San Juan Island Trails Committee
Minutes April 8, 2009

Present
Magda and Michael Balise, Peter Dawson, David Dehlendorf, Eileen Drath, Louise Dustrude, Rick Exstrom, Eleanor Hartmann, Jill & Loren Johnson, Mike Lazzari, Peter Morrison, Cinda and Mark Pierce, Tracy Roberson, Howie Rosenfeld, and Leslie Veirs. 

Notices

  1. Sustainable San Juans Conservation Summit, April 17, 18, and 19. Check www.stewardshipsjc.org for information.
  2. Next steering committee meeting: Wednesday, May 6, at 4:00 pm at the library. All are invited.
  3. Next regular monthly meeting: Wednesday, May 13, at 5:00 pm in the community room at Whidbey Island Bank.

Volunteer Hours Since Last Meeting

April Steering Committee
9
Today’s Meeting
26
Bike Sub-Committee
10
Work Parties
0
Roche Harbor Stewardship Group
17
Other Volunteer Hours
60
Total Hours
122

Call to Order, Introductions, & Minutes
The regular meeting was called to order by Chair David Dehlendorf at 5:05 pm. All present introduced themselves.  Minutes from the previous meeting were approved as circulated by email and posted on our website.

Reorganization of Trails Committee
The Island Rec board officially adopted the Trails Committee on March 19. There are new volunteer forms to be filled out only by anyone who leads a hike or other event. Island Rec’s board chair Ralph Hahn will be our official liaison.

Sharing Information
Peter Morrison suggested that we take a little time at our meetings for individuals to report matters of interest. For example, he reported that the Pacific Northwest Trail has passed Congress and was opened last week. This new trail goes from Cape Alava to Glacier Park and is equivalent to such existing long-distance trails as the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. There was discussion. It was suggested that anyone with such information call the chair in advance of a meeting and ask to be on the agenda.

Volunteer to Organize Hikes and Other Events
There was discussion of inviting someone to coordinate monthly events such as hikes and potlucks. Mike and Sue Buettell were suggested (in absentia!) and Eleanor Hartmann volunteered to help.

Bicycle Initiatives
Tracy Roberson invited all present to help prioritize a list of goals drafted by the Bicycle Subcommittee. She invited anyone interested to participate in the next bicycle meeting on Monday, April 13, at 5 pm in this room at the Whidbey Island Bank. 

Sustainable San Juans Conservation Summit
Eileen Drath reported on the 2009 Conservation Summit scheduled for April 17, 18, and 19 and passed around a sign-up sheet for volunteers to help staff a Trails Committee table on the 18th. Mike Buettell has volunteered to lead a hike on Roche Harbor land on Sunday the 19th as part of this event. The schedule for the event and the online registration form can be found at www.stewardshipsjc.org.

Article in At Home magazine
David Dehlendorf reported that there is another article on the Trails Committee in the spring 2009 edition of At Home magazine (this is the third time we’ve been featured) and passed around copies.

Save Mitchell Hill letters
Members were encouraged to write letters to Reps. Rick Larsen and Norm Dicks in support of saving the DNR Mitchell Hill property by attaching it to San Juan Island National Historical Park. A couple of people asked whether this action will save the area for use by horses and mountain bikes. The answer is we have no absolute assurance of this, but there will be opportunities to support it, and if the area is not attached to the park, the alternative is probably private development.

Trail Construction Training
David Dehlendorf announced that the trail construction workshop will be held May 29-30 (not May 22-23 as earlier announced, which is Memorial Day weekend). Leaders are Steve Ulvi, Doug McCutchen of the Land Bank, and Nick Teague of the Bureau of Land Management who lives on Lopez.  Friday night (6 - 9 pm), May 29 will be a classroom meeting at the fire station on Mullis, and Saturday (10 am - 4 pm), May 30 will be practical experience on a trail on the island, possibly on a Land Bank or National Park Service property. There will be slots for up to 30 people, and there are still openings.  Contact David Dehlendorf at sjitrails@rockisland.com if interested in attending the workshop.

Cattle Point Road Trail
Cinda Pierce reported that three landowners along the trail are expected to sign easements as soon as the Land Bank has completed “due diligence” on their deeds. We have chosen to do easements (rather than “use agreements”) because they would be permanent and because the county assumes any liability. However, Cinda has learned recently that an existing state law, RCW 4.24.210, “indemnifies people who allow recreational use of their land,” so perhaps other arrangements are possible. She will explore this further with Karen Vedder or another attorney. Mark Pierce will schedule a work party soon on a portion of this trail. Cinda will meet on April 19 with the Fairway Drive Owners Association to discuss possible use of their private road.

Pipeline Trail
David Dehlendorf reported that a group interested in pursuing a multi-use trail along San Juan Valley Road met on March 13 to discuss possibilities, and that they were encouraged by the attendance of Rex Guard, one of the landowners in the area. The trail would probably be in the county road right-of-way. Rex expressed concerns of farmers with inviting the public to walk near the boundary of their land, and the group discussed possible advantages of trails for agricultural landowners – such as being able to drive their animals from one pasture to another (rather than trucking them because the roads have become unsafe for “cattle drives”) and also the advantages of their children being able to ride bikes to school safely.  A sub-committee will be formed to further study this possible trail.

Park to Park Trail
David Dehlendorf reported that a property owner on West Side Rd. adjacent to the proposed trail between the County Park and Lime Kiln Point State Park has written a letter to his neighbors, the Trails Committee, Public Works, etc. expressing a number of concerns about the trail. The owner has organized a meeting on April 16 of area residents so they can express their opinions about the trail. The Trails Committee and Public Works were invited to the meeting but declined because it is not open to the general public. Instead, the Trails Committee, Public Works, and the Land Bank will organize a public meeting, with invitations to be sent to all owners near the trail. Notifications will also be sent out to the general public. The meeting is expected to be held in June after Public Works completes its survey to determine the exact location of its road right-of-way where most of the trail will be built.

David Dehlendorf will attend the Land Bank commission meeting this Friday to request approval for a new trail on its Limekiln Preserve property which would be a segment of this potential trail.

Frazer Homestead Preserve
David Dehlendorf reported that he, Cinda and Mark Pierce, and Mike Lazzari attended the Land Bank’s public meeting last week that it called to receive comments to the draft management plan for this property, which is just north of American Camp. There were no negative comments about the trail to be built on the property which was outlined in the management plan.

Respectfully submitted,
Louise Dustrude, Acting Secretary