Clark County Shooting sites cleanups

[Cogs]

@Mecanik posted this question in the 3 Bags of Trash thread...

Is there any activity in Clark county with clean up activities. I know of some spots that need help......

Cogs responded with...

The only activity is those we make on our own. I did one last weekend in the Yacolt Burn. So much trash up there I barely made a little dent but hoping some others will go up and put another dent or two in it. Best if we can get 3-5 people together to go do it and share the cost of disposal.

If you go out and clean up an area, let me know where it was and post pics! I'll send an email to the forest agency to let them know of your efforts. They really appreciate hearing that shooters are being responsible!

Bill

Mecanik replied...

The spot I go is unfortunately a motorcycle riding area and a "party on weekends" spot. The problems are all three groups using it are trashing it. The worst is the party people. They burn furniture and pallets and have huge bonfires right where a shooter would park a vehicle. The amount of nails is in the millions now. Impossible to clean up all of it. So now we park a ways away and walk over to out shooting position. The shooters leave hundreds of shotgun shells and boxes. I've raked up the shotgun shells a few times but it's like picking up garbage on a beach. It just floats in again later. This year was the worst for burning furniture. It seems everyone thinks after they burn their couch or tires it's all gone. Well it's not. There's springs and thousands of nails and a framework left over. Someone has been an angel and hauled off major items and helped clean it up a few times and I would like to thank whoever that is that's helping me. I've used a magnet on a stick to pick up nails once but after seeing what happened about a month ago it would take many hours or days to clean up that spot now. I'm afraid if we can't keep up with it the state will shut that spot down.

So, I started a new thread so we don't clutter up the 3 bags thread.

When can we join you for a clean up, Mecanik? Is this on State Forest land?

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[Mecanik]

I believe it is state and not federal. I can probably give you GPS coordinates.

 

[Cogs]

Could do it in PM, if you don't want your secret spot revealed. Anyone who can come will get a PM with the GPS. Or, you can post it here if you want.

 

[WrenchNguns]

If I am free that day, I am up for doing some good.

 

[Cogs]

I have a couple Trash No Land members, from Washougal, who said they may be able to come.

 

[Gunbuggy]

I'll help out if it's a weekend. Give me a PM I don't use yacolt burn anymore as a friend intro'd me to a super remote and rarely used spot but I'm willing to come help as I live in the area and I've used yacolt burn throughout my childhood and early 20s

 

[scrandall01215]

I can help if someone lets me know we're and when. I grew up in the area shooting. My kids and I have cleaned many of areas in the Yacolt and Washougal Burn two different ! Which the later had 3 I believe.
Stacy

 

[Gunbuggy]

I have a '19 4runner so I would most likely need to be the one hauling the bagged trash, won't be able to haul off a shot up fridge or washer. Unless of course we're not going up way higher than the Jones creek cluster or the Jackson pit area, in which my little 2 wheel drive 95 Mazda pickup can make it up to grab the larger portions of the trash. She's pretty low (totally stock, 2wd) so it's not going to be much help further up where the road gets more "treacherous".

 

[Cogs]

Anyone want to do this next Sat, Sept 5th? @Mecanik , what do you think? I know it's the Labor Day weekend, but I'm not doing anything. Even if we get 4-5 people we'd do just fine. I can take at least 3-4 bags of trash with me. If the location is NOT on State Land, then we can shoot after!

Let us know what date works for you, Mecanik, and some of us will do it!

 

[Mecanik]

Message deleted by author

 

[Cogs]

This is the range I shoot at. I haven't been there for about 3 months so I don't know if anyone has cleaned anything up. I need to scout it out to see if there's anything left. I know there thousands of nails there so you can't drive down in the bottom of it anymore but I don't know if the bed springs and burned tire wires are still there. I'm sure there are plenty of shotgun shells laying all over. The picture shows it so nice and clean but that satellite picture was a couple of years ago I think. The GPS location is on the picture. Lots of people shoot there so there's no guarantee someone won't be there using it this weekend. Most likely several people will be. I plan to take a trash can and a rake and scoop up nails and shotgun shells.

