Monthly Archives: June 2013

Lower Couplet closure in July

Update July 24, 2013 – this work has been delayed

The lower portion of the couplet road (SE Middle Fork Road) will be closed from July 8 to August 2, 2013. King County is removing a deteriorating culvert and replacing it with a new fish passable one, including streambed gravel. This culvert scores high on the drainage priority list. Scouring is present at the culvert headwall, and the bottom is heavily corroded. The upper portion of the couplet, SE Lake Dorothy Road, will remain open for through traffic as a detour route.

Detour route

Detour route


Notice at couplet intersection

Notice at couplet intersection

Notice at work site

Notice at work site

Weed Watcher Training

A room full of new and experienced weed watchers gathered at the North Bend ranger station on Sunday, June 23 for the annual King County noxious weed training program. The goal of this program is to train hikers to spot and report infestations of invasive species on public lands. Catching these areas early is key to preventing their spread, but there are far too many trails for the staff to monitor themselves. This year the Mountaineers joined forces, focusing on invasive species in Washington’s wilderness areas. For new comers, this training can be an overwhelming introduction because one weed looks pretty much the same as the next. However, by the end of the day everyone could probably distinguish a knotweed from a hawkweed. More information is available at the King County and Mountaineers weed watching sites.

Sasha Shaw, King County Noxious Weeds

Sasha Shaw, King County Noxious Weeds

Sasha Shaw, King County Noxious Weeds

The dreaded butteryfly bush


Sarah Callaghan, Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Sarah Callaghan points out an unusually large butterfly bush

Sasha Shaw, King County Noxious Weeds

What’s this weed?

Senate passes Alpine Lakes expansion

On June 19, 2013 the US Senate approved the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions and Pratt and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rivers Protection Act, bringing it a step closer to becoming the law, but still requiring passage in the House. Before celebrating, it’s sobering to remember that we’ve been here before — in 2010 the 111th Congress passed the bill in the House, but not Senate. Then last year the bill did not come up for a vote in either branch of the 112th Congress. Originally introduced in 2007, there’s a chance that 2013 will finally see passage, bringing wilderness status to the lowland forests of the Pratt valley and increased protection for most of the Middle Fork river.

Alpine Lakes Wilderness additions passed by Senate

Alpine Lakes Wilderness additions passed by Senate


Pratt Valley

Spider Lake and the Pratt River valley

National Trails Day on Mailbox Peak

20120601NationalTrailsDay

A MTSG group gathers for work on the new Mailbox trail

This year National Trails Day, June 1, 2013, fell on a beautiful sunny Saturday. Volunteers gathered at many sites to contribute time to celebrate the day, but here we’d like to thank the group that gathered to continue work on the new Mailbox trail.