*VERIFIED* "Pathfinder's" Shooting Pit CLOSED

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Well, folks, I just got off the phone with Melanie at the North Bend office of the Nat'l Forest Service, who verified that the former shooting pit off FS Road 5510 is no longer a legal shooting area. Target shooting in the area is now verboten. There was a time, she says, when that area fell outside the area that shooting was banned in, but now it's banned in the entire area to include road 5510. She said the the shooting pit is being converted into a trail head, basically a parking lot for people to park their cars and go down the nearby bike trail. I told her that the public is not aware of this and that there are still people out there shooting every weekend as well as rangers apparently out there telling people it's okay to shoot there, and she said that's because it's going to take them a while to get it all completely cleared out and rebuilt and get signs put up. I went over it three times to make damn sure she knew what I was talking about and that we were both talking about the same shooting pit, and she assured me that she used to work out in the field and knows exactly the shooting pit I'm talking about.

I then asked to be transferred to her boss and left a message with him, apparently he's the guy who's responsible for disseminating the information to the public. I'm waiting for a call back from him but it's probably a waste o' time 'cause he's gonna tell me the same thing.

If you all wanna verify this, the girl I spoke to is named Melanie and she can be reached at her office at (425) 888-1421. I assume that's her boss's # too, since she transferred me directly from her desk to his.

I guess it's time to look for another shooting pit.

[DropZedFred]

I REALLY do not think that any person there that answers a phone knows that information.
Until it is marked, I'm still there.

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I REALLY do not think that any person there that answers a phone knows that information.
Until it is marked, I'm still there.

I told her that same thing .... she got a little irritated with me ....

You're right .... until they clearly mark it with NO SHOOTING signs .... and I mean signs, not spraypaint on a rock .... I'm still there too. Like maybe this weekend. Anyone wanna meet up out there and do some shootin' this Saturday? We'll call it a "pit closure protest shoot".

[dukman]

I have never been there, but it sucks to hear about a public pit closing. It is good to have friends with enough property and neighbors that don't mind the noise.

[marktaff]

I fired off an email to Dave Workman about this. He is the Senior Editor for 'Gun Week', a publication of the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) here in Bellevue. He should be able to get to the bottom of this.

If memory serves, we had assurances the last time they closed ranges that they wouldn't close any more, which they now seem to be doing.

Edited to remove suggestion that may violate no-politics rule.

[marktaff]

Dave has confirmed my recollection about them agreeing not to close any more shooting areas, and he is looking into the matter.

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Dave has confirmed my recollection about them agreeing not to close any more shooting areas, and he is looking into the matter.

Good deal. I'm 100% behind anything we can do about this. I got your message and gave him a call — he's gone home for the day but I'll ring him up in the morning. Receptionist said he should be in by about 8am.

[Apocollapse]

Okay, just got off the phone with Mr. Workman. He's gonna do some stuff on his end, meanwhile I'm gonna search up some of the discussion threads I've seen on places like Seattleguns.net that have talked about this shooting pit (some call it the Hansen Creek shooting area, some call it the Pathfinder's Pit, .... ??) closing, and e-mail links to those threads to Dave, and we're gonna see what we can do.

In the meantime, I am going out there this weekend and blasting a few rounds off, shooting ban or no shooting ban. Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke.

[DropZedFred]

In the meantime, I am going out there this weekend and blasting a few rounds off, shooting ban or no shooting ban. Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke.

While I completely understand what you mean, others may not, so in the future you might not want to phrase things like that in a public forum (Intent, Premeditation, etc.).
I would say something like "Going up there this weekend to "put eyes on" the situation - who's coming?" - but that's just me...
Going to check the schedule and see what's up - MEANTREE? "Steel test"?

[Apocollapse]

While I completely understand what you mean, others may not, so in the future you might not want to phrase things like that in a public forum (Intent, Premeditation, etc.).

Yeah, I'm not a real talent at the whole forum thing, never have been. I'm always saying shit I probably should've phrased another way .... but I'm slowly learning.

SO .... I'm going up there Saturday I'm thinkin'. I've never been to that particular pit, so I'll be "putting eyes on the situation" for the first time, to see what's up. I expect to see a few others out there doin' their thang, 'cause like I said most people don't know about the (attempted) closure.

[MEANTREE]

I'm thinking we should rent a huge set of stage speakers and play "For Whom The Bell Tolls" loud enough to be heard at Snoqualmie Ski Resort and ring some damn steel!!!! All day!!!!!!!

Or we could scout out the new trailhead rumored to be going in in the FR 5510 area yo see if we can commune with mother earth while we burn some incense.

Your choice.

