Chain of Trails Concept Plan
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The Mt. Baker Foothills Chain of Trails Concept Plan “A safe, accessible network of non-motorized trails connecting communities in the Mt. Baker Foothills providing everyone with improved opportunities for travel, recreation, personal well-being, community enhancement, and commerce.” Prepared in partnership with: Mt. Baker Foothills Economic Development Association Whatcom Council of Governments Port of Bellingham Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Department with technical assistance from: National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program with funding from: Federal Highways Administration Transportation and Community and System Preservation Grant Program December 2004 The Mt. Baker Foothills Chain of Trails Concept Plan “A safe, accessible network of non-motorized trails connecting communities in the Mt. Baker Foothills providing everyone with improved opportunities for travel, recreation, personal well-being, community enhancement, and commerce.” Prepared in partnership with: Mt. Baker Foothills Economic Development Association Whatcom Council of Governments Port of Bellingham Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Department with technical assistance from: National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program with funding from: Federal Highways Administration Transportation and Community and System Preservation Grant Program December 2004 Mt. Baker Foothills Chain of Trails Concept Plan Published by Whatcom Council of Governments Bellingham, Washington December 2004 Graphic Design update December 2006 Table of Contents Acknowledgements i Summary iii Introduction to the Chain of Trails vii Chapter 1: History of Trails in the Mt. Baker Foothills Region 1 Chapter 2: The Mt. Baker Foothills Community 7 Chapter 3: Transportation in the Foothills 43 Chapter 4: Community Vision for the Chain of Trails 49 Chapter 5: Types of Trails 59 Chapter 6: The Chain of Trails Concept 97 Chapter 7: Chain of Trails Implementation 119 Chapter 8: Construction Projects and Priorities 129 Bibliography 145 B.1 Appendix 1: Opinion Survey and Results A1.1 Appendix 2: Transportation History Timeline A2.1 Appendix 3: Recreation and Transportation Inventory A3.1 Appendix 4: Trails Segments List and Initial Data A4.1 Appendix 5: Chain of Trails Conceptual Map A5 Chain of Trails Concept Plan Acknowledgements The Chain of Trails Concept Plan is the product of dedicated work by many generous community members in and around the Mt. Baker Foothills region. The plan would not have come to fruition without the foresight and coordinated effort of the following individuals and organizations: Scott Thompson, Rich Clearman and the Whatcom Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee Charlie Heggem and Todd Elsworth of the Mt. Baker Bicycle Club Bud Hardwick of the Mt. Baker Club Becky Haines and Mike McGlenn of the Back Country Horsemen Michael Hinderman and Jeri Krampetz of the Pacific Northwest Trail Association Dave Black, Jim Kaemingk, and Meg Ausland of the Lynden Community Trail Connections John Adams, Glacier Ski Shop Richard Sturgill, Drayton Harbor Maritime Kip Kelly, Whatcom Department of Natural Resources Russ Paul, Crown Pacific Timber Company John Sarich, Nooksack Nordic Ski Club Gretchen Kulpa and Tris Shirley of Whatcom TrailNet In addition, the following members of the Mt. Baker Foothills Economic Development The Mt. Baker Foothills Association deserve special thanks: tells many forestry stories. The Chain of Trails helps Jeff Margolis, Trails Committee Chair of the Mt. Baker Foothills Steering visitors and residents learn the history of Silver Lake Committee Park (pictured) and other Rick Gantman, Superintendent, Mt. Baker School District heritage sites. Phil Cloward, Black Mountain Ranch Tony Kelly, Everson/Nooksack Chamber of Commerce Carole MacDonald, Mt. Baker Foothills Chamber of Commerce Lousie Mugar, Mount Baker Experience newspaper Norma Kirchan, Kendall Watch Marcy Bartelds, North Fork Community Network Lisa Brown, South Fork Community Network Steve Jilk and Dodd Snodgrass, Port of Bellingham John Cooper, Bellingham/Whatcom Convention and Visitors’ Bureau Michael McFarlane, Lynne Givler and Roger DeSpain of the Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Department Sam Crawford, Whatcom County Council Alan Seid, Kendall business owner Gordon Rogers and Ellen Barton of the Whatcom Council of Governments Hal Hart, Sylvia Goodwin, Troy Holbrook and Amy Peterson of the Whatcom County Planning and Development Department Chain of Trails Concept Plan - Acknowldgements i Funding for the Chain of Trails planning process was provided by the Federal Highways Administration Transportation and Community and System Preservation (TCSP) grant