Crooked Finger / 615 Pit

[Cogs]

Good news on the 615 Pit shooting lanes improvement, that were supposed to be done in 2020...

Early spring we were awarded the grant, from the NRA Foundation for $10,000, to do the improvements. Then COVID hit and the Foundation office was vacant for the rest of the summer. They didn't get a chance to mail the check. Only a short staff were working from home. (This is the 'Foundation', not the regular NRA organization).

I finally received their check in early October, however their deadline to complete the project was set for Nov 1st! Not only that, forest access was restricted due to the recent fire, which burn the area around the pit and also burnt the forest office facility. So, I had to send the check back.

They just announced that applications are now open for the 2021 grant season and it sounded like I'd have to reapply and get approved all over again. So I called them and spoke with Ruth Ann, who decided she would roll our grant over into 2021 without having to reapply. Nice!

We are expecting the $10k check sometime in April and plan on getting it done shortly thereafter. We're short about $3 to $5,000 but ODF and Fish & Wildlife may fill that gap. We still might need to do a fundraiser to chip a thousand into it.

So we didn't loose out completely. We'll just pretend 2020 never existed!

Bill

 

[RMaciel96]

Good news on the 615 Pit shooting lanes improvement, that were supposed to be done in 2020...

Early spring we were awarded the grant, from the NRA Foundation for $10,000, to do the improvements. Then COVID hit and the Foundation office was vacant for the rest of the summer. They didn't get a chance to mail the check. Only a short staff were working from home. (This is the 'Foundation', not the regular NRA organization).

I finally received their check in early October, however their deadline to complete the project was set for Nov 1st! Not only that, forest access was restricted due to the recent fire, which burn the area around the pit and also burnt the forest office facility. So, I had to send the check back.

They just announced that applications are now open for the 2021 grant season and it sounded like I'd have to reapply and get approved all over again. So I called them and spoke with Ruth Ann, who decided she would roll our grant over into 2021 without having to reapply. Nice!

We are expecting the $10k check sometime in April and plan on getting it done shortly thereafter. We're short about $3 to $5,000 but ODF and Fish & Wildlife may fill that gap. We still might need to do a fundraiser to chip a thousand into it.

So we didn't loose out completely. We'll just pretend 2020 never existed!

Bill

If theres anything we can help let us know on how we can do that please thank you

 

[Cogs]

If theres anything we can help let us know on how we can do that please thank you

Yes there is...

Find other good places to shoot nearby this one. Or at least places that could be converted to good sites. ODF is willing to improve more sites in this area because it helps lessen the traffic and conflicts that are currently happening in the Crooked Finger area. But simply doing one improvement, (the 615 Pit), is not enough.

We should start mapping existing places where people already shoot and rate them as Good, Bad or Ugly. Then we could pick out the best spots for potential improvement, close the ugly ones, and deter away from the bad ones. (OnXmaps app would be great for this).

 

[Cogs]

We could get some good shooting places 'Improved' in the Santiam, but we need some people to head that up and make it happen (I can't keep up with everything in all the various forests I work in), so, I need others to get involved and work with the forest agency to make the Santiam Great Again. We have one project that will happen in Spring '21 at the 615 Pit (because of a grant from the NRA Foundation), and ODF wants to do more shooting lane improvements there, if we can get input and ideas from shooters. If we have enough interest and volunteers, we may be able to do more lanes right away, without waiting for the big grant organizations to approve us.

This is why I started a new forum at Trash No Land. It's where we can meet as a group to discuss and plan what we want in our own favorite forest. This forum is not a full blown gun forum, it's not open to the public, and it's only focused on Public Land Target Shooting. Every forest needs stewards and this forum is where they can meet to discuss what shooters want to see happen in their own forest.

So, if you'd like to help save, improve, and preserve target shooting on public lands, join this forum and chip in a thought or two. Don't leave or give up this NWFA forum, but add this new PLTS forum to your list of most liked forums. You'll find a separate forum for the Santiam SF West Side. Click on 'Committee Director' topic and sign-on as a member of this committee. If you'd like to be the Director of this committee, post up a note and I'll help you get it going. I work closely with the Directors of each forest and I help them all I can.

Here's the link (it's a private forum, owned and operated by Trash No Land): https://forum.trashnoland.org/ In other words, no big social media giant to restrict what you say or shut our forum down!

Bill

 

[HeavyfootHick]

Joined and subscribed to email notifications.

 

[Cogs]

Joined and subscribed to email notifications.

Yeah, I just got that notification. Thanks! It'll be a little quiet on there for now. As we get more folks on board, the convo's will pick up. Thanks again!

 

[starskyplays]

Does anyone know if the areas around crooked finger are open since the fires last year, heard they still have the whole area closed to the public but can't seem to confirm.

 

[Cogs]

Does anyone know if the areas around crooked finger are open since the fires last year, heard they still have the whole area closed to the public but can't seem to confirm.

I heard the same thing last week from the statewide recreation director. So, guess it's treu.

 

[Spaz]

I heard the same thing last week from the statewide recreation director. So, guess it's treu.

I'm headed that way today so I will check, but for the most part the areas around the Beaches Creek and Riverside fires are closed.

 

[starskyplays]

that would be awesome dude, thanks

I'm headed that way today so I will check, but for the most part the areas around the Beaches Creek and Riverside fires are closed.

 

[Bill S]

Bill S asked a new question about Crooked Finger.

 

[lagennagen]

Bill S asked a new question about Crooked Finger.

Went up there today, still closed sadly.

 

[Cogs]

Went up there today, still closed sadly.

My rec forester said he'd call me back with info on reopening, or at least when we can access the 615 pit, and I haven't heard back yet. I think I'll try to call him tomorrow if I can get a break. As soon as we can get back to that pit, we're moving forward with the improvements there. So, it should be this summer!

Bill

 

[Sean_H]

Anyone know if it's open now?

 

[HeavyfootHick]

How does our opportunity look like at Crooked Finger these days?

 

[Cogs]

Apparently, the OHV area of Crooked Finger is open now. Sounds like more opening soon.

 

[RMaciel96]

Apparently, the OHV area of Crooked Finger is open now. Sounds like more opening soon.

So are we able to go up there and shoot or no

 

[Cogs]

So are we able to go up there and shoot or no

I have no idea. I just hear that access to the OHV area was open.

 

[RMaciel96]

I have no idea. I just hear that access to the OHV area was open.

Sorry whats and OHV

 

[Cogs]

Sorry whats and OHV

Off Highway Vehicles. That Crooked Finger area was mostly improved for that kind of recreation, however, target shooters are using it a lot as well. There have been some conflicts between the usage there and ODF is trying to encourage shooters to recreate further up. As soon as more of the forest opens, we are going to do a shooting improvement to a decommissioned pit up off Butte Creek Rd (as mentioned in earlier posts in this thread).

So, shooting in the Crooked Finger area is a hit-n-miss type of situation.