Not Your Typical Shooting Range! The Story of Wolf Creek Lanes.

It’s not what you may think of when you hear the word, ‘Range’. It is also not a range ‘Facility’. It is simply and commonly referred to as ‘Dispersed Recreational Shooting places on Public Lands’, (places where the general public may target shoot recreationally, seven days/week, during daytime hours and without fees or supervision). The difference is, these lanes are ‘Improved’ and they’re solving problems.

 

The lanes are located in the Tillamook State Forest, near Timber, Oregon, where, in 2016, the Oregon Department of Forestry had improved 4 dispersed shooting lanes along the North Fork Wolf Creek Road.

Improvements were designed to address several issues concerning public recreational shooting, primarily focusing on fire prevention. In reality, they have become ‘solutions’ to several other concerns as well.

Trash No Land has been working with the ODF by volunteering to numerous meetings, site visits, design suggestions and recommendations from a shooters perspective.

Extensive thought, planning and preparation went into these improvements.

 

Current Situation (ODF 2015)

Target shooting has been a long standing activity on the Tillamook State Forest that has been steadily growing in-terms of use levels and the number of target shooting locations. It is taking place across the forest and in areas and in ways that create:

• Unsafe situations for visitors to the Tillamook State Forest and for ODF employees and contractors working on the forest.
• Conflict with other visitors to the forest.
• Environmental impacts.
• Sanitation,
• Increased fire potential and increased fire starts,
• Additional costs to the agency.

Policies and management strategies have not kept pace with the
intensity, scope and scale of the target shooting activity. 

Conceptual End in Mind (for 2016 and beyond)

Recreational target shooting has a long history on the Tillamook State Forest and is a supported use that integrates well with the other activities on the forest and has:

• Low safety, sanitation, and environmental issues,
• Low fire hazard risks and costs,
• Partners and partnerships that support the activity,
• Safe and sustainable opportunities for recreational target shooting on the TSF.  

Strategy

This project proposes to develop a strategy, in collaboration with our partners and the target shooting community that will:

• Resolve the safety, sanitation, and environmental issues 
• Reduce the fire potential associated with target shooting
• Develop public ownership and involvement in the development and implementation of the strategy.
• Maintain safe and sustainable opportunities for recreational target shooting.

Benefits of Improvements

ODF completed the first improvements in July of 2016. Since then, they have evolved into solutions that address many of the concerns with dispersed shooting on public lands.

• Fire Prevention... Objective: drastically reduce fire hazards and risks due to target shooting in the area. This area sustained two fires in 2015. Zero fires since improvements, Summer 2016. 

• Low Trash Accumulation... Designed for easy target setup and removal. If trash is left behind, it's within the shooting lane and not on the forest floor.

• Public Safety... Shooting in a safe direction, away from buildings, trails, bodies of water and other recreational activities. Goal is that bullet rounds are contained within the range area.

• Personal Safety... Established firing line enhances user safety and encourages proper use.

• Protection of Natural Resources... Firing into earthen berm backstops, no trees, shrubs, stumps or downed logs.

• Enhanced Recreation for All... Located in an area with little to no conflict with other recreational activities. Less trash seen by forest visitors. Popular with shooting community. Other dispersed areas seeing less use and less trash. Other recreation groups favor a place for shooting.

• Community Support... Building public ownership and volunteer involvement in development, implementation and maintenance of the strategy.

• Comradery... Users unify with a shared sense of pride, appreciation and respect for these lanes.

• Open and Free for Public Use... 7 days/week, half hour before sunrise to half hour after sunset!

• Built for Sustainability... Less routine maintenance. Re-built to last.

They have also become a shooters preferred place to shoot on public land.

Along with the popularity of these lanes, we are seeing a greater sense of community support, as evidenced by a display of ownership, ethics, stewardship, sharing and respect for the shooting sports. The lanes are being used as intended and are well cared for by the community. Trash is at a minimum and users are removing more than their own spent casings and used targets. Education, awareness and communication, amongst its users, are making a difference.

 

By Fall of 2018, these lanes were in need upgrades. The original impact berms, simply mounded up piles of clay dirt, have deteriorated greatly and the lane surfaces needed grading and new gravel. The long-range hillside impact zones were eroding and needed corrective measures.

 

Completed Upgrades to Lanes 2 & 3

Renovation work was completed at lanes 2 and 3, November 10, 2018. Project was funded by a generous grant from the NRA Foundation. The Oregon Department of Forestry contributed significantly with needed gravel materials, a professional consultation and engineering work. Trash No Land obtained the grant, assisted with plan design and project management.

