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BY SARA SCHILLING

Tri-City Herald

The newest Badger Mountain trail is open after months of work and thousands of hours of volunteer labor. A ceremony is planned at noon Jan. 16 to dedicate the yet-to-be-named trail, which traverses Badger’s southern slope. “The people did this. That’s been true about each of our trails — it’s the people’s mountain and the people’s trail,” said Sharon Grant, a founder of the nonprofit Friends of Badger Mountain, which coordinates construction and maintenance of trails in the Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve. A hiking tour of the trail will follow the dedication ceremony. Work started on the new trail last March, stopping for the summer in May when the ground became too dry. It picked up again last fall. The work involved excavating more than1,000 yards of dirt by hand and moving and laying 290-plus tons of gravel. More than 400 volunteers helped with the trail project, some participating in one-time work parties and others regularly lending a hand. Of those 400 volunteers, five put in about 100 hours or more each, including one volunteer who logged about 250 hours, said Jim Langdon, trailmaster. The new trail is the fourth in the Badger preserve, and it offers a different experience. It’s been described as “rolling” and “gentle” compared with the steeper routes offered by the preserve’s other trails. It runs above an orchard “pretty much the whole length of the trail,” Langdon said. “You’re down low enough that you’re not hearing a lot of highway noise. It has a remote feeling to it.” While the trail doesn’t gain much elevation, its length has surprised some users. It’s 2.5 miles, with an access junction on the west end about a half-mile up the Skyline Trail and on the east end about three-quarters-of-a mile from Trailhead Park off Sagebrush Trail. That means the round-trip is at least six miles, depending on the junction used. So hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders using the new trail should take that into account and “plan your trip” accordingly, Langdon said. The price tag for the new trail came in at about $12,000, with a grant from REI covering the bulk. The Benton County Park Board is taking suggestions for a name for the trail, with a selection potentially to be made next month. The new trail quietly opened in December. Adam Fyall, the county’s sustainable development coordinator, said it’s “a big addition for us at the preserve.” “It’s a good thing for the community,” he said. “It’s another milestone for the county and, I think, a real milestone for Friends of Badger.” The county owns and operates the 650-acre Badger Mountain preserve. It’s the most popular county park and one of the most popular recreation spots in the region, with about 200,000 visits recorded in 2013. The 2014 visit tally hasn’t yet been released, but is expected to be soon. Meanwhile, county officials continue to work on a management and master plan for the preserve. Fyall said he’s hopeful it will be done this year. The county also applied for about $700,000 from the state Recreation and Conservation Office to purchase 200 acres on the nearby Candy Mountain to create a similar preserve. The application received a high ranking, and officials are to learn by this spring whether the money will come through. Friends of Badger Mountain is raising $800,000 to match the grant and pay for trail construction, with the needle currently sitting at $645,000 raised. David Comstock, vice president of the Friends group, said he’s been amazed at the community support. “We started this back in January (2014), and a year later we’re almost to the point where we’ve raised” enough to match the state grant, he said, adding that he encourages people who frequent Badger to consider helping out. “This is for the community’s benefit,” he said. “If you’re enjoying the experience you have on Badger Mountain, then help us create a new park on Candy.” For more about the group and to donate to the Candy Mountain campaign, go towww.friendsofbadger.org.

