Information and Surprises handed out in the Capitol State Forest. Aug 15, 2020.

Five volunteers from Trash No Land and WaGuns.org website forum, joined in on a random grassroots effort to help improve the recreational shooting sports at the Triangle Pit in the Capitol State Forest, Saturday, August 15th.

Our plan was to talk with target shooters, as they were on their way to target practice, and hand out information about shooting on public lands.  It was to be a hot day and we expected this gravel pit to be very busy.

We were all set up and ready for the 9 AM opening of the pit, when a Forester drove up with a sign in hand.  "You're not going like this", he said.  He showed me the sign that said "Shooting temporarily prohibited due to fire danger".  It was like pulling the trigger on a fire extinguisher trying to put out our flame!  But it didn't work.  We stuck to our guns. (Yes, pun intended!)

We decided to stay because people may come to shoot and be just as surprised as we were.  So we moved up next to the road and prepared for some disappointed faces.

As it turned out, we had a busy morning of visiting one-on-one with many shooters.  We handed out the DNR rules (WAC laws) for public land shooting, Trash No Land information flyers, WaGuns cards and offered a hot cup of coffee.  Many recreational target shooters heard our message of being responsible, cleaning up and helping save good places to shoot.

 

Perhaps the most fun, and most informative, part of the day was a visit with DNR Police officer J. Bodine.  He shared his experiences of everyday life as an enforcement officer and his love for the Capitol Forest since childhood.  I can see he is a real asset to WA DNR and also to the sport shooting community.

 

 

Our message got delivered after all.  Many shooters are now better informed and we hope they will help spread the message of responsible recreation.  Thank you to all who helped, shared and listened.

 

Stewardship happenings weekend of Aug 7-9, 2020

I am aware of 3 small cleanup efforts that happened this weekend. I was part of one in Central Oregon, Trash No Land Board member Gary Jacka demonstrated stewardship to his boys in SW Washington, and board members Craig & Tracy Yon had a great experience on BLM land near the Santiam State Forest, Oregon.

 

Shellburg Falls, BLM land in Oregon

A target shooting couple set out to visit and clean up the Shellburg Falls area, by Mehama OR, on Saturday Aug 8, 2020 and were joined by a Bow Shooter and some Jeepers who made an unexpected turn around! Here's the story from Trash No Land board members Craig and Tracy Yon of Albany, OR...

"We spent most of the morning in the Shellburg Falls area out by Mehama cleaning up shooting areas. Mainly BLM land that borders the Santiam State Forest.

  It was a great morning in the woods. Some wildlife, people practicing archery, a couple Jeeps 4wheeling along with some mountain bikers.

Picked up the first landing, which by some standards wasn't horrible. 2nd landing was a lot worse. The gentleman practicing with his bow stopped to help. Filled a few big bags. Great guy.

About that time the Jeep people came by and asked if we had seen the lower road. We said that we were warned about a transient camp and avoid it. He said they were gone but there was about 15 big trash bags left. We said we would head done there next.

For a few minutes I thought they took off after they told us about it. But they showed up and helped load everything. Talked with them a bit about Trash No Land and other subjects. Really would like to commend them for coming back. They were leaving but came back to help because he really liked what we were doing and thought it was neat pulling the trailer. He said he is going to start doing the same in places.

 With the cleaning done and trailer full we decided to find the falls which we failed to do the first time. Got lucky and the gate was open. 2.5 miles down a logging road and a 1/2 mile hike and we found the falls. 

Also want to Thank the Bureau of Land management for being able to dump in their dumpsters at a campground and the 2 big boxes of trash bags."

Craig and Tracy had pre-arranged with BLM to use the dumpsters at the campground, which the BLM had previously extended the invitation to them. Thank you BLM Oregon! And thank you, Craig & Tracy, the Bow shooter and the Jeepers!

 

 

Father teaches sons about stewardship.

This weekend, in the Yacolt Burn State Forest, WA, a Trash No Land Board member did this...

