Fees waived for Get Outdoors Day
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 4 months AGO
If you're looking to get away for the weekend and shake off the last of the winter blues, waived fees at Forest Service-run recreation areas may be the way to go this weekend.
COURTESY PHOTO/VLAD BAGACIAN VIA PEXELS
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | June 5, 2023 5:59 PM
PORTLAND, Ore. — Day-use sites in Washington and Oregon will be free on June 10 in celebration of National Get Outdoors Day, the USDA Forest Service announced Monday, as a way of encouraging people to explore the outdoors.
"We are delighted to waive fees for National Get Outdoors Day," Tracy Calizon, assistant director of recreation and related resources for the Pacific Northwest region of the Forest Service, wrote in the announcement. "This is a wonderful opportunity for individuals and families to engage in outdoor activities and discover the incredible natural beauty that our forests and public lands have to offer. We hope that by providing free access, more people will be inspired to connect with nature, create lasting memories, and foster a lifelong appreciation for our environment."
The waiver includes many picnic areas, boat launches, trailheads, and visitor centers, the announcement said. Concession operations will continue to charge fees unless the permit holder chooses to participate. Regular fees for camping, cabin rentals, heritage expeditions, and other permits will still apply. Approximately two-thirds of developed recreation sites in national forests and grasslands are available for use at no cost and 98% of national forests and grasslands have no fees at any time, it said.
Examples of nearby Forest Service areas include the Wanapum Recreation Area, the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Umtanum Creek Recreation Site and Long Meadow Campground.
The Pacific Northwest Region of the Forest Service manages millions of acres of land across Washington and Oregon including over 2,400 developed recreation sites, more than 24,000 miles of trails, 51 Wild and Scenic Rivers, and two national monuments, the announcement said. Visitors are encouraged to check their local forest or public land websites for specific information on recreation opportunities, trails, safety guidelines and any additional regulations, and also to practice Leave No Trace principles during their outdoor adventures.
More information can be found at www.fs.usda.gov.
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Endless battle
Noxious Weed Control Board works to keep invasive plants under control
MOSES LAKE — Some of the nastiest plants in Grant County were the topic of a class led by Jay Johnson, a consultant with the Grant County Noxious Weed Control Board, Tuesday. The Noxious Weed Control Board, as its name would suggest, is tasked with keeping weeds under control in Grant County. That’s not a small job; the board’s website lists 129 species of noxious weeds that are found around Grant County. A noxious weed is defined as an invasive, non-native plant that threatens agricultural crops, local ecosystems or fish and wildlife habitat, according to the Noxious Weed Control Board. Washington state law requires that these weeds be identified and their spread kept to a minimum, if not completely eradicated. “We’re one of those agencies a lot of people don’t really understand,” Johnson said. “We’re a county office and … our funding is tax-based assessment. When you get your tax bill and you look down at all the expenses that you pay for, there we are.”
BASIN EVENTS: Oct. 16-24
COLUMBIA BASIN — Whether you feel like shopping, crafting, learning or seeing a show, there’s something happening for you this week in the Basin. Oct. 16 ‘My Family (Mi Familia)’ screening Spanning three generations, “My Family (Mi Familia)” is a heartfelt drama that follows the Sánchez family as they build their lives in East Los Angeles. Through love, hardship, triumph, and sacrifice, the film explores the immigrant experience, the strength of family bonds, and the traditions that connect one generation to the next. Lowrider show and taco truck before the screening. Sponsored by Columbia Basin Allied Arts, EDUBS C/S and the Moses Lake Creative District. $12 per person. Doors open at 6 p.m., film begins at 7 p.m. at the Moses Lake Civic Center Auditorium, 401 S. Balsam St. Tickets and info: www.cba-arts.org.
Moses Lake author encourages women to look beyond church culture norms
MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake author’s book, “A Christian Woman Striving to Live Her Faith in a Man-Controlled World,” takes aim at the role to which many churches relegate the female half of their congregations. “It’s to encourage women in the faith,” Linda Curran said. “A lot of churches say, ‘Teach Sunday school, do this, do that, but don’t (evangelize.)’" In her book, Curran recounts a time when she moved to a new community and joined a church there. She was surprised to learn that, as a new female member, she had been automatically assigned church cleaning duties. When she questioned it, she wrote, she was met with condescension and her objections were brushed aside. In other churches, she said, women who were capable of teaching were relegated to “women’s ministry.”