Top down: Mt. Garfield & Middle Fork of Snoqualmie River; Wilson’s Warbler; forest admirers
Flash back to 15 years ago. Two families,including ours, went on a Fourth of July hike on a beautiful summer day to the Middle fork of the Snoqualmie River, a semi-wild area 35 miles east of Seattle. Five young kids were involved in this hike. By the end of it, we were worried about their safety and all of our lives.
We parked at the Middle Fork Trailhead, hiked into the old-growth woods along the river for a few miles and that’s when the shooting began. It was not just an idle gun shot, nor was it 4th of July fireworks. There were multiple rounds of gunshots fired close by that sounded more like a battle than target shooting. We gathered our families, keeping low to the ground, and hustled out, half-expecting bullets to come whistling through the vegetation. It was like being in some kind of a war zone.
That was the Middle Fork of old, a place of neglect, abuse, shooting galleries, meth labs, garbage, cars in the river and worse. It was a family-hostile place and an insult to the quality of nature that exists there. All of this was happening between the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area and the rapidly developing suburban city of North Bend, Washington, just 45 minutes from Seattle.
Now flash forward to yesterday. It was another beautiful summer day, but this time, our hiking experience was much different. We went again as a family with our college-aged daughter. We saw many other families there, including parents with toddlers. We heard the rushing sound of the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River, along with calls and songs of 20-plus bird species. We saw a spectacular setting of temperate old-growth forest with stunning views of Mount Garfield and the central Cascade mountains behind. No gun shots were fired this time and no conspicuous garbage or neglect was visible. Instead, attractive, informative interpretive signs welcomed hikers and bikers to the trail head, and many people hiked, picnicked, fished, and enjoyed the beautiful area in a relaxing manner. Washington Trails Association volunteers improved the already well-maintained trails.
One would never know what went before here. Thank goodness! This has been nothing short of a transformation – a public lands triumph culminated by a major state designation of a new conservation area four years ago. And now the culture of land use has changed for the better.
In 2009 Washington State Land Commissioner, Peter Goldmark announced a new 10,720-acre Natural Resources Conservation Area (NRCA) in the Middle Fork valley. “I have designated this new Middle Fork Natural Resources Conservation Area which has higher elevation old forests and connects valuable wildlife corridors across a broad landscape…In addition, the new NRCA will offer scenic views and low impact public use.”
Said Cynthia Welti, Executive Director of Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust: “we are grateful to Commissioner Goldmark and the Washington Department of Natural Resources, the Middle Fork Outdoor Recreation Coalition and the many individuals and organizations within the Greenway Trust who have worked for decades to turn the once lawless Middle Fork Valley into a safe, accessible place for families, hikers, kayakers, rafters and fishers.”
Most of these user groups were in evidence yesterday. To all who persisted to make this transformation from utter neglect to stewardship happen, thank you. This type of conservation vision and leadership should be repeated on the national stage.
