Remember the floods and windstorms of late 2006 that wiped out trails and washed out access roads to national parks and forests throughout the Cascades and Olympics? They were just the latest storm events to ravage Washington's public lands. And they likely won't be the last.

The Carbon River road, the Dosewallips road, the Icicle River road, the Suiattle... Currently, there are major access roads washed out into Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Olympic National Park, the Wenatchee National Forest, the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest, and more of our public lands. Many of these roads are not slated to be repaired due to the high cost of repairing them and the likelihood they'll just wash out again. What does this mean for hikers, and our future access to the places we love?

Washington Trails Association is co-hosting a panel discussion with several other groups on fierce weather patterns and global climate change, and how these will affect access and enjoyment of our state's national parks and forests. A key issue is how the federal government can best sustain long-term access to these places that make sense from an economic and ecological standpoint.

This panel will be open to the public and will include experts in climate change, outdoor recreation, economics, wildlife, and road and trail construction, among others. Click here for more info and a list of the panelists. Or call (206) 903-1444 x25.

Event Details:
Sept 03, 2008, 6 - 9 pm
University of Washington Kane Hall, Room 110

This event is co-hosted by organizations from the Washington Parks and Forest Coalition, which include the National Parks Conservation Association, Washington Trails Association, the Student Conservation Association, and Washington's National Park Fund. The event is made possible by a grant from Boeing.