Tension continues in Capitol Forest

[bobcat]

Outdoors: Some worry use of guns a risk to others
JOHN DODGE; The Olympian | • Published July 13, 2009



Reckless and destructive discharge of firearms continues to plague the Capitol State Forest, recreational users and neighbors say.

 In the past three weeks, vandals have peppered four new signs installed in the forest with bullets and shotgun pellets. The cost to replace the signs is pegged at about $1,000, said Phil Wolff, a state Department of Natural Resources recreation manager assigned to the Olympia-area forest.


In tough budget times, the vandalism is especially troubling, Wolff said.


“It’s money that could be used to pump an outhouse, replace a couple of rotten picnic tables, repair four campground fire rings or grade a campground parking area,” he said.


Damage to signs from firearms is nothing new in a forest where recreational target shooting is legal and hunting is widely accepted.


But in a 100,000-acre working forest that hosts about 100,000 visitors a year, conflicts among the various user groups can and do arise.


Mountain bicyclists, horseback riders, motorcyclists, hunters, hikers, campers and target shooters flock to the forest, which has 180 miles of trails evenly split between motorized and non-motorized use.


The hunting and target shooting is dispersed throughout the forest, although target shooting is supposed to be at manufactured targets placed against earthen backstops no closer than 500 feet from a campground, structure or residence and not on, down, next to or across roads and trails, according to recent rules developed by DNR.


Shooters also are supposed to pick up their shell casings, ammunition packaging and other debris.


Some question whether that is enough to make the forest safe for everyone.


“Sometimes you hear gunshots from 50 feet away,” said John Kramer, a Capitol Forest mountain biker and member of the volunteer group Friends of Capitol Forest. “Multiple riders have been pinned down by fire from rifles, semi-automatic weapons and handguns.”


Dave Snyder, another Friends of Capitol Forest member and a nearby resident, said he enjoys riding his mountain bike in the forest, as well as target shooting.


“Safe shooting can exist in the forest,” he said.


“I don’t have an issue with hunting,” said Capitol State Forest neighbor Marshall Oatman. “But it’s like a free-for-all up here with the random shooting. Nothing short of an outright ban is going to work. What are we waiting for? A stray bullet to hit a biker?”


DNR officials shudder at that thought as they walk a fine line, trying to accommodate all of the users of the Capitol State Forest and their other holdings across the state.


“This is a big emerging issue statewide; it’s high on our radar screen,” DNR spokeswoman Jane Chavey said. “With increased public-access closures on private forestlands, we’ve become the last spot in the lowlands.”


With suburban and rural population growth, the Capitol State Forest no longer is the remote place it once was.


And amid tough economic times and high fuel prices, the public is turning more and more to state lands for recreation closer to home, said Larry Raedel, chief of law enforcement services for DNR.


Raedel has two officers working in the Pacific Cascade Region of DNR, which takes in much of Southwest Washington, including the Capitol State Forest.


“We’re spread pretty thin,” he said. “We really rely on the public to be our eyes and ears in the woods.”


Formed four years ago, Friends of Capitol Forest has helped clean up garbage dumped in the forest, deterred vandalism by making parking areas more secure and placed giant stumps in areas where illegal off-road access has developed.


“The forest is pretty clean right now,” Snyder said as he surveyed an older dump site on a rutted trail littered with shotgun shells. “If we can keep it cleaned up, there will be less incentive for people to dump.”


The forest also escaped a recent round of DNR budget cuts to the agency’s recreational program, which lost 50 percent of its funding in the 2009 state budget.


But the forest is not immune to service cuts later in the two-year budget cycle, Wolff said.


“In tight budget times, we certainly don’t need vandalism,” he said.


John Dodge: 360-754-5444


jdodge@theolympian.com

[alecvg]

It sounds crazey down there, I hate to say it, but I think a gun ban in the forest should be put into action... to many idiots.  Or at least something with gun only during open hunting seasons or something along those lines.   

[pacyew]

Hunting and target shooting is dispersed throughout the forest, although target shooting is supposed to be at manufactured targets placed against earthen backstops no closer than 500 feet from a campground, structure or residence and not on, down, next to or across roads and trails, according to recent rules developed by DNR.

The State already has a ban on open shooting in effect, but no apparent means of enforcement. I don't know what the solution is, but an outright ban of all shooting may mean tighter firearms rules on us all while having no effect on the problem.