Improvement History (Example Lane 3)

Upgrades continue for Lanes 1 & 4
The next step is to complete the needed upgrades to lanes 1 & 4. These improvements will be as designed, and recently completed, at lanes 2 & 3. The estimate to complete renovation work on lanes 1 & 4 is $28,500.

Funding for these needed improvements is expected to be accomplished with donations from the general public. The project is scheduled for completion by summer of 2019.

Renovation work includes;

• Rebuild the short lane berm at lane 1 and 4.
• Install a new berm at lane 4 in front of the hillside backstop.
• Grade and gravel the lane surfaces at both lanes.
• Widen the firing line jersey barriers at lane 4 to accommodate wider pistol berms and better share-ability.
• All berms are designed for maximum stopping power and bullet retention. Grade and gravel to minimize skipping and mud conditions.

 We are rebuilding these lanes for long term sustainability!

A fundraiser has been started on the Trash No Land website:

http://trashnoland.org/wolfcreekfundraiser.html

Please support responsible recreational shooting on public lands with a donation!

Thank you!

Contact Bill Cogley
President Trash No Land
360/ 713-8304
bill@trashnoland.org

SHOOTING LANES CLOSING FOR ONE WEEK

ONE WEEK SHOOTING LANE CLOSURE AT NORTH FORK WOLF CREEK ROAD, IN TILLAMOOK STATE FOREST!

~PLUS~

CLEANUP SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, NOV 3RD, @ 9 AM!

The popular improved dispersed shooting lanes, at North Fork Wolf Creek Rd in Tillamook State Forest, will be closed starting Saturday, November 3, 2018, at 7 AM, for upgrade work on lane 3.  All lanes will be closed, for contractor safety, for an estimated one week, or until work is complete.

Volunteers are encouraged to come help clean up all 4 lanes, on Nov 3rd, starting at 9 AM.  Trash volume is low and work will be minimal.  We want to have the lanes clean prior to contractor work.  You are welcome to use the lanes after the cleanup is completed.

Meet at Lane 3:  https://goo.gl/maps/VEJsVN8cUPB2

The Trash No Land organization is working with the Oregon Department of Forestry to improve the existing dispersed shooting lanes at North Fork Wolf Creek Rd.  Lane 3 work is being funded by a grant from the NRA Foundation, along with, contributions from ODF and managed by Trash No Land.

The work planned for Lane 3 will include a rebuilt short range pistol berm.  A new berm for the long range in front of the hillside backstop, grading and gravel of the lane surface.  The short pistol berm will be wider and the firing line Jersey Barriers will be aligned to accommodate the new berm width.

Designed for maximum stopping power and bullet retention, these improvements will be enjoyed by many visitors for years to come!  Our goal is to provide long term sustainability for these lanes, improved safety, improved fire prevention measures and less maintenance.

Rebuild pistol berm.

New Berm for long range in front of hillside.

Wider pistol berm and relocate part of firing line.

Grade and gravel lane surface.

Thank you for your patients and understanding.  It will be worth it!

Questions?  Email Bill Cogley at: bill@trashnoland.org

Update on North Fork Wolf Creek Shooting Lanes Improvement Work...

Delay after delay! Add this, add that! Cost is up there now! But wow, they will be so much better than the original build. Here's the low down...

Original estimate of $10,220 was, what we thought last year, very reasonable based on the original construction cost that was around $30,000+ for the whole project from scratch. We had planned on dropping some new dirt for the berms, grading the lanes for drainage and lay down some gravel. So, in good faith, we submitted the proposal to the NRA Foundation for a $10,220 grant and was awarded that grant.

Since then, ODF hired a Range Design Consultant to give us his thoughts on our upgrade project. He made some recommendations that we liked and incorporated them into the plan. It meant more materials and more excavation work but we thought we'd be okay with that. (I love the final plan and it certainly is a better way to do it!).

Then a delay for the ODF engineer to draw up the plans and calculate needed materials. He just got that done week before last! Our deadline for completing the project was Nov 1st! Yikes!

Our first contractor bid, last week, came in at $46,000+ (included all excavation, purchasing materials and delivery to site)! Sticker shock! He is a great contractor and I have no doubt he would do a fantastic job. However, we're way short.

I contacted the NRA Foundation and was granted an extension of our deadline to Dec 1st. Now we have a little more time to regroup and re-plan.

Here's what we'll need to do...

Try to get Lane 3 done with our $10k money. Raise funds to do Lane 4 and continue fundraising to get 2 & 3 done. If our contractor comes in low enough on lane 3 bid, we may be able to do lane 1 or 2 with this grant money and/or supplement with some donation monies.

