Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River is thriving again
NORTH BEND -- North Bend residents, who for years have been trying to reclaim the pristine Middle Fork valley from vandalism, garbage dumping, drug activity and shooting practice, are finally seeing their "back yard" revamped.
Among the changes welcomed by many of those living and working in communities along the Middle Fork stretch of the Snoqualmie River:
- A new, 45-site overnight campground -- the first new U.S. Forest Service campground to be built in the Northwest in 10 years -- is under construction.
- Three new trails were built this summer, providing walking access to the river, and white-water kayakers and rafters with improved put-in and take-out sites. Other trail links for hikers, equestrians and mountain bikes, are in the works.
- Riverside areas previously destroyed by four-wheel-drive vehicles have been blocked with huge boulders, preventing vehicle access to the river and further damage. Huge mudholes have been filled.
- Destroyed riverbank habitat is being replanted.
- A possible picnic site may be created at a scenic riverside spot that has been closed for years.
The Forest Service, which has proposed that the Middle Fork receive national "Wild and Scenic" designation, expects by the end of this month to submit its long-awaited river Access and Travel Management Plan (ATM) for public comment. The plan includes possible road closures, recreational and local access above a current trailhead, the development of additional trails and other public-use issues.
The Federal Highway Administration is developing an environmental impact statement for a proposal to repave an 11-mile stretch of gravel road to the campground.
"The Middle Fork valley is part of why I stayed here," said North Bend resident Michelle McClain, 35, who recalls hunting with her dad as a youth and who has gone fishing and camping there for years.
"Just driving up there, it's so beautiful, and it's right in our back yard," McClain said. "But there used to be a lot of partying up there, people going up and 4-byin' (four-wheel driving). That's calmed down now. I've seen a lot of changes -- I remember when North Bend had 3,000 people and now it's 20,000 -- and I think with more people, we need to do more to help the Middle Fork."
Many locals have volunteered to help build trails, provide on-river access for boaters, clean up waste, serve on planning boards and help find grant money, funding or donations for projects.
Mark Boyar, a Seattle resident who is widely credited with instigating a 15-year effort to save the Middle Fork valley, said property owners, recreational enthusiasts, businesses and government officials in the Snoqualmie River valley and elsewhere have worked with the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, King County, state and federal agencies to try to reduce lawlessness in the area while opening it up for broader public access. The two, many believe, go hand in hand.
"The word's out that it's not the place to hang anymore; troublemakers don't want to hang where normal people -- whitewater enthusiasts, campers, hikers, bike riders -- go," said North Bend resident Wade Holden, considered a local hero for his efforts to clean up everything from meth labs to dumped couches and cars used for target practice.
"It'll make a big difference when they get the new campground up there, but even now, with the changes, I can see a difference," Holden said. "I can't see how the Middle Fork will ever go back to the way it was, if we keep things headed the way they are now."
Continue reading this story from the Seattle P-I:
Middle Fork is thriving again
Wade Holden is the founder and Director of Friends of the Trail. You can learn more about their efforts on the Snoqualmie River and elsewhere around Washington by visiting their website.