[billythekidrock]

As stated in the Olympian comments section......This was a hit piece. There are numerous groups with agendas and they would like to ban all shooitng up there.

There is a lot of trash (FOCF said it was clean and that it not true) and way too many dangerous shooters but banning hunting and safe shooting should not be the answer.

They just put up a ton of new signs (spending fiscal year budget money) and most already have been shot. I did not see the need for new signs, other then they just needed to spend it.   But I don't understand the need for shooters to use them as targets. Especially the ones along the main roads and enterances.

Who are these idiots? They are the ones giving us a bad name and they are the ones who will ruin it for everyone.

[rasbo]

its vigilanty time...lawenforcement doesnt work..A long walk out of the woods naked with all your fingers broken will stick with them..Or perhaps they just get caught up in the rapture and disappear..

[boneaddict]

It looks to me that the article perfectly orchestrated what they are trying to do......shut down guns.  You couldn't grasp the anti- gun spin on that?  It even worked on one of our members. THen they managed to tie it into all DNR lands.  hmmmmmmm Seems pretty evident to me.

I think they should shut down Mtn Bikers from there as there are numerous accidents every year.  Whats it going to take, a young kid hiking to get run over.   (Get my point)

[whacker1]

well stated Bone

[ICEMAN]

A mountain biker died up there as I recall, plus we have continual rescue ops for lost bikers etc.... I dont remember any gun deaths in there.... Any one else remember...?

[wolfbait]

 Hate to throw this in here: "Do to the danger of wolves this area is now closed" Not a nice thought is it? Could be in the near future we will be seeing these signs.

[alecvg]

It looks to me that the article perfectly orchestrated what they are trying to do......shut down guns.  You couldn't grasp the anti- gun spin on that?  It even worked on one of our members. THen they managed to tie it into all DNR lands.  hmmmmmmm Seems pretty evident to me.

I think they should shut down Mtn Bikers from there as there are numerous accidents every year.  Whats it going to take, a young kid hiking to get run over.   (Get my point)

I see what you mean bone, but there are too many idiots, Maybe they shouldn't shut down guns, but have enforcement, which the obviosly don't have, safe shooters shouldnt be punished, but it is better than someone being killed!

[Kain]

Hate to throw this in here: "Do to the danger of wolves this area is now closed" Not a nice thought is it? Could be in the near future we will be seeing these signs.

It happens.  http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=10258162

[boneaddict]

but there are too many idiots

Thats the problem.  WIth todays society, nothing is done with them, and they are allowed to breed.  

"Due to poor budgeting and piss poor financial times, we are sorry, there is not enough man power to enforce current laws."  
Why is that.  Could it be court costs, could it be because you are having fancy decals put on your cop car, could it be the wanton waste of taxpayer dollars.   Could it be the 12 chiefs and administrative secretaries versus the one guy in the field.  You might wonder why people start taking things in their own hands.

[Curly]

They do have enforcement...........the county sheriff.   A few years ago my wife and I was up Sherman Valley shooting clay pigeons with her O/U 12ga and after about two boxes, a sheriff deputy came up and told us we couldn't shoot there.  He actually told me it wasn't safe.  I was pissed that he would actually have the nerve to say it wasn't safe.  We were shooting toward a steep clearcut hillside with #8 shot.  How is that not safe?  (We were about 100' off the road).

Anyway, I was real polite and just packed up our stuff and left, but I wasn't happy about it because of the way the deputy was talking down to me acting like we were being unsafe idiots.  

Apparently it was a property owner with some horses about a half mile or so down the road that called the sheriff.  Turns out that the gunshots were scaring the livestock.  I can understand that I guess, and I don't want to be scaring someones animals, but for the deputy to start out yelling at us for being unsafe................it pissed me off.........  He said there used to be signs saying no shooting but they keep getting torn down.  I've never seen any signs there either, so that kind of pissed me off too.  If they don't want shooting they need to have signs.

[billythekidrock]

Maybe they shouldn't shut down guns, but have enforcement, which the obviosly don't have,

As far as enforcement. DNR has the two and the Sheriffs will not go up there unless called. I have spoke to many in the area and they tell me that they do not patrol the forest.

[alecvg]

Well, maybe when the people get shot at, or "pinned down"  They should shoot back, self defence.