program. Technical assistance in planning for the trail network and the production of this document was provided, upon request of Whatcom Council of Governments, by the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program of the National Park Service, Pacific West Region--Seattle Office, Sue Abbott, Project Manager. Lead Agency and Project Staff: Whatcom Council of Governments James Miller, Executive Director Gordon Rogers, Deputy Director Ellen Barton, Project Coordinator Chain of Trails Core Advisory Committee: Jeff Margolis, Van Zandt Scott Thompson, Deming Rich Clearman, Everson Alan Seid, Kendall Lou Piotrowski, Glacier Gretchen Kulpa, Whatcom Search and Rescue Tris Shirley, Road Bicycling Becky Haines, Back Country Horsemen Dave Black, Running Bud Hardwick, Hiking Michael Hinderman, Trail Construction Special Thanks: Whatcom Museum of History and Art for historic photographs Sidney Atkins, photography Whatcom Traffic Safety Team, publicity booth Western Washington University Center for Service Learning Scott Montgomery, logo design REI, grant funds for recreation and conservation projects Celtic Rose Design for layout assistance Three young travelers cross a trail bridge in Arroyo Park. Trails bridge past and future, recreation and transportation. ii Chain of Trails Concept Plan - Acknowledgments Summary Chain of Trails Concept Plan The Mt. Baker Foothills area, as defined for the Chain of Trails Concept Plan, is outlined on the map of Whatcom County above. Starting about ten miles inland from the Salish Sea, the Foothills planning area extends east to the National Forest boundary. The Mt. Baker Foothills Overview This plan presents a concept for the development of a trail network for the Mt. Baker Foothills region. Located inland from the coastal waters of Bellingham Bay and the Strait of Georgia, the Foothills share qualities of the North Cascades mountains as well as some of the cultural history of the coastal areas. The plan addresses the cultural and recreational resources, the existing trail corridors and proposed loops to serve transportation and recreation for residents and visitors. The Mt. Baker Foothills Chain of Trails Planning Area is defined as roughly equivalent to the Mt. Baker School District. The District is unique in Whatcom County in having no incorporated cities within its boundaries. Residents of the Foothills choose to live in this remote area because of their love of nature, privacy, and the rural lifestyle. Visitors are attracted to the Foothills by these same rare qualities. Mt. Baker Foothills Chain of Trails Concept Plan - Summary iii The Chain of Trails Concept Mt. Baker Foothills residents and visitors are interested in a network of trails to connect the Foothills communities as a way to preserve and enhance quality of life. Furthermore, the economic benefits that such a network of trails brings will help revitalize the employment and tax-base prospects of the Foothills to ensure a continuing strong Foothills community. The Chain of Trails Plan emphasizes development of trails that connect communities and serve other destinations. The “chain” in Chain of Trails is an interconnected series of loop trails. These loops serve all types of travelers: those who wish to make short functional trips within the Foothills, or travelers who plan a long recreational journey, or those using trails to connect to destinations beyond the Foothills. The proposed trail loops include trails that lead a traveler from residence to recreation, or from river to mountain, or directly from home to work or school, and a variety of combinations. The conceptual map below sketches out some of the initially identified loops along with some connecting corridors that would serve a variety of trail travelers. Background In the early 1990s, the Mt. Baker School District Superintendent began informal discussions with community members and business leaders about how best to sustain the high quality of the school system in the face of decreasing district revenues. Prior to that time, school district revenues were bolstered by the forestry industry and other resource extraction industries. In 1997, the Port of Bellingham received economic development funding to facilitate an on-going locally-led forum in selected unincorporated communities in Whatcom County. The Mt. Baker Foothills Steering Committee held a public forum on October 18, 1997, to begin the work to generate economic re-vitalization. The Steering Committee approached the iv Mt. Baker Foothills Chain of Trails Concept Plan - Summary Mt. Baker Foothills Chain of Trails Concept Plan - Summary v question of economic development with a strong commitment to simultaneously preserving the foothills quality of life. Access to nature, enjoyment of the outdoors, and keeping the rustic rural undeveloped atmosphere were qualities