I received an e-mail from Martie(ranger)the other day and they have decided on meeting April 23 to update and discus the issues surrounding target shooting in greenwater/hwy-410 area. Anyone who would like to provide some solutions to the current issues is encouraged to join. Also during this meeting we'll be setting a clean up date in greenwater, for both pits and maybe the forest clearing like we did back in oct. My guess is that it will be the first or second weeked of may, i'll update when there is a solid date in place.

Folks,

Many of you have reached out to me wanting to know if and when we were going to meet again and I appreciate that. I apologize for taking so long in getting a date established and I certainly hope the date of April 23rd (Saturday) works for most of you. The intent of the meeting will be to strategize some next steps, establish some clean-up dates of the pits and brainstorm ideas on how to best inform those who are choosing to not engage in safe shooting practices. These are just my ideas and I would love to hear some of yours!

So, I have reserved the conference room at our Forest Service office in North Bend (902 SE North Bend Way) and thought we could start at 0930 with the intent of meeting until Noon or whenever we’re done. I hope this date and time works for many of you and I’m anxious to catch up with all of you!

Please don’t hesitate to call or email if you have questions! Thanks and see you soon!


Martie Schramm
District Ranger
Snoqualmie Ranger District
Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie NF
(425) 888-8751

Thanks for the update. I'm planning to be there.

Buckley->Enumclaw bridge is closed for repairs right now, they say it will be open noon on the 23rd, so backup plan to go up through Auburn to get there, just in case it isn't open when you are coming from the south.

I was there yesterday, both pits had trash, but nothing major like appliances, and shells all over.

when we have the clean it should go pretty fast if have the same turn out as last time. which means more shooting and less cleaning

Only two days away for those who are planning on joining. The future of the notorious upper pit off FS 72 is going to be discussed at this meeting as well.

Good reminder. I'll be there.

Oops I read it wrong, I thought it was going to be at the Forest Service station in Enumclaw (on 410).

We had a really good meeting this morning, with seven of us in attendance:

- Martie, the USFS ranger spearheading the effort
- Tyler, the USFS LEO who has been patrolling Greenwater and other areas
- Two concerned shooters who aren't active on WaGuns (yet )
- Wendy, the concerned resident of the Greenwater area
- MADrtcw
- Me

We had a lot of good conversation about the issues at Greenwater (and other shooting pits) and possible things we can do to improve the situation. Bottom line, here's what we agreed to do:

1) We will have another cleanup on May 21st at 9:00 a.m., starting at the pit off 7013. MADrtcw will start a separate thread on this. As we did last time, the Forest Service will provide support (garbage bags, dumpsters, etc.) and it's up to us to bring the volunteer manpower.

2) Everyone agreed that the upper pit is an unacceptable hazard, as it is currently being used, because of bullets flying down into the lower pit. At the May 21st cleanup, some of us will meet with the Forest Service to review the upper pit and determine if it's practical to make changes to the pit to make it safe. That's the goal: Make it safe, and keep it open. If it's determined that we can't make it safe, it will likely be closed to shooting. In the meantime, the Forest Service may decide to close it to shooting temporarily until we can determine a permanent plan.

3) Everyone also agreed that the shooting area off of 7013 also needs changes. Shooting into the hillside there is fine; shooting into the woods off to the right of the hillside is not safe, as bullets can continue into the nearby community. On May 21st we will review this as well, and see if it is practical to make changes to the area to ensure that all shooting is done into the hillside.

We really need the shooting community's help to keep Greenwater safe and clean . . . and all of our other outdoor areas as well.

Like I said earlier, MADrtcw will be making a separate thread about the upcoming cleaning. Your help at that would be appreciated!