I just got an approval to improve another dispersed shooting lane in the Santiam State Forest, just East of Salem Oregon. It's managed by the Oregon Dept of Forestry. This will be our 2nd shooting lane improvement with ODF and it's great to see it happening in a different forest (Tillamook State Forest, managed by ODF, was the first forest to do it).
This is a 2 lane project, in one location, at a decommissioned gravel pit. We get a 100 yard lane and a 50 yard lane. I'm currently in the process of applying for an NRA grant to cover the costs. Deadline in Dec 3rd, so it's balls out to get the application completed with all the cost estimates, letters of support, specs and details.
This is the kind of improvements I'm working on with WA DNR. Tahuya State Forest looks like the first one that will happen. With the new Corporate Recreation Manager, Leah Dobey, it just may happen sooner than later. Just takes some prodding to push it along. But I'm working on it, along with the help of a great supporter of target shooting in the Tahuya, and we're getting closer! She's really good to work with and not negative at all.
I proposed, to DNR, that we do some basic improvements that will enhance the shooting experience, attract users to this location (which eases the pressure on other dispersed locations), and provide a safer place where it's easy to comply with state rules. Cost for the initial improvements would be minimal and we can always come back to add more features in the future. I'm trying to keep it simple and low cost to encourage them to bite the bullet and get started with lane improvements, yet, keep dispersed shooting open as the rules say.
This is an example of what we're doing in the Santiam. Pretty simple, however, the 96 foot wide main backstop berm will be the biggest cost. At least we don't have any grading and lane gravel work to do because it's already a nice flat graveled surface to work with. The 2nd lane is a 50 yard berm in front of a hill and will be set up to be 12 feet wide and 8 feet high.
The NRA grant is our best option for this kind of a project, as it's not a federal grant and we don't have to be concerned with the feds' requirements for environmental studies and such.
Butte Creek J Barrier_Berms East facing.jpg
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