northwest
By Joan Burton
Joan Burton, a member of N3C since They helped set aside and protect wil-
2008, an avid climber, and a member of derness areas and ancient forests, saving
the WTA and the Mountaineers, shared them from logging and development.
these glimpses from her manuscript, “Ear- They discovered mountains in remote
ly Women Climbers with Mountains on areas and then went ahead and climbed
their Minds: Climbers, Conservationists them to achieve first ascents.
and Chroniclers in the Pacific Northwest”, They wrote the first hiking guidebooks
which portrays more than 70 historic for Northwest trails, enabling hikers to
women mountaineers. By the way, she find trailheads and to know what to ex-
and Betty Manning were part of the pect on the trails.
June 1958 Ladies’ Cascade Expedition to They volunteered with mountain rescue
traverse Cascade Pass and Boston Basin groups to help bring out injured hikers,
and attempt the 8,800-foot-summit of skiers and climbers to medical help and
Eldorado. The seven women backpacked safety.
up ridges and meadows to reach Inspira-
They served as fire lookouts during
tion Glacier before their final assault on
World War II when men were away in
the peak.
service.
They helped convince governmental
agencies to set aside land in national
Northwest mountain adventurers have
parks, national recreation areas, and a
not always been men—some were women.
national monument.
They climbed glacier-clad mountains in Catherine Montgomery envisioned
long dresses and skirts, finding their way These women are mountain heroes—
regional VIPs—whom we should know a Pacific Crest Trail and proposed the
without maps or directions. Later they
about, honor and celebrate. concept, based on her love of hiking and
wore bloomers and rejoiced in the greater
what she had read about the Appalachian
mobility. The only implement they used
Trail.
was the alpenstock.
Phyllis Mun-
day with her husband
Don, were the first
non-natives to see
Mount Waddington,
highest peak in the
British Columbia
Coast range – they
spotted it from a
boat. She was the
first woman to climb
Mount Robson, and
then she went on to
explore and climb hundreds of peaks in
those remote mountains. Canada made a
postage stamp for her.
Polly Dyer fought to stop logging
inside Olympic National Park, hiked
the wilderness Pacific beach to stop the
building of a road along the shoreline,
then helped to establish the North Cas-
Fay Fuller was the first woman to climb cades National Park and Recreation area.
Mount Rainier in 1890, when she was only Margaret Miller, with her husband Joe,
20 years old. studied alpine plants in the Cascade Pass
These are Seattle hikers around 1915 area of the North Cascades. She took
exploring their surroundings. home their seeds, propagated them and
6 THE WILD CASCADES • Fall 2020
Susan Saul worked to set aside
and establish the Mount St. Helens
volcano as a National Monument. She
Polly Dyer and Margaret Miller. —Tom brought environmentalists together
Hammond photo Joan Firey, with her husband Joe,
climbed and made many first ascents with government representatives to
in the Picket Range and British Colum- achieve consensus and a world -famous
then brought back the new plants to bia Coast Range, continued climbing in monument where scientists could study
re-vegetate the alpine meadows. To help the Andes and Himalayas, and was a the return of life, hikers would explore
prevent the raising of Ross Dam, they co-leader of the first women’s Annapurna volcanic changes, and families could enjoy
studied all the plant species endemic to
expedition. the beauty of the area.
the area that would be harmed. The dam
was not raised.
Pam Olmsted Bobroff spent summers
in North Cascades fire lookouts with her
mother and grandmother as part of a
three-generation fire lookout team during
World War II, when she was only 13 years
old.
39 Summit Ridge
Northwest women who loved mountains
have helped to shape their exploration and
preservation at every step. They should
be remembered for their courage, love of
adventure and willingness to explore the
beautiful wilderness around them.
Louise Marshall wrote the first hiking Virginia Olmsted, Pamela Olmsted and
guide to Cascade and Olympic mountain Lurline Simpson, another fire lookout and
trails, and then went on to found the friend.
Washington Trails Association. Bree Loewen served as a volunteer
mountain rescue leader for more than 10
years, helping to bring out hundreds of
wounded climbers, hikers, and skiers to
safety and medical help.
visit www.northcascades.org • www.facebook.com/northcas/ THE WILD CASCADES • Fall 2020 7
NPS ignores Wilderness in Thunder Creek planning
By Dave Fluharty
You may have wondered what happens tion, N3C advocated that the NPS use only
when you or N3C responds to requests for hand tools.
public comments. In N3C review and comment on the En-
The Thunder Creek Trail Reroute and vironmental Assessment, N3C repeated its
Camp Construction in the Mather Wilder- proposed alternatives for dealing with the
ness this summer provides a disappointing remains of the bridge to avoid helicopter
case study. The cause for federal action to use and for use of only hand tools.
repair the trail and replace the McAllister When the NPS issued its Record of
Campground is pretty clear. The rambunc- Decision it was a Finding of No Significant
tious Thunder Creek eroded the existing Impact (FONSI). N3C found only cursory
trail and caused the bridge to fail. The NPS response to its primary concerns. Leaving
requested public comment the I-beam stringers in place
on the repair actions in 1) was dismissed, “Removal copter rental and avoiding helicopter use
a Scoping Process and 2) of the washed-out bridge
in response to an Environ- If decisions were I-beams will trade short-term would seemingly be in the public interest.