MEANTREE

[DropZedFred]

Sunday is my only day...

[Apocollapse]

I can do Sunday too. If you guys are gonna be out there, it would be cool to meet some hardcore ZSer's, me being a total noob and whatnot ....

And I been sitting here further researching this supposed shooting ban at the Pathfinder's Pit .... it's looking more and more like there is no ban except the one inside the safety corridor, and the pit falls outside the safety corridor, and that "Melanie" chick has no idea what the Hell she's talking about. Wait 'til next time I get her on the phone ....

And of course her boss never did return my call. Looks like I gots me some more calls to make tomorrie, 'cause I'm getting him on the phone and getting this straightened out one way or the other.

Edit 1: Weather's supposed to be better on Sunday to boot.

Edit 2: Just got an email from Dave Workman, he's done some digging and found out that yes, they are planning to put in new signs closing the pit. He says he's working on the situation, so I'll leave it to him. I'll stay out of it unless he asks me for help in some way. He has my number if he needs my assistance but he probably doesn't. His political connections and "people skills" are probably a lot better than mine. Meanwhile, the signs aren't up yet, so this weekend it's on like Donkey Kong .... errrr ... ummm .... I'm "putting eyes on the situation" ....

[DropZedFred]

If you have contact info, I'd be happy to pass that on for a letter righting campaign and to pass on to the NRA for distribution - it is PUBLIC land...

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If you have contact info, I'd be happy to pass that on for a letter righting campaign and to pass on to the NRA for distribution - it is PUBLIC land...

Just this from their website:

Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
c/o US Forest Service
2930 Wetmore Ave., Suite 3A
Everett, WA, 98201

425-783-6000
800-627-0062

From what I understand the chief ranger's name is Jim Franzel but that doesn't necessarily mean the decision was his. Figuring out who's attention to mark the letters to might require further research/phone calls.

[Apocollapse]

Just got back from the Pathfinder's Pit .... put eyes on the situation .... and here's what I saw: about 20 people out there shooting, with new ones arriving as other ones finished up and left. People shooting AR's, shotguns, AK's, a Dragunov, a Sig 223, a couple hunting rifles, a few different pistols, etc. There were tables set up, people had lawn chairs, etc. There were even a few people out there shooting skeet with a clay thrower. No signs or anything at all to indicate that the pit is closed or is going to be closed, although as you already know a plan to close the pit in the very near future has been uncovered and the Second Amendment Foundation is working to stop that closure.

I picked up all my brass and then some, making sure that I left with more brass than I arrived with, and I picked up about 50 shotgun shells to boot, but I was the ONLY one I saw picking up brass. Everyone else was just leaving their brass there. The pit is definitely in need of a massive clean-up, if that's something anyone is interested in doing at a later time, after this attempted closure is resolved.

[DropZedFred]

Which is strange because the pit JUST had a MASSIVE clean up... Hmm.

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Which is strange because the pit JUST had a MASSIVE clean up... Hmm.

If the number of people out there shooting today was any indication of how busy that pit is on a given weekend, then it would need a massive cleanup just about every week or two. There were a lot of people out there dropping brass, and just one that I know of picking it back up. Just imagine 20 people with semiautomatic weapons shooting all day long, and you get the idea. I'm going out again first weekend in November .... assuming the weather permits. The pit is at a much higher elevation than I expected it to be.

[Apocollapse]

I talked to the Chief ranger guy out at Snoqualmie-Mount Baker today. He indicated that the plan as it currently stands is to close the Hansen Creek shooting pit (AKA Pathfinders' Pit) next month and start converting it into a trail head. We'll see what the Second Amendment Foundation is able to do about that, but in the meantime there's another pit the ranger told me about — Get on highway 410 and go about a mile or two (?) past Greenwater and then turn left on FS Road 70, and it's on that road. I haven't been out there and can't see anything on Google Earth that's an obvious pit, but I'm gonna check it out not this weekend but next. You guys already know about this one or is it news to you too?

[Falman]

latlong 47.120432, -121.529818

The "Greenwater Pit" is well known and busy on weekends usually. Not as busy as the "pathfinders pit" but busy. there is an upper pit also that is good for pistol or skeet but really has no backstop to speak of. If you continue a distance up you can find a lot of areas that are ok to shoot in without a lot of sweepers around.

[DropZedFred]

NRA-ILA notified, they seemed interested and were already working an issue with that area.
We'll see...

[whisk.e.rebellion]

Please refrain from using these forums for political activism. Thanks.

[DropZedFred]

OK

[doberman]

Where is this pit located cause if its past north bend or snoqualmie I don't understand why you would go to the one off 202.... Unless its the same one?