BLM / EWRAC Juniper Dunes tour

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Grumpy
Peak Putters' Land-Use Coordinator
Peak Putters' Land-Use Coordinator
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Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2007 8:38 am
Location: Kennewick, WA

BLM / EWRAC Juniper Dunes tour

Postby Grumpy » Wed Mar 28, 2018 2:20 pm

On March 21, the 4x4 clubs from the TriCities area joined BLM staff and members of the Eastern Washington RAC for a show me trip at Juniper Dunes OHV and Wilderness Area. Preliminary contact was made through John Thompson of the Midnite Mudders, who gathered
the rest of us in on the plot to give the kids a show. The locals have been working on getting legal access to Juniper for years, and we now have most of the hurdles jumped, and will have that access, possibly by late this year. This was the first experience at Juniper for the RAC, and it was quite a day. Members of the Mudders, Peak Putters (my club), Desert Rats, Rattlesnake 4x4, and Roamin’ Chariots came out to provide rides. We spent four hours cruising through the dunes, and showing our guests what wheeling sand looks like. BLM staff had never been on this type of ride either, so they all got to have a fresh experience, and see how much we enjoy what we do out there. Our ongoing cleanup activities were explained, and we ran them along the wilderness fence to see the repair work that we did with the BLM a year ago. At the end of the day, I think we made some friends, and they all had a ball getting bounced around. It really is an experience if you’ve never done it.


Next day, the 22nd, was the scheduled RAC meeting. John Thompson, David Linton, and myself joined for the duration. As there wasn’t a quorum, it was decided to have an informal round robin type discussion. The major issue is what kind of development we want for Juniper. We all agree vault toilets are a must, given that after the road goes in, business is likely to pick up some. Picnic tables, fire rings, and shelters were al discussed, but the overriding theme was to keep it as primitive a possible. Just seems to make sense. One major topic was the horse crowd. Currently from where they unload, it’s about a three mile ride through the OHV area to get to the wilderness boundary, and we all feel that’s not a good situation. Most of them avoid going out on weekends, as there’s too much traffic to dodge, and some of the critters get pretty skittish. We may have a solution pending, but won’t know for a while. The BCH guys seem very happy we want to work with them, and were very receptive to discussion. More on that later. Escape routes for fires also came up, and is something that’s going to need addressed, especially with the potential for more use in the area. All in all, a very good gathering, and I think we’ve laid some good groundwork for future talks with all of the users.


One sour note was that the NOVA grant Franklin County put in for to help fund E&E didn’t happen. I mentioned it to Commissioner Brad Peck, and got back to me later to confirm that.
Dave
Have Scout, will wheel...Someday...Maybe


Quote:
Originally Posted by Oregon80
-By driving a Scout, you my friend have recycled, which is more than those pansy Prius owners can say.
-I love driving a piece of history that was nearly lost.

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