"I took some family shooting up in the Burn this morning. Picked up a few bags of junk when we were done. Was a pretty busy day up there. Also had the new forest warden drop by making sure we were legal."

Sorry, no pics on this one. Just another report of a shooter stepping up to demonstrate stewardship and teach his kids about being responsible in our great outdoors.

Thank you Gary Jacka of Vancouver, WA! Good to hear of you teaching the next generation how to be responsible! Nice work!

 

Central Oregon, Deschutes National Forest.

Half way between Bend and La Pine was the scene of another Random Act Of Cleanup this weekend, by five guys on a mission!  Here's the story, written by Yours Truly:

"We cleaned up 2 target shooting sites in the forest.

It's surprising how much of a difference a few people can make in just a couple of hours. We spent a casual 2 hours and got a full pickup bed from two sites. During that time, we made new friends, contacts and lasting memories.

With such a little effort and cost, we had a lot of fun, as you'll see in the pics."

"If we had divided up the cost of disposal, it would have only cost $ 2.80 each! At that rate, and all the other benefits of a Random Act of Cleanup, why not do this more often? A lot more often!!!"

 

Show your stewardship efforts!

Send me pics and a story of your Random Act Of Cleanup!  I would love to share them as encouragement to others to do the same in their favorite public lands.  I also let the forest agency know about individuals cleaning up shooting sites.

Be safe, have fun and Trash No Land!

Bill Cogley

CEO/President Trash No Land

info@trashnoland.org

 

 

Capitol Forest gets some help from Target Shooters

As a regular visitor to the Capitol Forest in Washington State, Jim from Grays Harbor County routinely sports his stewardship at his favorite place to shoot.  In recent months, Jim has seen trash begin to accumulate and got to be a bit more that he can handle by himself. So, he gave a shout out for some help on the website forum WaGuns.org.  He wasn't disappointed!

On Saturday, July 25, 2020, seven shooting enthusiasts, joined Jim and enjoyed a day of doing good and a fun group shoot afterwards.

"It was a good day to get out and pick up others peoples c***", Jim said.  "Was good to meet a new member here and some that I’ve had the privilege to meet a while ago.  Thanks for all of your help, it is much appreciated. Last year there were 3 that joined in on the fun and we took 4 bags of shot shells and lots of steel from shot up appliances.  This year there were 7 of us and very few if any shot shells!!! But still a lot of trash and steel cases. Everyone worked hard and we got it done around 1 pm.  Then there was time for shooting!!!"

That's what it's all about.  Clean up everytime you go shooting.  It's written in the law that clean up is required.  By this action, from Jim and the others who helped, we see it is also written in their stewardship hearts!

Thank you all!

#StewardshipKeepsItOpen!

Special Shooting Lanes Are Well Cared For!

I was pleased to see the condition of the North Fork Wolf Creek Rd improved dispersed shooting lanes this weekend, (July 18, 2020).  Very little trash up there!

I arrived at 8 AM and there were people shooting at each lane.  I stopped to see conditions and visit with the shooters at all 4 lanes.  All the people I met were very nice, but more impressive was the fact they were all using legal targets, target stands and good choices of target placement!  Wow!  I'm not used to seeing that!

The only lane that had much trash was lane 3.  It was such a minor amount and cleaned up quickly.

This is good news and I hope it keeps up!  The improvements done out here are the kind of things shooters would like to see in forests throughout the Northwest.  It fosters a spirit of ownership, stewardship, respect and responsibility in recreational sport shooting.  It also makes it easy to comply with the common rules for safe responsible shooting on public lands.

We don't see as much special care at a typical dispersed shooting sites in the woods.  Trash left behind at those places seems to be a common thing.  That's not right.  It should not be any different if you shoot at an improved or unimproved place.  Cleanup is a requirement every time we go shooting, no matter where you shoot!

Recently, there have been reports of graffiti on the jersey barrier firing lines at most all lanes.  It didn't last long when the responsible shooters heard of it and was quickly covered up!

A shooter arrived looking for an open lane to shoot.  As he approached lane 3, he told me he always carries extra trash bags and fire prevention equipment since he heard about it on Trash No Land.