Similarly, using hand tools to reroute the
mental Assessment (EA) that made before the adverse effects of helicop- trail and to construct the camps would be
identifies the environmental
impacts of alternative ways public comment ter noise with a long-term
benefit of removing large
consistent with the obligations to protect
Wilderness. We can only speculate. Were
the NPS could remedy the period, what sights (sic) of modern human these decisions made before the public
management concerns.
For the most part N3C
benefit is public development from wilder-
ness.” N3C observers report
comment period? Possibly, but in that case
what benefit is the public comment period
agrees with the interventions comment? that the I-beams are hidden in avoiding environmental impacts?
proposed to deal with man- from view by terrain. With
Despite N3C disappointment with the
agement concerns. However, respect to use of hand versus
NPS decisions, one can learn a lot from
two major issues about NOCA’s choice power tools there is a lot of discussion but
review of Environmental Assessments. For
of management actions are extremely the question of whether the power tools
example N3C learned that if the McAllister
troubling because they are inside desig- are necessary is not addressed. Instead,
Bridge had not washed out and isolated
nated Wilderness. The first is the decision N3C and others are led through a long and
the campground, the NPS was contemplat-
to use a helicopter to salvage the McAl- formal “Minimum Requirement Analysis”
ing cutting all of the very large trees in the
lister Bridge metal I-beam stringers from which basically with respect to minimum
vicinity of the campground because it is
their resting place in Thunder Creek and tools focuses on the choice of tools that
a “developed” site. How does Wilderness
second is the choice to employ motorized make the work easiest and efficient and
camping become the same as a car camp-
equipment (e.g., chainsaws) for trail clear- ignores their negative impact on Wilder-
ing area just miles away? Doesn’t Wilder-
ing and campground construction. The ness. Here is how the NPS describes the
ness inherently contain hazard and risk as
Wilderness Act of 1964 expressly limits the use of chainsaws and power tools. “….it
part of its core intent?
use of helicopters to emergency use and would be intermittent over the approxi-
forbids the use of other motorized equip- mately sixty-four days of construction… This is not just complaining over sour
ment except in extraordinary circumstanc- Chainsaws are usually only powered on grapes by N3C. N3C’s concern is over the
es within statutory Wilderness. for a few minutes at a time to make cuts NPS respect for Wilderness. Over the next
for puncheon bridge parts (this is a 10 ft. few years N3C and the NPS will engage in
In the Scoping Process, N3C pointed
long bridge!) and campsite components, revision of the Wilderness Management
out that the map being used to illustrate
cut down trees, and clear downed trees.” Plan for the Park and National Recreation
the project location did not show that the
NPS estimates a total of 25 trees dead or Areas. What do recent NPS management
project site was in Wilderness (designated
alive of 12-24 inches in diameter. It also actions for Thunder Creek, Sahale Arm
in 2012). More importantly, N3C advocat-
lists 20 trees 12-18 inches in diameter and other areas portend for management
ed that the NPS leave the metal stringers
being cut to reroute the trail. “….On days measures in a future Wilderness Manage-
for the failed McAllister Bridge in Thunder
when chainsaws would be used their use ment Plan? How would “hazard trees be
Creek. This would obviate the need to use
is unlikely to exceed a few hours.” N3C eliminated in Wilderness camp sites”? All
a helicopter in Wilderness. N3C argued
argues that the use of chainsaws could be this is fair warning: Engage early, engage
that removal was not necessary because
avoided entirely given the limited number often, engage knowledgeably and engage
the metal stringers were inert, were not
and size of the trees to be “removed” and vociferously…at risk is 95% of the area in
causing problems with the hydrology of
that this would respect the Wilderness. NOCA designated as Wilderness.
Thunder Creek and were virtually hidden
from view. Based on the relatively minor N3C asks why the reasonable actions
need identified in the EA to cut trees for that we proposed through public com-
the trail reroute and campsite construc- ment to avoid impacts on Wilderness were
not accepted. Saving the high cost of heli-
8 THE WILD CASCADES • Fall 2020
Olympic mountain goats Attention N3C
arrive in the Cascades members
Please inform us of mailing address
The August Skagit Valley Herald report- helicopter to their new homes in the changes! It’s much easier to update
ed that 50 mountain goats were success- Mount Baker-Snoqualmie and Okano-
our records and make sure you get
fully relocated from the Olympic Moun- gan-Wenatchee national forests. Some died
tains to the North Cascades the last week your copy of TWC, than to wait for the
during capture or transit, were euthanized
of July and first week of August, bringing or taken to zoos. Mountain goats remain- P.O. to return it to us. Thanks!
