CANYON CREEK (Bearpaw) UPDATE

[SNOBI-WAN-KENOBI]

I just got off the phone with the Mt.Baker Ranger Station and........Canyon Creek washout will NOT be fixed this year!!...THAT will be 2 years in a row without Bearpaw/Excelsor.
So EVERYONE start buying lotto tickets so we can fund the fixin' at Canyon Creek!!!

 

[Monty]

That sucks

 

[SNOBI-WAN-KENOBI]

Big time sucks! That's why Baker gets so busy.

 

[KMMAC]

How bad?

I just got off the phone with the Mt.Baker Ranger Station and........Canyon Creek washout will NOT be fixed this year!!...THAT will be 2 years in a row without Bearpaw/Excelsor.
So EVERYONE start buying lotto tickets so we can fund the fixin' at Canyon Creek!!!

How bad is it? Is it the whole hill side or a culvert wash out.....

 

[SNOBI-WAN-KENOBI]

A little of both.....

 

[_AJ_]

Ouch! Not good news. I was hoping that there would have been a logging contract or something up there that would have included a road repair.

Here is a pic that was posted last year.

 

[tar]

I just got off the phone with the Mt.Baker Ranger Station and........Canyon Creek washout will NOT be fixed this year!!...THAT will be 2 years in a row without Bearpaw/Excelsor.
So EVERYONE start buying lotto tickets so we can fund the fixin' at Canyon Creek!!!

Keep calling the Baker district . We have been buging the hell out of them to let the locals do a temporary fix. In a weekend it could be fixed temporarly.
Call,call,call!!.

Tar.

 

[SHOP!]

The guy you are all wanting to talk to is Jim Mitchel there phone number is 360-854-2550. Don't let the big government tell us we can't fix the road they give us certain places to ride and that is it so when one of the roads to those places go down we need it fixed asap. Call Jim and let him know either they need to go fix it now or let us do a simple fix until then.

 

[Chicken]

Thanks for the name and number. Maybe if everyone calls they will let us do a temp fix until they can fix it the way they want it.

 

[Broskie]

Anyone in road construction that could give us an estimate how much it would be to fix? Also is this the road up to the parking lots where we all camped during the Baker shootout?

I know to get it fixed and running I would put cash forward. Lets say $10-$20 a person with 100+ donation should be enough money to fix it right?

 

[2Thetopp]

Also is this the road up to the parking lots where we all camped during the Baker shootout?

This is not the same road as Baker shootout, this road is on the way to Bearpaw, Excelsior, etc. north of Baker, whole different awesome area.

 

[Chicken]

Anyone in road construction that could give us an estimate how much it would be to fix? Also is this the road up to the parking lots where we all camped during the Baker shootout?

I know to get it fixed and running I would put cash forward. Lets say $10-$20 a person with 100+ donation should be enough money to fix it right?

Donation and man power is not the issue. The issue is we cant even get a engineer from the forest service to meet with us to see if there is a temp fix. Here are a few things we have thought of.
Laying a bridge on the road spanning the bad spot. With approaches on both sides and jersey barriers guiding you onto the bridge. This way there is no environmental impact.
Another idea is to put a culvert in the ditch and back fill over it. This would make the road over ten feet wide. Last time I checked the lanes on the county roads weren't any wider than that. Or you could pull some of the bank away and move the road back. I have heard this would cause a land slide from above the road. The bank is only about 15' high and then it is a huge flat with an old road bed on it. Doubt you are going to have a land slide from a little bank like that. I could see if it was a continuous hill up the side of the mountain.
Any better idea's?
They keep saying there is no money but if it doesn't cost them anything for a temp fix why would they not want to do this?

 

[Chicken]

I hear alot of complaints but don't see anyone making any suggestions. Has anyone called Jim?

 

[JDM1000]

Not only do we need to call the USFS engineer, we need to contact our county council members and explain to them that with Canyon Creek Rd closed we have little options left but to go outside of Whatcom County to ride. Which means we will be spending our money outside of the local economy. Every time you go out snowmobiling you put at least $50 per sled into the local economy. Explain to the council members that we need their help to get the USFS to fix Canyon Creek Rd for this snowmobiling season so we can spend our money here locally.

 

[SNOBI-WAN-KENOBI]

Not only do we need to call the USFS engineer, we need to contact our county council members and explain to them that with Canyon Creek Rd closed we have little options left but to go outside of Whatcom County to ride. Which means we will be spending our money outside of the local economy. Every time you go out snowmobiling you put at least $50 per sled into the local economy. Explain to the council members that we need their help to get the USFS to fix Canyon Creek Rd for this snowmobiling season so we can spend our money here locally.

I've talked to Otis,Tom and Jim at the Mt.Baker Ranger Station and it is a no go on the Canyon Creek Washout fix.$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ is what it's going to take.I even sent an Email to the Gates Foundation asking if they could fund the project.,But they have specifics on what the Foundation money can be used for...and THIS is NOT one of them!!.............Looking at that washout picture I don't see any reason why they can't just carve into the hill to the right !

 

[MAC29]

Just an easy way for them to keep us out of the woods.They don't care how much money we have. Its all about control.

 

[Kordero]

I can still access the area to backcountry ski tho right? Hiking into/thru Wilderness... with my pockets full of granola

So only one user group is really effected by this washout right?

 

[BLIJAS]

Keep up the pressure...............

I have been emailing every morning....I believe this is the address, but no response yet????

jmitchell@fs.fed.us

 

[Chicken]

Good job for those of you trying something even though it feels like hitting your head against the wall. Its funny I thought the forest service was made up to manage the forest. When I was a kid they made all kinds of money by logging and doing there job. I guess if you don't log and close everything its pretty easy to manage it! Kinda of a joke. Big money your right is what they are saying its going to cost to fix it. To the tune of 250,000 dollars. If they were using there own money I am sure they would get creative on their fix's. No wonder they are broke!! When you have a government agency and a college scholar all common sense goes out the window!

 

[TreeThrasher]

So the local club can't simply do "maintenance" and get this fixed? Get a hoe up there and I will volunteer my time and come fix it...im sure we could find the material in the area...