The Mountaineers
Have you ever tried to snag a campground or parking spot near Diablo Lake or another destination in the Ross Lake National Recreation Area during a busy summer weekend? Visitation to this popular area of the North Cascades has doubled over the last 20 years, and Park Service staff recorded one million visits in 2019. As recreational use via the North Cascades Highway continues to grow, land managers need new strategies to manage recreation. Park staff are preparing to develop a robust plan and holistic approach to better manage frontcountry recreation opportunities along the Highway 20 corridor, and they want to hear from you!
Last month, North Cascades National Park Complex opened a 60-day public comment period to solicit public input to inform this planning process. While land managers lead the work to protect park resources and improve outdoor access, they rely on the feedback and experiences of the recreating public to help shape solutions to ongoing visitor use management challenges. Learn more about this planning effort in this story map and take a few minutes to share your thoughts with the Park by August 11.
Frontcountry Recreation Planning in the North Cascades
So, what exactly do we mean by frontcountry recreation? “Frontcountry” refers to more accessible and well-developed areas of parks and public lands. As Mountaineers, we don’t just appreciate backcountry or Wilderness experiences. Trailheads, viewpoints, and interpretation opportunities easily accessible from roadways and parking areas play a vital role in connecting outdoor enthusiasts to nature and fostering a strong stewardship ethic.
Beyond increasing visitation, topographic challenges of the recreation areas adjacent to Washington State Route 20 necessitate more strategic planning efforts as land managers balance the need to improve the outdoor experience and protect natural and cultural resources. Changing conditions in the North Cascades - due in part to increasingly intense wildfire, flooding, and staffing challenges - also underscore the need to adapt management solutions.
As Park staff seek to better orient visitors and improve recreational opportunities in the corridor, they launched the public comment period with a virtual public meeting on June 12. Land managers will synthesize and incorporate this first round of public comments received back into their ongoing work to develop a management plan. The purpose of the plan is to improve on-the-ground conditions, present a variety of recreational opportunities, and provide safer, more accessible visitor experiences by:
- Providing reliable and predictable access to key destinations and improved experiences by addressing congestion and safety concerns in parking lots and along roadways, particularly during peak summer season.
- Identifying capacities and addressing facility demand on busy summer days at key sites along SR20.
- Defining visitor opportunities and experiences that align with the purpose and character of Ross Lake National Recreation Area and providing information that helps visitors plan for a successful and enjoyable trip.
- Identifying safe alternatives or new visitor use opportunities within the park.
- Creating private and meaningful spaces and times for Tribes and traditionally associated groups to engage in traditional practices within the park.
Learn more about potential management strategies the Park is considering in this story map.
Share Your Feedback
Our community consistently answers the call to speak up for sustainable and equitable outdoor access to Washington's special outdoor places. Our Conservation team plans to submit a comment letter on behalf of our more than 17,000 members, but the Park is eager to hear about your individual experiences and frontcountry recreational needs in the North Cascades. The more feedback they receive, the better they can reflect the needs and ideas of our community in the final frontcountry management plan for the Ross Lake National Recreation Area.
Submit written public comment
Submitting a valuable public comment to support this process is as simple as sharing your experiences. You don’t need to be a policy expert knowledgeable of the latest visitor use trends. Land managers want to hear what you value most and what strategies and tools you think will help them ensure visitors have meaningful visits and park resources are protected. They’re particularly interested in your answers to following five guiding questions:
- What experiences in Ross Lake National Recreation Area and along State Route 20 do you find most important?
- What are Park staff doing well and what would you like to see continued?
- What issues most interfere with your ability to access and get the most out of your experiences in the park? What can park staff do to better address these barriers?
- After familiarizing yourself with the potential strategies (found in the story map), what would improve your visit?
- What other ideas do you want Park staff to consider?
Visit the Park Service’s planning website to learn more and submit comments through August 11.
Attend an in-person public meeting
In addition to submitting written public comment via the online planning portal, all interested in learning more are invited to attend two public meetings:
- Tuesday, July 15 from 5-7pm in Goodman A and B at The Mountaineers Seattle Program Center at Magnuson Park (7700 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115)
- Wednesday, July 16 from 5-7pm in the meeting room of the Burlington Public Library (820 E. Washington Ave, Burlington, WA 98233)
Following a brief presentation by Park Service staff, these meetings will provide opportunities for attendees to ask questions of land managers and submit their comments during an open house-style public meeting. All are welcome to drop in and stay for as long as they’re able. There’s no need to register in advance if you’re seeking to attend or participate in the comment station.
Want to do more? Help us spread the word about this comment opportunity by putting out the call to your Mountaineers community to share their thoughts. Together, we can improve access and protect the natural and cultural resources of one of our region’s scenic natural landscapes.
Learn more about best practices for public comment opportunities in The Mountaineers Advocacy 101 eLearning course.
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The story map link (https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/79dbd8ecf1fc42a2ba1e586838652469) is not working for me
Noting that if you are a climber and value having climbing included in the recreation plan you should make sure to ask for Space Wall and Canoehalem and associated bouldering areas to be included in the climbing management plan for the NRA. And emphasizing the importance of open communications between park management and climbing community for raptor closures and volunteer citizen scientists for raptor observation to help minimize closures and climber impact on raptors.