the total relocated to 325 over three years ing in the Olympics are being targeted We’re now offering an electronic de-
by August 13, 2020. during a specialized hunt now underway. livery option for TWC. Just let us know
“Dozens more will make similar The project was developed in partner- and we’ll send it as soon as it’s ready,
journeys by truck, ferry and helicopter ship between the National Park Service, usually a couple of weeks before the
through September 21 as part of an effort USDA, Forest Service and state Depart- paper copies arrive, and not sending
to reduce the impact of the animals in ment of Fish & Wildlife, with support from paper will save some trees and some
the Olympic Mountains and encourage area tribes including the Upper Skagit.
postage.
population growth in the North Cascades, Fish & Wildlife estimates the relocat-
where they are native,” said reporter Kim- ed goats have a 52% chance of surviving For either of these, email us at
berly Cauvel in the August 13 issue. beyond their first year. That means a maxi- ncccinfo@northcascades.org and we’ll
Cauvel reported that 11 were moved mum of 170 of the goats moved since 2018 take care of it.
from Klahhane Ridge on the Olympic are likely to live long enough to reproduce
Peninsula to the North Cascades south of and help grow the population.
Darrington. Six were lifted by helicopter As many as possible have been collared
to Stillaguamish Peak. The other five were so that their whereabouts can be mon-
driven as close to the peak as possible itored. Fish & Wildlife plans an annual Dear NCCC,
after rain and clouds created visibility helicopter survey, in partnership with the
challenges for the helicopter pilot. Others Upper Skagit tribe. We enjoyed reading the “Wild Cas-
were released north of Washington Pass.
Watch a video of goats being released
cades” newsletter in digital form. We
The goats survived sedation, capture, at Cedar River here: https://www.youtube. thought to let you know that the
vet checks and transport by ferry and com/watch?v=CzPGV2ROjLI down-loadable digital form is great. There
is no need to send us any more print-
ed versions in the future.
My wife and I (living in California) have
been several times in the North Cascades
in our younger years and still hope we
can make it one more time. We are in the
Daniel Mathews, author of one of eighties. Our daughter had a wonderful
our favorite references, Natural His- backpack trip in the North Cascades just a
tory of the Pacific Northwest Moun- year ago and really loved it.
tains, recently released this new book Best regards,
about the burning and infested dry, Jurgen and Madeline Strasser
inland pine forests of the west. It only Lafayette, CA
touches briefly on the wet, west-slope
forests, but as most of the smoke we
suffered with in western Washington
this September came from dry, inland
forests, it’s of interest in a very imme-
diate way on the west side, too. The
Automatic
details, research and encounters that recurring
form the basis of the book are an edu-
cation in themselves. His conclusions
donations!
aren’t terribly encouraging, but overall Just go to the donation portal on
it’s clear that the only way to restoring our website (click “Donate Now”!
fire resilience is through more fire. on our home page), check the box
for “Make this a recurring monthly
donation” and set the number of
donations/months!
visit www.northcascades.org • www.facebook.com/northcas/ THE WILD CASCADES • Fall 2020 9
Sahale harm reduction
By Phil Fenner
with “the best of intentions”) to intervene
in the most overused portion of the North
Cascades National Park, on Cascade Pass
and Sahale Arm. From diagnosis to plan-
ning, to actual intervention to side effects,
if this were a medical treatment it would
qualify as malpractice. Helicopters were
used in Wilderness where they are prohib-
ited, without any public notice and during
peak season more than once to build new
trail to try to make the steep Sahale Arm
route “safer” for hikers.
The coup de grace was a switchback
extension in the steepest meadow, just
above Cascade Pass. The original trail was
quite steep, but fairly stable. With thin
vegetative cover on polished bedrock that
steep, making lateral cuts is asking for
trouble, and two such cuts were made
into an area without much cover, a clear
sign it was not stable. The resulting slide
buried both halves of the new switchback
and could literally be seen from space on
Google Earth satellite. It looked really
ugly in person and was spreading rapidly.
The site remains muddy even now in late
summer, so clearly there was an underly-
ing seep that NPS didn’t notice until it was
far too late.
When we met with Park Service staff
they tried to play down the situation, deny
it was their fault, and then said they had
already planned to stabilize and repair
it by building wooden retaining walls,
another major intervention requiring, you
guessed it ... helicopters. A fix to the fix!
We offered to help in the final stages of
this rehab project by carrying plant starts
up from the trailhead for revegetation,
to make at least one more helicopter run
unnecessary. Besides, revegetating the
Cascade Pass area has been one of N3C’s
long-term projects. The NPS greenhouse
NPS plant propagation crew assisted by N3C members delivers plants from the Miller in Marblemount is named after two of our
greenhouse to the damage site. —Phil Fenner photo founders, Joe and Margaret Miller, who
pioneered the whole process.
