Sept. 10, 2002: Access dominates Reach open house

Access dominates Reach open house

This story was published Sept. 10, 2002

By Mike Lee
Herald staff writer

Everybody still wants a piece of the Hanford Reach.

While rhetoric over land use has quieted, divergent groups remain committed to preserving their interests on the 200,000-acre national monument and the stretch of Columbia River north of Richland.

With that commitment comes contentions about the right balance between public use and preservation as the Fish and Wildlife Service tries to write a long-term management plan over the next two years.

The agency invited the public to voice issues and concerns during an informal open house Monday in Richland. What came out is essentially the same use vs. preservation dilemma with which the monument's citizens advisory committee has been grappling.

Several dozen Mid-Columbians showed up Monday, mostly to impress upon federal officials that they still want to boat, hunt, bike, horse ride, fish and sightsee everywhere they were allowed before President Clinton created the monument in 2000.

And probably in some new places, too.

"Right now, access is good and a variety of uses are going on," said Henry Field of Pasco. "My interest is that access continued to be allowed."

Access overshadowed all other issues, although there also was a clear desire for more facilities such as parking lots, improved roads, rest rooms, boat launches and viewpoints.

"We want to maintain our access - that is what I am hearing from everybody," said Rich Steele, of Richland, an avid angler, horseman and photographer. "I don't want any less."

Several large sheets of paper were filled with comments that visitors made on access issues: improve Ringold Road, provide horse access, limit public use to preserve the "quality of the experience" and designate areas for mountain bikes.

Everyll Davison of Kennewick, a horseman with the Purple Sage Riders, said his organization aims to work with the Fish and Wildlife Service to improve facilities for horse riders.

"Too much of anything can be harmful," he said. "We know it is going to be regulated, and we want to have a part in it."

And Davison said he hopes to work with other interest groups to make sure the Reach isn't closed to the public. "We have got to work together to keep this thing open," he said.

Bob Showalter of Finley wants to be allowed to camp out in the sagebrush with his bird hunting dogs as part of a long-running training program on the Wahluke Slope. He said his group hasn't been able to camp in their usual area for the past two years under interim measures in place until the monument's management plan is set.

Glenn Frederick, federal refuge planner from Portland, said the Fish and Wildlife Service has made management changes but isn't making any major irrevocable decisions yet.

And he said his agency understands the demands that surfaced again Monday. "Public access is part of our mission," he said. "We don't just lock it up and throw away the key. That is never our intent."

Once the Fish and Wildlife Service has reviewed public comments about what needs to be in the plan, it will start drafting goals, objectives and on-the-ground measures to support its overall vision.

Once management alternatives are outlined, they will be presented again to the public for review and comments, likely by next spring.

For more information about the Hanford Reach National Monument and the federal planning process, go to http://pacific.fws.gov/hanford/ on the Internet.