How can I Help Restore Access to the South District?
We need your help!
State officials need to hear how important it is to restore access to our
South District. If they don't receive our input, they may think the
1-Road is just another seldom-used forest access road.
If you're concerned about this loss of access,
please write a letter
to Doug Sutherland, the State Commissioner of Public Lands, and also to
your state representatives.
For names and addresses, see:
Elected Officials and
Washington State Legislature.
This should be done as soon as possible; preferably before
the end of November.
Please write your own letter in your own words (no form letters!).
That said, you may want to consider addressing the following points
in your letter:
-
- What are you writing about.
On November 6th, severe flooding on the Nisqually River washed out the
access to the Tahoma State Forest, which includes a large part of the
Mt Tahoma Trails Association (MTTA) system. We are hoping you
can help restore this public access.
- What is MTTA.
MTTA is a non-profit 501-(C)(3) organization which operates a premier
skiing, snowshoeing, hiking and biking Hut-to-Hut Trail System on
DNR lands west of Mt. Rainier National Park.
- How does MTTA affect the public.
These trails offer spectacular outdoor recreational opportunities for
families, scouting groups and thousands of avid enthusiasts each year.
- How is MTTA (or you) impacted by the flooding.
This damage cuts off access to 3/4 of our Trail System, requiring us
to cancel Hut Use permits and refund reservation fees.
This affects many outdoor enthusiasts and greatly
reduces our business, resulting in a strain on our finances.
- Call to action.
We realize that you are faced with significant challenges from the
storms. We respectively request restoring this access
be given an appropriate priority. Please let us know
if we can help in any way.
- Thank you and request for response.
Thank you very much for your attention to this matter.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Please make your letter respectful and in a tone of cooperation. The
Washington State DNR has been MTTA's best friend. They started
work the day after the bridge washed out, planning for new access.
Here is a
sample letter to Mr. Sutherland, that covers the major points and
has a very appropriate tone.
Please write a letter today, and ask your outdoor friends to do the same.
With your help, our state officials will understand how important this
access is and will restore it as soon as is reasonably possible.
Thank you.