“improve” Wilderness for the hordes of The actual “plant carry” in late Septem-
You may have heard of “harm reduction”
recreationalists. This means first keeping ber couldn’t have been planned on a bet-
as a humane alternative to the so-called
a close eye on the situation, and then ter day, considering the smoke and storms
War on Drugs. The concept is to help
following up to assure the responsible last month. Four N3C volunteers helped
reduce the damage done by the addiction.
party does all it can to ameliorate (if not the NPS plant propagation crew. The crew
I have some close friends involved in that
reverse) the damage. And helping them in that operates the greenhouse and works
movement and it’s both heartbreaking and
that process. on the replanting sites are real heroes of
inspiring. We actually face similar situa-
tions sometimes in protecting the North Sahale Arm is a case in point. As report- this harm reduction work. They’ve made
Cascades,especially when it comes to the ed in previous issues, a series of poor deci- some changes to their protocols since the
impacts of overuse and agency efforts to sions was made by the Park Service (albeit last time I participated in a plant carry: the
10 THE WILD CASCADES • Fall 2020plants are carried up bare-root rather than
in pots, and the NPS crew did the actual
We will continue to monitor the situation,
as we still have concerns about what can Monte Cristo
CERCLA route
planting the following day (they’re the be done to halt the continuing erosion
experts at that process, which is crucial to above the upper switchback (both new
walls are between the two switchbacks).
status
success). They’re also working on ways to
keep the plants from dying of thirst during And we’ll continue to emphasize to NPS
the typical late-summer dry spells in the that doing a hydrological survey before
high meadows, using water tanks “hidden cutting into fragile high-angle meadows is
in plain sight” up on top of Sahale Arm. an important preventive step. Of course, if By Ed Henderson
N3C applauds the efforts of the NPS helicopters weren’t part of the project and The COVID-19 pandemic has upset the
re-veg crew, and we thank them for their they had to do it by hand, they might have best laid plans of mice and men and the
tour of the NPS greenhouse and good been a bit more cautious, too. Forest Service. Because of travel restric-
company on the hike to the damage site. tions imposed by the pandemic, the Forest
Service was unable to conduct the sched-
uled fifth and last year of ground water
monitoring at the mining waste repository
this year. The CERCLA clean-up (e.g., the
Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act, aka the
Superfund) requires five, not necessar-
ily consecutive, years of monitoring. So
hopefully the monitoring can be complet-
ed next year in 2021. In any case the route
must remain passable for motor vehicle for
another year.
N3C has written, new Darrington Dis-
trict Ranger Greta Smith asking what plans
the district is making to manage these
changed circumstances. Will property in
holders be allowed motor vehicle access
to the CERCLA route in 2021 or will the
route be closed to all motor vehicles as
anticipated by Greta Smith’s Letter of May
28? N3C is strongly in favor of closing the
route to all motor vehicle access except
that required for monitoring, then render-
ing the route impassable to motor vehicles
once the monitoring is complete. We have
restated this position to the Forest Service.
On Friday, October 2, a party of N3C
members accompanied by a report-
er and photographer from the Everett
Herald took a ground-truthing hike on
the CERCLA route into the Monte Cristo
townsite. We observed the condition of the
route and the maintenance that had been
required to keep the route open for motor
vehicle travel. Such work being paid for by
CERCLA funds! On the hike out, the group
followed the old Snohomish County mine-
to-market road across the washed-out twin
bridges over the Sauk River and the mud
slide, where a quarter-mile of the old road
collapsed into the river.
N3C will continue to closely monitor
this issue and act with the goal of perma-
nently closing and rendering the CERCLA
route impassable and undrivable to motor
vehicles and restoring the integrity of the
Inventoried Roadless Area. We feel that
Two timber/rock crib retaining walls now permanently mar the formerly pristine this is important not only to the Monte
meadows on the slope of Sahale Arm. —Phil Fenner photo Cristo wild backcountry site and the Hen-
ry Jackson Wilderness but to the integrity
of 59 million acres of Inventoried Roadless
Areas in the National Forest nationwide.
visit www.northcascades.org • www.facebook.com/northcas/ THE WILD CASCADES • Fall 2020 11Glacier monitoring is
essential work
By Tom Hammond
Team members on a snowbridge. While 2020 marks the 37th year of the North love are the operative words here, and in
threatening, we probe all such features for Cascade Glacier Climate Project (NCGCP), this year of profound personal change,
safety—situational awareness is main- and my 17th consecutive year as a team political division, social action and health/
member. As of mid-October, the team virus-induced isolation, reconnecting with
tained at all times.
is still in the field, now on the Easton (and hugging) them means more to me
—Tom Hammond photo Glacier. than words can describe.
I had the honor and pleasure of joining The Lower Curtis Glacier resides on the
the 2020 version of the Project on the SW flank of Mount Shuksan, the flagship
Lower Curtis Glacier from August 2-4. I of the North Cascades and certainly one
am very thankful and very fortunate to of the loves of my life. Shuksan is the most
have close and meaningful relationships glaciated non-volcanic peak in the lower
with Mauri Pelto and Jill Pelto—trust and 48 states. Shuksan means “Thunder” in
12 THE WILD CASCADES • Fall 2020Nooksack/aboriginal/Salish tribal language Monday August 3 body of the glacier, and indeed, had lunch
due to the roaring avalanches that (used Monday dawned cloudy and cool, but by on newly exposed rock on the EAST side
to) pour off the (formerly) calving glaciers. no means was it unpleasant. Indeed, the of the glacier. Whoa...