Sara Schilling: 509-582-1529; [email protected]; Twitter: @SaraTCHerald

Sara Schilling They look like off-road versions of a stretcher, with large, durable wheels. And they'll make a big difference for the firefighters responding to medical calls on Badger Mountain and the injured trail-users they're sent to help. "In the past, we'd have to get six or seven people up there and try to carry the person down, which is very labor intensive," said Adam Hardgrove, a firefighter with the Richland Fire Department. But the new rescue litters, or stretchers, can be managed by one or two people and will lessen the time it takes to get patients off the mountain. They'll also allow crews to provide medical care on the way down. "We can put our oxygen equipment in there, we can put our cardiac monitor in there ... we can start everything," Hardgrove said. He and several other fire officials and Benton County leaders gathered Wednesday to debut the two new litters. One will stay at the trailhead park off Queensgate Drive in Richland and the other will be stationed at the mountain's summit. They'll be locked up for use by emergency officials. Benton fire districts 1 and 2 provided the baskets, and the county bought the wheels and chassis, which totaled $1,600. The litters are part of a larger effort to improve safety and preparedness at Badger, which saw about 187,000 hikers in 2012. Color-coded markers soon will be placed along the trails to help injured trail-users relay their positions to first responders. The county and Friends of Badger Mountain are collaborating to make them. Hardgrove and Richland Fire Capt. Ron Duncan, who brought the idea of the litters and color-coded markers to the county, also have identified several landing zones for helicopters. Duncan said first responders see everything on Badger from sprains and bee stings to heart attacks. "We have a big variety of people that are climbing the mountain, anywhere from 3 or 4 years old up to 80, 90 years old," he said. "From our point, we want to be proactive." Other steps also are being taken to make the popular site safer. Benton Fire District 1 is working on signs for the trailheads that provide information on what to do if a fire breaks out on the mountain -- something that happened a couple of weeks ago, sparked by lightning. And fire and county officials are discussing more ways to warn of and prepare for Badger fires. "We're hoping to (use this approach) as a model for the whole county" as more hillsides are developed with trails, Duncan said. Benton County Commissioner Jim Beaver, who checked out the litters at Wednesday's gathering, said "the politician's job is to listen to the people who know best and try to bring something to the table to say, 'OK, what can we do to help?' " "From (commissioners') standpoint, thank you everybody who was involved in recognizing the problem and identifying the solution," he said. w Sara Schilling: 582-1529; sschilling @tricityherald.com; Twitter: @saraTCHerald

KNDU NBC Right Now/KNDO/KNDU Tri-Cities, Yakima, WA |

By Sara Schilling, Tri-City Herald Work has started on a new 2.5-mile trail on the south side of Badger Mountain. The new trail will start and end from the existing Skyline Trail, traversing the lower part of Badger's southern slope, above a nearby orchard. It's been planned for years and is moving forward after the company that owns the orchard -- Premiere Columbia Properties -- agreed to allow the trail to pass through a section of its land at no cost. "We're thrilled at the way it worked out," said David Comstock, vice president of the nonprofit Friends of Badger Mountain. It should take about two weeks to build a rough version of the new trail, with help from a small excavation machine, said Jim Langdon, trailmaster for Friends of Badger. The trail will open up once that phase is completed, with further work -- from smoothing the trail bed to adding gravel -- done in the following weeks, he said. The hope is to have the new trail finished by the end of April, Langdon said. He and other volunteers are doing the work, and more help is needed. The trail construction is being paid for with a portion of a $10,000 grant from REI. The trail will be the fourth major trail in the Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve, which was established in 2005 and now totals about 650 acres. Benton County owns and operates the preserve, while Friends of Badger has coordinated construction and maintenance of the trails. The Badger preserve is the most popular park in the county's inventory and one of the most popular recreation spots in the region. Last year, about 200,000 visits were recorded. Officials said the new trail will further enhance the offerings at the preserve. "I think that folks, when they get on this trail ... it's a whole different experience than they have elsewhere on the mountain," with different views and even some different plants and wildlife, said Adam Fyall, the county's sustainable development coordinator. People will be able to use it on its own for a gentler, less steep hike or bicycle/horseback ride, and also use it as part of longer routes in combination with other existing trails, officials said. The county is in the midst of developing a management and master plan to guide use and shape future improvements at the preserve. A Spokane-based community planning and design firm is helping with the process, and the county held a pair of public workshops last year to gather input. Fyall said he expects a draft of the plan to be rolled out in April, with plenty of time for public comment before it's finalized. More information about the plan process is at tinyurl.com/BadgerPlan. To help with the construction of the new trail, email Langdon at [email protected] or call 943-3992. To suggest a name for the new Badger Mountain trail, email [email protected].

