Demonstation Forest improvements draws workers from across county
Published 1:13 pm Thursday, December 11, 2008
By Teresa Herriman
The Courier-Herald
Even the sun showed up as construction began this week on a small amphitheater at the Washington State University Demonstration Forest in Bonney Lake.
A 10-person crew, provided by the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), arrived to supply the core work force for the community project. For nearly four weeks, they will live and work at the forest, clearing space, building berms for soundproofing and upgrading trails.
On Saturday they will be joined by local groups and individuals to complete the project. Building supplies and materials continue to be donated by local businesses.
NCCC is a service program of AmeriCorps that offers young adults, ages 18 to 24, an opportunity to spend 10 months working together in teams on community projects throughout the United States. Projects encompass five focus areas including the environment, education, unmet human needs, disaster relief and homeland security.
Before Sept. 11, 2001, the homeland security focus used to be part of a public safety project, explained team leader Nathan Prichard.
"The team receives a project about two weeks before leaving the current project," Prichard said.
His team was to do improvements to a children's camp in Leavenworth when they got word of the Demonstration Forest job.
The NCCC team's first order of business at the Demonstration Forest has been to convert a caretaker's house on the property into a livable space. When complete, it will provide accommodations for college interns who will live at the demo forest while working in one of several programs being developed by the university.
The primary goal of the amphitheater is to encourage residents to use the forest more, Demonstration Forest and Challenge Program Director Brian Brandt explained.
Initial plans call for seating for about 60. The facility would be rented to groups and organizations for a fee that is yet to be determined. Eventually, Brandt would like to expand that to offer seating for an audience of 200-300 people. The final size, he said, will reflect the level of community support.
Volunteers have already been asking local businesses for financial support and donations of materials and expertise.
Carefully planning has been done to ensure the integrity of the forest. The spot where the new amphitheater will be located, had been cleared previously because of root rot, so no healthy trees had to be felled at the building site. Native plants will be moved from new trail locations to areas of the trail that will no longer be used, restoring the site to its natural state.
The amphitheater will be located in the forest directly behind Tall Firs theater. Brandt is hoping the proximity of the forest to shopping and movie theaters will provide a unique opportunity for recreation, attracting increasing numbers of forest users.
“People can shop, catch a movie and go for a walk in the forest,” Prichart said.
Brandt updated the City Council at a meeting last week.
“The members are excited and interested about the potential,” he said.
In addition to the amphitheater, the NCCC team will upgrade hiking trails in the forest.
"There's some trails already in existence," team member Kristi Taylor said. "We'll be widening them and creating new trails."
When complete, the approximately nine kilometers long trail system will be accessible according to Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines.
Nature viewing areas are also planned.
In addition to Washington State University donating countless hours “transforming the forest into a nice resource for the entire state,” Brandt said, several other groups are also participating in the project.
The Department of Natural Resources will mill dead trees for benches and tables. Brandt is hoping to work with area schools on a project to have students research forest flora and fauna and create displays at the viewing areas.
East Pierce Fire and Rescue took advantage of the opportunity to do some wild fire training, clearing areas for new trails in the process.
The Demonstration Forest, located at 20415 South Prairie Road, also houses a 4-H Challenge Course.
Community members are invited to pick up a shovel and join the NCCC team from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday for a community work day. For more information, call 253-862-9569 or visit the Demonstration Forest and 4-H Bonney Lake Challenge program Web site at www.blchallenge.wsu.edu)
Teresa Herriman can be reached at therriman@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/courierherald