Team leader Mauri Pelto has directed conditions were perfect—cloud cover kept After lunch we finished measurements
the project since its founding in 1984, the hot sun off of us while the cloud deck and as if on cue, the clouds began to
spending more than 700 nights camped was high enough that the entire glacier break, Kulshan became visible and temps
out adjacent to these glaciers. He is the was visible and free of clouds, which can warmed nicely to allow for shorts and
U.S. representative to the World Glacier interfere with some of the measurements teeshirts. The artists on the team under-
Monitoring Service, author of the AGU using laser range finder and general situa- took some art-related work while Mauri
blog “From a Glacier’s Perspective”, and tional awareness. Heck, even the summit and I visited on the little ice age moraine,
associate editor for three science jour- towers of mighty Shuksan were playing discussing the future of Nichols College
nals. His primary job is Dean of Academic hide-n-seek through the shifting mists— with pandemic, Mauri’s retirement plans,
Affairs at Nichols College in Dudley, MA like giants hiding, huge ghostly shapes my life plans and small stuff like that.
where he has been a professor since 1989. would occasionally emerge around us only
Artist and scientist Jill Pelto, in her 12th to disappear if one looked for them too Tuesday, August 4
field season, incorporates scientific re- closely. The cool, wet spring (notably May The hike out was particularly diffi-
search and data into paintings and prints and June) has resulted in no berries where cult for me. I was in considerable pain
to communicate environmental changes. normally we’d encounter them, but also thanks to two biopsies on my back being
Cal (Claire) Waichler is an environmental no snow on the approach save for one av- rubbed to bloody raw by my backpack,
science major at Colby College in Maine alanche gully below Fisher Chimneys. The and of course my right foot, left knee and
and is from Winthrop, WA. Mariama Dryak lack of berries was more than made up for general lack of backpacking/mountain-
of Minnesota recently completed her M.S. by wildflowers! Wildflowers covered all eering conditioning. Within sight of the
at the University of Maine and was on the meadow-like slopes in a lovely carpet of parking lot, my right foot once again just
2018 team. Claire Giordano of Issaquah kaleidoscopic colors—mainly purple and gave out. I nearly took a header into steep,
is an environmental artist and author. gold (Lupine and Arnica) but also such fa- sharp rocks right in front of Mauri and
I’m a writer and photographer from Port vorites as Tiger Lily, Columbine, Partridge Jill. I promised to be in better shape next
Angeles, focusing on conservation for Foot, three flavors of heather and a host of season. I fully plan to make at least 20
North Cascades Conservation Council and others. consecutive years!
Olympic Park Associates. The glacier has pulled away from the The Team: What a great group of young
As with every mountain trip, weather is lateral moraine on the west side a bit more women: intelligent, curious, willing to
the first thing to be aware of when headed (or it is just accumulating more loose listen and also to contribute. Fantastic
to the alpine zone and blue ice. In this stuff), which made for a bit of rough travel artistic skills (Jill made the cover of TIME
case, the day we were to be measuring the up, over and around the bouldery, unsta- magazine!) and solid scientific sense made
Lower Curtis Glacier was supposed to be ble terrain (extremely painful for me—my for informed and engaged conversations
the first rainy day in quite some time—ap- right foot/ankle stopped working a couple over the three days. It was nice to be
parently bad timing, but one doesn’t know times over the course of the trip). It is un- reminded that I have/had knowledge and
unless one goes. real how one can approach the terminus experience to share with each team mem-
now. Only a few short years ago hiking to ber, as they have perspectives that teach
Sunday August 2 the terminus was out of the question due me how to be more aware. Best of all each
After a five and a half hour trip from the to ice fall, raging outlet stream (read: river team member demonstrated Leave No
Olympic Peninsula to the North Cascades, headwaters) and steep terrain. Now one Trace ethics without any prompting.
it was great to lay eyes on Mauri and Jill. can almost crampon/ice climb directly
Hugs all around were so very welcome. up the snout of the glacier, it is in such Wildlife: Spooked one grouse out of
The road was snow covered above Heather repose. hiding along the forested ribs of Shuksan
Meadows, so that’s where the hiking We explored for ice caves and ways to Arm—a fairly regular occurrence and nice
began. By the way, the road end was a get under the glacier, but unlike the last to see. We also saw six mountain goats,
zoo with people, pets and general activity. couple of years, there was no easy, obvious including two kids (newborn this past
Most wore masks, but many European and path to the underside. From the terminus spring). They were in the usual impossibly
Russian tourists did not. we made our way up on to the glacier for steep terrain of upper Shuksan Creek. Oh,
Because the team had come from the proper mass-balance measurements, cre- and we saw an eagle up high, and another
Columbia Glacier, we got a late start hik- vasse depth measurements and longitudi- raptor (perhaps the same eagle) down
ing and barely made it in to base camp by nal profile. The glacier is really thinning. close to Lake Ann. As in recent years,
sunset. After a hasty dinner we crawled in Undulations of the underlying bedrock are marmot were not in evidence, though I
our tents for much needed rest/sleep. I had now clearly being reflected on the surface think we heard one whistle while at camp.
