Entiat Ranger District Looks for Community Input for Sustainable Recreation Strategy

The Entiat Ranger District has two upcoming open houses planned for early October to gauge community feedback on the development of the Entiat Sustainable Recreation Strategy project.

"As folks know, that area has been fairly heavily hit with wildfires over the past decade. And so, looking forward we want to get some information from people who enjoy recreating in the Entiat Valley to find out what interests them and what things they treasure. We need to be considering a kind of moving forward strategic plan to have sustainable opportunities there," said Deborah Kelly, Plan Revision Public Affairs Lead.

The series of wildfires that have plagued the Entiat Ranger District area over the years has damaged some of the recreation facilities in the area, so the Forest Service and Western Washington University are formulating a strategy for management of recreation in a sustainable way for the future. Public input is crucial to the Forest Service to meet the needs of the people that recreate in the area.

"To begin that process, we want to really get the input from the community," said Kelly.

The first opportunity for the public to weigh in will be on October 5 from 3-5 at the Entiat Fire Station, where both Forest Service Staff and the Western Washington University research team will mingle with the public and also have interactive stations to gain feedback. If folks can't make the 5th meeting, a second meeting will be on October 7 from 5:30-7:30 in the Chelan County Fire District Office.