MEETING NOTES
Kittitas County Grooming Council
Monday, January 8, 2018
USFS Cle Elum R.D. Conference Room
Introductions and sign-in: Wayne Mohler called the meeting to order at 7pm. The Attendance Sheet was passed around to document those in attendance.
I. Approve Agenda and December meeting minutes: The Agenda was approved as presented. The December Meeting Minutes were accepted as presented.
II. Groomer/Club Reports: (grooming schedules, hours and miles groomed, closures, etc)
Cle Elum Valley & Teanaway – Tim Penelerick from Boulder Creek Enterprises reported that he started grooming on December 20, 2017 out of The Last Resort. He reported that he turned in 75.1 hours in December. Chuck Johnson reported that grooming started on December 15 in the Teanaway. Rye Creek is closed for this year. Side by Sides were seen running on the 737 Road.
I-90/Stampede Pass/Easton Reload - Ty Locke reported that the groomer had been over Beeler Pass 2 times with Nick Whitman reporting 200 hours from December 23rd to Jan 2nd. The upper lot at Crystal Springs needs some drainage work done and there is a washout on the trail. The 54 Road area is open. The road above Lost Lake needs to be re-routed because it is a bad avalanche area.
Keechelus Ridge and Table Top/East Side, U.S. Forest Service reported they began grooming on December 23rd. They turned in 57 hours and 368 miles. They are working to get the trail from Lion Rock to Durst open (17 trees down). John reported they had removed 38 trees in the Blewett Pass area. The roots of the trees burned in the Table Mtn fire have now rotted and trees are falling. No grooming to Mineral Springs, yet. On Thursday they will groom the Teanaway Ridge and North Fork to Beverly to Jack Creek to Red Top. It was reported that a Jeep club had been on the trails in the Wilson Creek area.
Taneum/Manastash - It was reported that the 3100 Road is open to Buck Meadows and past there the road is Closed. The Groomer spent 6 hours cutting trees down across the groomed trail. The groomer then went to the Manastash.
Other Reports: Kittitas County Commissioner and Coal Mines Trail Commission Board Member, Laura Osiadacz had just ratified an agreement that the Coal Mines Trail would be groomed by a private groomer, Chris Martin, – one side for snowmobiles and x-ctry ski tracks on the other side. The KPRD#1 would provide insurance for the groomer. The Commission was apparently unaware that the trail is already under a grooming contract by State Parks. Concerns were expressed about having two different groomers grooming the same trail and possible conflict arising if snowmobilers wiped out the track set. Wayne and Commissioner Osiadacz will do further follow-up and report back.
There was discussion of possible legislative changes to the Discover Pass and that a study authorized by the legislature had recently been released by the Ruckelshaus Center. The report can be found at: www.bigtentcoalition.info/home/final-report-on-rec-pass-and-recommendations.
Enforcement Report: Brian Speeg reported that their 5 Snow Rangers Report showed that 2 Law Enforcement Officers had checked 126 snowmobiles for Registration tabs, 562 snowmobiles were in the parking lot and that they had had 233 verbal conversations with both motorized and non-motorized users with 19 warning handed out.
III. Sno-Park Reports:
- Evergreen SnoPark – the ecology blocks have been moved so it is now open.
V. Unfinished Business:
- MOA for Sawyer certification- update: the suggestion to pursue a state-wide agreement with Region 6, USFS was presented to WSSA at it’s meeting on Jan 6th. The Board passed a motion to further explore this idea.
VI. New Business:
-
Recreation Conservation Office will be accepting RTP Applications in November
VIII. Adjourn – Meeting adjourned at 9pm. Next meeting is Monday, Feb 12th.
Minutes respectfully provided by Kay Lloyd, Secretary.