ODF is chipping in two of the types of gravel and rock we need. Trash No Land will purchase the 1/4-10 impact gravel and the concrete ecology blocks. TNL will also pay for the delivery of those materials to the site at lane 3. It should be about a $3,000 bill. That leaves us with $7,000 for the excavation contractor to sculpt it all into shape at lane 3.

I meet with another contractor at the lane 3 this weekend so he can submit a bid for that lane. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. He is available to start in Nov. and won't take long to get that lane done.

If you have a referral of a trucking company who can transport the Eco Blocks, let me know real soon! We'll need to arrange to pick up 9 full sized blocks, 2'x2'x6' (4000lbs ea) and 3 half sized 2'x2'x3' blocks (2000lbs ea) and transport from, I think McMinnville, to NF Wolf Creek Rd. I'm seeing transport costs at around $100/hr charged portal to portal.

Believe me, I pretty bummed that we can't get all 4 lanes done right now. I'm really hoping the community will come together to help finish the whole thing sooner than later. After all, it is a community place and we all benefit from such an awesome place to shoot.

Here's some of the details:



When the lanes were new... Simply piled up dirt that was readily at hand, and a little gravel.

We are going to widen the firing line by moving the right set of jersey barriers over about 6 ft to the right. The short berm will be also be wider, to the right, yet we'll be able to maintain a clear shot to the long berm.


Current condition, 2018...

Primary goal is to rebuild these lanes with the kinds of materials that will afford long term sustainability. We don't want to have to come back every couple of years and simply dump more dirt. We may need to shovel up some of the 1/4-10 material from time to time, but it should be less work in the long run.


Rebuild the short pistol berm with Eco Block inside, 6" minus rock, Pit Run, behind and under the 1/4-10 impact gravel. 2 ft of 1/4-10 over top and down the front facing slope...

Put in a 2nd backstop in front of the hill for the long range berm. Build up is same as the short range berm and backfill to the hill. Sculpt it to flow into the hillside grade.

So that's where we stand right now. Aggressively going after this and hoping we can accomplish lane 3 at least. If we raise enough to do lanes 1 and/or 2 before this is done, we'll certainly do that (Should be about $5000+/- to do 1 & 2). Afterward, we'll plan on about a $15,000 fundraiser for lane 4.

Hope that brings you all up to date.

Bill Cogley

Cleanup done in Tillamook State Forest...

Incredible cleanup in Tillamook State Forest on Sat, Aug 25, 2018! The Beaver Dam Pit, aka Brown's Camp Gravel Pit, was in real bad shape and quite disgusting. We gave it a scrub down.

35 good hearted volunteers worked their tails off to put this place back to what it should be. CLEAN! Then they eat a great lunch, won some real nice prizes and enjoyed an afternoon of recreation. THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!!!

If you want places to shoot on public lands, you need to clean up each time you go. It's like saying "Thank you for a place to shoot. I appreciate the privilege." If we abuse it, we loose it. Kind of simple.

Thanks & Kuddo's also go out to; Oregon Dept of Forestry, Tillamook County Sheriff's Dept, Cabela's Tualatin, Sportsman's Warehouse Hillsboro, Lucky Sporting Goods Banks OR, HatPointTarget , CRKT Columbia River Knife & Tool and a host of individuals who contributed in so many different ways!

The Value of a Cleanup

We don’t like cleaning up other peoples trash.  We don’t like seeing our great outdoors littered like a big city street.  We don’t like the damage being done to our natural resources.  We don’t like seeing rules disregarded and disobeyed when we try so hard to follow those rules for the good of all who visit the land.  We don’t like our reputation being ruined by the careless acts of a few who know not what they do and/or don’t seem to care.

But we like what we do.  We like responsibility, stewardship, respect, comradery and a prideful feeling of ownership.  It’s engrained in our souls like chiseled values on a tablet of stone.  It’s what we do, how we live and what we teach.  We are volunteers and stewards of our public lands.

Trash at dispersed shooting sites on public lands is drowning out the beauty of our cherished great outdoors.  It is an eye sore in the face of, what we have known and cherished as, quality recreation.  It is giving the recreational shooting sports a bad look.  And we don’t like that.

So we ban together and set forth to change the world, one dispersed shooting site at a time.  We preach from the heart and teach with example in sincere hope others will see the value and adopt the attitude.  And we love when change happens.

Join us Sat, Aug 25, 2018 in Tillamook State Forest at Brown’s Camp Gravel Pit as we demonstrate our pride, respect and stewardship for the privilege of the recreational shooting sports on public lands.

 Website Event:  http://trashnoland.org/8-25-18%20Browns%20Camp%20Quarry.html

Facebook Event:  https://www.facebook.com/events/244981123005321/