the temerity to not deploy the rain fly on of the glacier, and the glacier surface has As well, we saw a few pika and heard a
my tent, and sure enough, it started rain- really flattened: not too much in the way few more, but not nearly as many as we
ing shortly after midnight. I did the “de- of seracs or threatening crevasses; each used to see. Sadly, no other wildlife. I
ploy the fly wearing skivvies and boots in year the glacier becomes more “benign” remember regularly seeing ptarmigan, but
the dark” dance, and no sooner had I got for travel and evaluation. haven›t seen any in years...
back in the tent than it stopped raining. For the first time in at least 37 years Flora: As mentioned, no berries but
(and probably more like 3,700 years/ nice wildflowers. I would add that Mauri
before the little ice age) we were able to has asked me to do follow up imaging
climb down to the terminus from the main of the Rainbow Glacier at the end of the
visit www.northcascades.org • www.facebook.com/northcas/ THE WILD CASCADES • Fall 2020 13It is not often one sees
wildflowers above a glacier.
—Tom Hammond photo
Team photo with Upper Curtis Glacier and the summit towers of Shuksan. It is easy to see why I call this amazing mountain the flagship
of the North Cascades—a true Flying Sail of Life. —Tom Hammond photo
14 THE WILD CASCADES • Fall 2020hydrologic year (end of Sept./beginning of off the very end of the glacier, perfectly sit- Columbia and Rainbow Glaciers are part
Oct). I imagine with the recent rains, there uated for filling water bottles, so our first of the World Glacier Monitoring Ser-
may be great berries on that approach. watering of the day came easily. The trick vice—they are reference glaciers inform-
is not to fill up every vessel, or we’d be ing a much larger community of climate
Glacier: The Upper Curtis Glacier is carrying that extra weight all day long. At researchers. The others (Lower Curtis,
thinning noticeably on the west. What the end of the day I found myself wander- Sholes and Easton, which may be in the
used to be icefalls/seracs are now in total ing crevasse fields near the western mar- WGMS directory now) are so close that we
repose. Indeed, we heard only one icefall/ gin/center to find another trickle. Finally, I included them since we’re already on-site.”
avalanche in three days. Preliminary came across a perfect little stream—water I am so very thankful for the opportu-
data indicated a break-even year for mass dancing off the edge of a crevasse with nity, desire and ability to do this stuff. Mo-
balance on all glaciers, but the excessive just enough air time to separate out the reso, I’m very fortunate and humbled by
heat of late August and early September inevitable sand and stones that flow with/ opportunities such as the NCGCP offer. In
enhanced snow melt, resulting in what is in the water, and also fit the water bottle the year 2020, we are clear-sighted in
estimated as of this report to be minus .5 under. That watering saw me all the way the threats we face, from politicization
meter mass balance. home to Port Angeles. of science and shared reality to climate
Water: I’ve always said it is all about the change. How fitting that I went to a
Why conduct the field season snow-covered glacier, a frozen world of
water. Shuksan is sparkling with frozen
water and roaring with running/tumbling
during this pandemic? hard blue ice, and discovered the warmth
water. A true provider of life. Drawing In a normal field season, eight glaciers and connection of loving people that
drinking water from these glaciers is a real would be measured. For the first time in mean the world to me.
treat—no filtering, boiling or chemicals the 37 years, Mauri is omitting three gla- For more information, please see the
needed—one just needs to keep an eye ciers, all located on Mount Daniel. So why official project webpage at: https://glaciers.
out for suitable trickles and super-glacial measure the five covered in this season? nichols.edu/
streams, which were hard to come by this As Mauri noted: “We’re Essential Workers.
year. Jill discovered a small trickle coming Our work here is essential because the
Looking off the terminus down to the braided streams that mark the birth of Shuksan Creek, headwaters of the Baker River. The team
was able to get to this location for the first time in project history due to recession of the glacier. —Tom Hammond photo
visit www.northcascades.org • www.facebook.com/northcas/ THE WILD CASCADES • Fall 2020 15Corvid’s eye
As viewed from Everson, Sumas Moun-
tain’s west-facing escarpment, separate
from British Columbia’s own Sumas
Mountain about ten miles to the north,
is an impressive 3000-foot leap from the
According to Chris
Whatcom lowlands. It vaguely suggests
Hankey, Baker District
some extraterrestrial mass towed in by
Manager of DNR’s
incomprehensible cosmic entities and
Northwest Region, a
plunked onto a formerly less interesting
newly created wildlife
piece of earth in a Roger Dean illustration.