View attachment 742778

So, you are okay with next Sat, Sept 5th? Meet at 8 or 9 AM?

I see it is WA DNR land, so, we won't be able to shoot after cleanup. That also means no one will be there shooting either. If they are, we'll break the bad news about it being closed because of fire potential that DNR put in place Aug 15th. But that's okay. It will be good to spiff it up as much as we can so it's ready for when the reopen shooting.

I can't find what a 'Forest' name is, but it might not have a specific forest name, just State land. Might find out later.

Google Maps link: 45°59'59.0"N 122°37'11.6"W
GPS: 45°59'59.0"N 122°37'11.6"W

 

[Mecanik]

I have to see if my wife has planned anything. But most likely it's OK I will take a drive up there this week and see what it looks like. It's might be cleaned up by now. I can take some real time pictures and post them this week so we know what to expect.

 

[Mecanik]

I went up there today and scouted it out after not being there for a few months. Some forest angels have been cleaning it up since I was there last time. They hauled out the burned out vehicle and took the couch framework that was in the burn pile and did considerable trash hauling. I took some pictures of what's left and there still much to do but not like it was. The nails are still there so driving around down near the burn pile is extremely risky. There's a few targets left and some other trash. You can see in the pictures I'm going to upload. I don't consider this an emergency cleanup job so if you're just wanting to get out that's fine too. I'm willing to go up there Saturday if anyone else wants to go. I raked up some nails with a leaf rake and it seems to work the best. Magnets will work too but the hundreds of thousands of nails makes that impractical. Raking them into a pile and shoveling them into a spot off to the side seems the most efficient way of dealing with it. If you have any idea's let me know.

 

[Mecanik]

Here's a few pics. Some of the photos gives you an idea of how many nails there are but overall it's a huge improvement of what it was just a few months ago.

 

[Mecanik]

Here's a spot just about 2 miles from that one that seems to have been attacked by car thieves who left a couple of vehicles there. This is a spot some shooters use but it's only about 35 yards and most are just pistol shooters.

 

[Cogs]

I'm in. What time on Saturday? 9 would be good for me.

 

[Mecanik]

I can be there at 9 Saturday. I will bring a rake and a shovel and some 5 gal buckets. I have a couple of magnets on a stick but they're only efficient for shotgun shells. Kind of far away for you, I was thinking more North county people who might want to use the range occasionally would be more interested. I always take more home than I took out but this spring was extra ordinary with the burning of so much furniture from party people.

 

[Cogs]

Quite alright. Heck, I drive to Tillamook State Forest, Mt Hood, Capitol SF and other long distances. I may not return to shoot, but I get a good feel for what's there, some photos and usually discover sites that may have the potential for improvements, if the agency will ever listen!

9 AM is good with me. I have an empty seat if someone wants to ride with me. Id be leaving my house about 7-ish and driving up 205 to I-5 and up. Planning to return via Amboy to Battle Ground. (unless the Salmon are splashing in the pool in the back yard. Then I won't be coming at all!)

I'll bring my magnet, a couple pickers, trash bags and the pickup. I can actually haul several bags and weight them in at the Washougal landfill site. Shouldn't cost too much unless we end up with a lot of gravel in the bags.

 

[Mecanik]

I usually burn anything that will burn at home. (Wood, paper,cardboard boxes) Anything that recyclable gets thrown into my recycle dumpster. (small metal, glass,recyclable plastic) large metal objects I avoid hauling out. (I have my limits). My wife gets upset when I try and fill our garbage cans with stuff hauled home so it 99% stuff that will recycle or burn for me. (I have no plans to haul out gravel)

 

[scrandall01215]

I can be there at 9 Saturday. I will bring a rake and a shovel and some 5 gal buckets. I have a couple of magnets on a stick but they're only efficient for shotgun shells. Kind of far away for you, I was thinking more North county people who might want to use the range occasionally would be more interested. I always take more home than I took out but this spring was extra ordinary with the burning of so much furniture from party people.

I'm going to try and be there I don't believe my wife has anything planned, so I'm planning being there.
I haven't been up in that area for probably 30+ yrs. It looks pretty straight forward to get there!
Stacy