When you have a good safe place to target practice, you want it to last and stay neat, clean and in order. Whether it’s on your own property, your favorite gun range or on public land, you value a quality place to recreate. So, you put in a little time and materials for routine maintenance. Sometimes you just help with a donation so others can accomplish the critical goal. And sometimes you do both, volunteer and donate.
Such a maintenance day happened Saturday, April 3rd in the Tillamook State Forest, at 4 improved dispersed shooting lanes along North Fork Wolf Creek Road. Thirty volunteers gathered in the forest to accomplish several tasks in one day. Many of them also donated funds to assure success. Their mission was to clean up trash, repair a broken kiosk sign, cover up graffiti on the firing lines and replenish the gravel in each firing line table top.
This grass roots effort of cleanup and repairs, was funded and conducted 100% by volunteers who value recreational target shooting on public lands!
Mission accomplished! In fact, they went beyond their mission and gave more than expected!
The fire pits and burnt trash was no surprise. The excess graffiti on both sides of the firing lines was not a surprise, The extent of the sign repair was well known and they were prepared for that. But a large dump of old TV’s over the steep edge of the parking area at lane 4 was an irritating surprise! If you are a steward at heart, you know you can’t just leave it and pretend you didn’t see it. Neither could these volunteers. They teamed up and formed a quick plan.
A custom lifted 4 wheel drive van pulled into position and deployed a winch. Ropes were thrown over the edge and volunteers fought the thorny brush and rugged terrain to reach the appliances. Piece by piece went up the hill. A bit of sweat and a little blood later, it was all removed and loaded onto the trucks. Well done, Gents!
Another way volunteers went beyond the call was in donations to cover the costs of materials and disposal. The project was estimated at $772 and volunteers donated $1065! This enabled them to purchase, not only everything they needed, but it also covered the cost of an Anti-Graffiti coating for the jersey barrier firing lines! After the paint cover over the graffiti, the coating was applied to the firing lines. When tagging happens again, clean up will be much easier and less costly.
Some may think a days work like this doesn’t offer much of a reward. HA! These volunteers beg to differ!
Donate what you can to our General Operating Fund!