habitat area of roughly
With streams draining to both the Fraser
three square miles will
and Nooksack rivers (one of which flaunts
be superimposed over
a troubling habit of producing naturally
it from here on. Roads
occurring asbestos), peculiar plant com-
within this designation
munities, pocket lakes, and the mystery
will be targeted for removal and logging
of the history of its Paradise Valley, Sumas stopped cold after reaching that special
will either be eliminated or limited to “low
Mountain is no ordinary place. For most level of sadism ordinarily reserved for
impact thinning operations specially de-
of the recreating public, though, it is terra disaffected 14-year-old boys. This Mad Max
signed to create better habitat” (to which
incognita. atmosphere appears to be abetted by DNR,
the corvid will politely resist the urge to
As one might expect from a North editorialize). It’s not a trust land transfer, which has done a poor job of blocking
Cascades foothill rising so far to the west, and correspondingly there’s no legislative or at least discouraging motorized abuse
Paradise Valley is paradise lost, as is most blessing to establish a Natural Area Pre- on old routes officially “abandoned” on
of the rest of Sumas Mountain. Loggers serve or Natural Resources Conservation paper, but still easily negotiable by a yahoo
arrived here well before a glimmer of the Area (NRCA), though it’s something. We’ll on a quad.
settler mindset finally began pondering take it, and push for more than just admin- Alternately, blame may be ascribed to
the merits of conserving a portion of the istrative protection in the years to come. lack of funding and resources, as opposed
forest. A majority of the acreage is in fact to negligence. Says District Manager
Of important note, this remnant wedge
state-owned public land, but this has pro- Hankey: “Sumas Mountain has a number
of natural goodness isn’t limited to state
vided little if any constraint toward the tyr- of ongoing challenges that cost the DNR
land. Adjoining to the east, the Nooksack
anny of the chainsaw. The Department of a lot of time and money. We have some
Valley School District’s Lost Lake parcel
Natural Resources (DNR) has long viewed pretty awful garbage dumping and vandal-
adds another 207 acres of mostly intact
Sumas Mountain as a timber bank to fulfill ism that occurs as well as the continued
forest to the mix. As described by N3C
the agency’s obligations to its beneficia- presence of motorized trail use. Our law
alum Ken Wilcox in his invaluable Hiking
ries, and little else. And so over the last enforcement office does make patrols in
Whatcom County guidebook, Aron Mo-
century, logging roads have been punched the area, but we have only one who makes
linder donated this land in 1918 to local
into nearly every stream basin and across patrols in Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish
schoolkids for study of the area’s natural
nearly every ridgeline. and Island Counties and is run ragged
history. Molinder’s epitaph of “Know
Yet “nearly” is the operative term here. more, believe less” arguably has more trying to catch people and ticket them.
The far northwest corner of the mountain relevance in the waning days of 2020 than While ORV vehicles are allowed on the
is sufficiently steep to have repelled DNR when he died in 1948 following a full life. open logging roads, it is difficult to keep
and its extractionist habits thus far. This There’s old growth forest to be found near them from reopening abandoned roads
section includes the headwaters of Swift where state land and school district land or making trails. We deal with illegal ORV
Creek (of asbestos infamy), north to the meet, populated by lofty Douglas-fir and usage and user built trails by trying to
precipitous headwall of Collins Creek. It equally imposing Sitka spruce. Lost Lake get money from Olympia to block trails
ain’t much in the context of Sumas Moun- itself is a tucked away gem, feeling at times with crews that we hire. But as soon as we
tain as a whole, to be sure, and in recent like a faraway feature in the Canadian abandon trails, they get reopened within a
years DNR’s logging shows have chewed bush. few weeks. It is frustrating for everyone.”
even farther into this vestige of natural- The end result is there are few places
In a more sane and sober world, the
ness. Still, there’s something to write on Sumas Mountain that a determined
story of protecting what little remains
home about here, including a deciduous motorhead can’t reach. The new wildlife
of Sumas Mountain in its pre-European
“climax” forest of birch, maple, and aspen habitat area on state land has the benefit
settlement form might now be approach-
with its lush and diverse understory of of being so steep in certain spots that
ing some semblance of a conclusion, but
forbs that’s unlike anything in the heart roads and trails were never constructed,
there’s no obvious escape from this in-
of the North Cascades. Just above, rocky and so suffers from comparatively less
creasingly ugly era we inhabit. In this case,
balds yield a bevy of native wildflowers damage. The more gentle terrain of the
the threat is no longer logging per se, but
that draw many a local botanist in season. school district’s Lost Lake parcel, howev-
originates from roads blasted through long
Optimistically, there’s been a bit of a ago for that purpose; now providing ready er, has been much less fortunate. A quad
breakthrough of late in DNR’s manage- access to every AR-15-toting, trash-strew- track accessing this parcel from DNR’s
ment policies for this attractive slope. ing motorhead whose emotional maturity continued on page 17
16 THE WILD CASCADES • Fall 2020N3C comments on scoping for the
Nisqually to Paradise Road Corridor Plan
The Nisqually to Paradise road corridor from Paradise parking lot, it is not possible trees as ‘hazard trees’ would devalue
provides access to Mount Rainier National to discount the other traffic. Ignoring the the visitor experience of the corridor.