These reports of stewardship and responsibility make me feel good and hopeful that perhaps our message is getting through!

After visiting the lanes, installing a sign, cleaning an area near lane 3 and doing a quick cleanup of lane 3, four of us went back down to Wolf Creek Road to replace a couple other missing signs.  We cleaned up those places where people should not be shooting because of public safety and fire hazard concerns.

In just a few short morning hours, we had installed 3 signs and bagged up 10 trash bags.  I took them to a landfill near my home and the cost was only $14.

This surprise of the well cared for Wolf Creek Shooting Lanes, gave me a good feeling that people actually do value a quality place to shoot and are happy to share in the stewardship efforts it takes to keep them available to the public.

Thank you to all who use and care for this special place!

And thank you to Gregory Propf, Erica and Geoff Goode for helping with the signs and cleanup!  You are appreciated!

To Shoot or Not To Shoot? Someone please give me a sign!

To shoot here, or not? 

That's a question that shouldn't have to be answered with a sign!  But when you are not familiar with the concerns in a certain area, a sign can help you with the answer.

This is the sign has was posted in the Tillamook State Forest at six locations along the North Fork Wolf Creek Road, in October of 2019.  They are places where heightened awareness needs to happen because of public safety and/or fire hazard concerns.  Two, of the six signs, are now missing and needed to be replaced.  In addition, one new location has recently become a concern.  The signs are a joint effort by the Tillamook State Forest and the Trash No Land organization in an attempt to alert shooters to potential hazards.

On Saturday, July 18th, 2020, three Trash No Land followers joined me to replace the missing signs and install one new one.

We started with the new sign at the improved dispersed shooting lanes off North Fork Wolf Creek Rd at Lane 3.  On the corner, across the road from lane 3, is a blocked off area that often serves as a picnic area or sometimes dispersed camping.  Recently, however, people have been shooting targets in that spot.  This is a public safety issue because of what lies beyond the line of fire.  The dirt berm looks adequate in height, however, targets have been found on top and on the small trees behind the berm and there is not a secondary larger backstop.

Beyond the berm, slightly to the left, is Lane 4 and straight behind is private timber land.  Shotguns have been used, off the East edge, which rains down shot over Wolf Creek Rd below.  Also to the East is forest land that often has work activity.

These concerns may not be so obvious to some shooters, so, we posted a sign to let them know.

If you're going to post a sign, remove all signs of previous shooting!  We couldn't just drop in a sign and leave the evidence.  It kind of negates the message of the sign!  So, we cleaned it up.

Next two places got their signs replaced and evidence removed.

Then it was back to Lane 3 for the reward!  A nice family, from Hillsboro, were gracious enough to share the lane and we enjoyed their company.

Thank you Gregory Propf, Geoff and Erica Goode for your help and dedication!

A Snohomish County shooting pit gets an unexpected cleanup!

Six Target Shooting Stewards take charge of their favorite place! Another shooter pays the dump fee!!!
On Saturday, July 18th, at a gravel pit Northwest of Darrington, WA, six dedicated target shooters joined forces in cleaning up their favorite place to shoot.
Long time shooting enthusiast, Pat from Arlington, WA, put out a call for help in cleaning up the pit and enjoy some shooting fun when done. Five others joined in and got it done. One gentleman brought his young son and another drove from Sedro-Wooley. They spent about two hours picking up the trash.
"We were working on the lower pit and there was two guys shooting steel up in the upper pit", Pat said. "One of our guys went up there and asked them if they could either move their steel targets to the right or hold off shooting at them for a little bit. When they asked why, he told them we were doing a pit clean up and we were at the back of the pit and there was a chance of the bullets deflecting down where we were picking up trash. He offered to haul the trash away when they were done shooting. There had to of been a dozen big bags of trash and a bunch of metal. It filled his truck up and he had to strap it down. He was offered cash for the dump fee and declined."
Well done Pat and crew! Thank you for your stewardship!
#StewardshipKeepsItOpen! #CleanUpToShoot! #TrashNoLand!