By ANNA KING The close proximity of a group of mountains known as The Rattles to the the Tri-Cities in southeast Washington, means urban dwellers can hike a 1,500 foot peak and enjoy dramatic views on their lunch break -- or even after supper. But it also means these ridgelines are prime turf for expensive view-homes. Now, a band of avid hikers are trying to protect as much of the area from development as they can. They want to raise money to buy land for a network of public trails. “This is some of the best sagebrush stands that we have on the ridges because you know there haven’t been so much activity here so it’s not disturbed,” explains Sharon Grant. It’s a lovely, but tough hike. Just a rough, steep road cutting up the roll of the mountain. It isn’t the most dramatic peak here, or the tallest, but as we trudge up the slope Grant says that it’s a very important link for the 20-mile network of trails she envisions. That network would connect the peaks of Red, Candy, Badger and Little Badger mountains. “We really only have this time to create another preserve and to save the access so we can create the trail,” explains Grant. It will cost a lot of money -- $1.5 million -- but Grant’s done it before. She and her group raised nearly $700,000 to buy the neighboring mountaintop, Badger. “When we saw that Badger was for sale we jumped in with all of our energy and we were able to raise the money and secure the land,” Grants says. That land is now home to three public trails and sees about 200,000 users a year. “I’ll never forget how incredibly exciting that was for us. I felt like if I never do anything else in my life, I’ve done this. But now, of course, there is a lot more to do,” Grant says with a laugh. Of course $1.5 million is a bit more than $700,000. But if the peaks are preserved, Grant sees tourists and trails connecting to Red Mountain wineries and marathon running events. “I’ve done these hike wine and dine events," she says. "Oh they’re so popular. It doesn’t matter the weather, we’ve done it in the middle of winter and the hottest days of summer and I always get the maximum signups.” With Badger Mountain off in the distance, Grant says people often misunderstand the desert. She could be right. A recent Newsweek article, penned by a New York-based author called -- Rattlesnake Mountain a “low, ugly hump.” “You know one of the things I’ve always said is that you can drive by this land and it all looks brown and grey," says Grant. "And as you say, what’s special about that? But I have always said get on the land, because when you get on it, you see all the little special parts. You see wildflowers will start here in February and we’ll see them until September.” On today’s hike, it's just too windy and cold to reach the peak, but in our short burst up the mountain, we take in old-growth sagebrush, a hawk-drafting overhead, and southeast Washington’s wide-open vistas. READ MORE

BY SARA SCHILLING A public preserve could be created on Candy Mountain south of West Richland, similar to the popular Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve that draws thousands of people each year. Benton County will seek $750,000 from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. And the Friends of Badger Mountain committed to raise the match. The money would buy about 200 acres of Candy Mountain and pay for building trails and maintenance. Creating a public preserve there is part of a larger vision for a public ridgetop trail system running from Amon Basin about 20 miles northwest to the Yakima River. The system would connect Little Badger Mountain, Badger Mountain, Candy Mountain and Red Mountain. Benton County commissioners on Tuesday voted 2-0 to go after the state grant. Commissioner Shon Small was absent. "We've got to create (places) for people to have recreation and play," said Commissioner Jim Beaver, board chairman. "We've got to build a better (community) for everybody, that's part of our role here." The Badger Mountain preserve was established in 2005 after a grassroots fundraising effort led by Friends of Badger. The preserve is more than 640 acres. It's the most popular county park and is one of the best-used recreation spots in the region. In 2012, about 187,800 visits were recorded; last year's total isn't finalized but is expected to total about 200,000 visits. As with the Badger Mountain preserve, Benton County would own the Candy Mountain land and Friends of Badger would take the lead on building trails and stewardship. "With very few exceptions, almost all of the work on trails and other things within the (Badger Mountain) preserve have been done by volunteers organized by Friends," said a county staff report. Benton County contributed $100,000 toward a bathroom at the trailhead park in Richland, but has otherwise spent less than $50,000 and fewer than 200 hours of staff time in the park in nine years, said the report. David Comstock, vice president of Friends of Badger Mountain, made the Candy Mountain pitch to county commissioners Tuesday. "It's important that we preserve these key features of our community before they're developed," he told the Herald after the session in Prosser. "Now is the time to do it, before these opportunities are gone." He also said the Candy Mountain preserve and the public ridgetop trail system would bring economic benefits to the community, from raising property values in areas near the trails and open space to attracting sports and recreation events that draw visitors. Friends of Badger already has about 25 percent of the $750,000 it would need to match the state recreation grant. In recent months, Comstock and some other local advocates have been working on a separate conservation financing proposal for the fall election. The group is expected to come to commissioners this spring to request their proposal be placed on the fall ballot. The concept that has been discussed is a property tax increase -- costing $11 a year for the average household -- to pay for projects from buying land for parks to preserving farmland and wildlife habitat. A survey conducted last fall in Benton County found majority support for such a proposal. The county would administer the money. A Candy Mountain preserve is the kind of project that could be eligible for money from the pot if a measure ultimately is approved by voters. Comstock said the Badger Mountain preserve is a local treasure that people from throughout the community enjoy. "If we're able to create another preserve like that, I think it's a gift to the whole community," he said. Friends of Badger Mountain: www.friendsofbadger.org.