Park (MORA), offering visitors the oppor- combined impact would produce just half
tunity to reach the most glaciated peak in a plan. Include winter-time access issues Following the Scoping process there are
the continental United States through a as well. other opportunities to participate in this
pristine forest from sea level to treeline. planning process. The next step is for the
Visitor Experience. Maintain the
Its popularity during the summer and on NPS to prepare a draft Environmental As-
experience of the park visitor who does
holidays invites congestion and concomi- sessment for Public comment and then to
not leave her/his vehicle so that there is a
tant impacts on park resources. invite public comment on a Final Environ-
distinct impression that being in a national
mental Assessment.
In response to this situation the Na- park is different than on the highway ap-
tional Park Service has begun a planning proaching the park boundary.
process to protect visitors and their expe- • Do not consider alternatives like road
rience by, among other issues, establishing widening and straightening to improve
the framework to plan for and manage the flow through. What is scoping?
flow of visitors in the at key destinations The purpose of scoping is to determine
• Consider alternatives that limit the
along this roadway corridor, particularly the scope of an EIS to ensure that issues
number of vehicles and type of vehicles
during peak visitation months. are identified early and properly studied.
permitted to enter at any given time,
Scoping comments submitted by N3C including reservations, public or private The result of scoping is to ensure that the
for the plan process highlight these con- shuttle services for overflow periods. draft EIS produced for public review is
cerns: thorough and balanced. Scoping should
• Focus on the visitor safely experiencing
Traffic. Assess the effect of other traffic the Park and not on making the park identify concerns of both the agency and
approaching Paradise from the East in the corridor safe for higher speeds and the affected public and should clearly
planning process, e.g., around-the-moun- larger vehicles. define environmental issues and alter-
tain drivers coming clockwise from the natives to be examined in the EIS. If there
• Maintain the giant trees next to the road
west and day users coming from eastern are important environmental or social
as an example of protecting a unique
Washington. While the greatest congestion impacts that the public wants considered,
resource and visitor experience. These
may be from summer and holiday park vis- the place to raise these issues is at scop-
big trees are as culturally significant as
itors entering at Gateway and plugging the ing. Mt. Rainier Summer Newsletter 2020
other transportation assets like roads,
entrance and corridor on their way to and
trails and bridges. Removal of these big
Corvid’s eye fruit. She has ambitiously adopted our ing. This may again be due in part to the
continued from page 16
state’s playbook for Democratic pols, by outlook of Commissioner Franz, whose
way of donning a hardhat and endear- interest in trust land transfers is by most
road network to the south plows straight ing herself to conservative leaders and accounts nil, despite major conservation
through what was once a lovely, semi-lin- extractionists, peeling off just enough achievements on state lands by way of
ear mountain swamp of bog myrtle, then rural votes while reasoning that urban and this mechanism previously, such as the
proceeds up and over a ridge along a suburban voters will have nowhere else to Morning Star and Mount Si NRCAs. When
muddy track to Lost Lake’s smaller, name- go. Franz has loudly voiced the dogma that Nooksack Valley School District Super-
less sister pond where bald eagles reside. wildfire can be tamed if we log enough of intendent Mark Johnson later attempted
The surroundings there are now largely those pesky trees. And on her watch, the to follow up with Mr. Hankey, there was
denuded by wheels. To the east, motorcy- most offensive DNR clearcuts witnessed again no response. Or, at least not one that
cles have recently carved deep tracks up in our state this century have defiled the corvid was privy to.
from adjacent DNR roads for a confused the slopes above Highway 2 at Gold Bar, Insofar as the previously delineated
route of multiple overlapping figure-eights including one abomination that has fully “Delphic Mountains” to the southeast
in primary forest. wrecked the viewshed toward Wallace (bound by the north and middle forks
One can sympathize with DNR for Falls. of the Nooksack River) will serve as a
lacking the tools necessary to remedy this When the corvid suggested to Mr. Han- barometer for humanity’s respectful-or-not
situation, but it was the agency itself that key that a trust land transfer and dedicated future interactions with our region’s
created the conditions for such barbarism non-motorized trail system be pursued, lands and waters, coming times on Sumas
to occur. And there can be little near-term thus attracting a critical mass of respectful Mountain will lend similar clarification.
optimism on Sumas Mountain or other recreationists to help reduce the atmo- What’s unambiguous is that our worsening
state lands when considering the current sphere of lawlessness on this part of Su- societal illness is as rampant in the North
mood in Olympia. Commissioner of Public mas Mountain (not to mention providing Cascades foothills as it is in the burgs
Lands Hilary Franz, a talented politician a relief valve for Whatcom’s overwhelmed below. And DNR is not equipped to deal
and careerist, clearly has her eye on bigger hiking trails), no response was forthcom- with it.
visit www.northcascades.org • www.facebook.com/northcas/ THE WILD CASCADES • Fall 2020 17You can also read