Sara Schilling They look like off-road versions of a stretcher, with large, durable wheels. And they'll make a big difference for the firefighters responding to medical calls on Badger Mountain and the injured trail-users they're sent to help. "In the past, we'd have to get six or seven people up there and try to carry the person down, which is very labor intensive," said Adam Hardgrove, a firefighter with the Richland Fire Department. But the new rescue litters, or stretchers, can be managed by one or two people and will lessen the time it takes to get patients off the mountain. They'll also allow crews to provide medical care on the way down. "We can put our oxygen equipment in there, we can put our cardiac monitor in there ... we can start everything," Hardgrove said. He and several other fire officials and Benton County leaders gathered Wednesday to debut the two new litters. One will stay at the trailhead park off Queensgate Drive in Richland and the other will be stationed at the mountain's summit. They'll be locked up for use by emergency officials. Benton fire districts 1 and 2 provided the baskets, and the county bought the wheels and chassis, which totaled $1,600. The litters are part of a larger effort to improve safety and preparedness at Badger, which saw about 187,000 hikers in 2012. Color-coded markers soon will be placed along the trails to help injured trail-users relay their positions to first responders. The county and Friends of Badger Mountain are collaborating to make them. Hardgrove and Richland Fire Capt. Ron Duncan, who brought the idea of the litters and color-coded markers to the county, also have identified several landing zones for helicopters. Duncan said first responders see everything on Badger from sprains and bee stings to heart attacks. "We have a big variety of people that are climbing the mountain, anywhere from 3 or 4 years old up to 80, 90 years old," he said. "From our point, we want to be proactive." Other steps also are being taken to make the popular site safer. Benton Fire District 1 is working on signs for the trailheads that provide information on what to do if a fire breaks out on the mountain -- something that happened a couple of weeks ago, sparked by lightning. And fire and county officials are discussing more ways to warn of and prepare for Badger fires. "We're hoping to (use this approach) as a model for the whole county" as more hillsides are developed with trails, Duncan said. Benton County Commissioner Jim Beaver, who checked out the litters at Wednesday's gathering, said "the politician's job is to listen to the people who know best and try to bring something to the table to say, 'OK, what can we do to help?' " "From (commissioners') standpoint, thank you everybody who was involved in recognizing the problem and identifying the solution," he said. Sara Schilling: 582-1529; sschilling @tricityherald.com; Twitter: @saraTCHerald Read more here:

By Ty Beaver, Tri-City Herald Phil Pinard said he is pretty sure a new one-mile loop trail at Trailhead Park will be welcomed by Tri-Citians once it is finished this weekend. "Judging by the number of footprints, once we get signs up, it will get some use," said Pinard, Richland's interim parks and recreation director. Thirty to 50 members of the Tri-Cities' six Rotary clubs will make the finishing touches Saturday morning to the trail, which has been under construction since late last year at the base of Badger Mountain. City officials and park advocates said the trail will provide a good alternative for people wanting to spend time in the park who don't want to or aren't able to hike Badger Mountain. And building the trail has given others the opportunity to give something back to the area. "We just want to do service in the community," said Lorraine Cooper, with the Pasco-Kennewick Rotary. The trail will have a gravel surface and be completely level, remaining in the flat portion of the 40-acre park, Pinard said. The surrounding terrain includes sagebrush and grasses, and there are wildflowers in the spring. Sharon Grant, a co-founder and board member of Friends of Badger Mountain, said the park and Badger Mountain already receive a lot of visitors. More than 160,000 reportedly hiked in the area last year, and Grant said she expects that to grow this year. However, the steep mountain climb up almost 1,600 feet couldn't be enjoyed by all, and Grant started talking to Richland about developing an easier hiking path. "I would have people who would come up to me and say, 'I would love to hike Badger, but I can't do that anymore,' " she said. Pinard said the new trail incorporates part of an old road that existed in the park. Boy Scouts from the Blue Mountain Council, including four Eagle Scouts who used the work as part of their final projects, started working on the trail months ago by digging out the trail, removing protruding roots and preparing it for a layer of gravel. Rotarians will finish up the path by clearing any remaining debris and spreading gravel under supervision from members of Friends of Badger Mountain. Cooper said the project made sense to Rotarians. She said the clubs often are thought of for their financial contributions to their communities but they are committed to service, and that includes physical work. "This is just what Rotary does," she said. Grant added that while Rotarians are helping to finish off the project, it has been a team effort from the start. -- Ty Beaver: 582-1402; [email protected]   Read more here: