Non-motorized
The Crown Point Trail has been declared non-motorized.
(Clap, clap, cheer…)
INTRODUCTION
There is an abandoned railroad grade located in Cascade, Idaho, a small town
about an hour north of Boise (the capitol of Idaho). There was some controversy
regarding the future of the railroad grade. Some people thought that the railroad
grade is the ideal location for a trail, others thought it should instead
be converted to a country road. A strong argument in favor of creating a trail
was that a country road would involve three miles of snow removal in the winter.
A trail was approved after hard work and extensive planning. The trail was
to be developed minimally, in a way that would benefit nature as well as humans.
Foliage and trees needed to be planted, toxic weeds needed to be removed,
erosion needed to be controlled, and benches were to be placed along the trail,
along with interpretive signs. The well-kept, well-thought-out trail, was
to be a place where people could relax, and appreciate nature and wildlife.
David Burwell, President of the Rails-to-Trails conservancy said :"Trails
urge people to slow down, not speed up."
THE ORIGINATION
The inspiration for the trail came from a very unique group of people from
a very unique school – Cascade High School, of Cascade, Idaho. The project
was to focus on the development of a hiking trail from a two and three-quarter
mile stretch of abandoned railroad. The area is beautiful, the trail will
run along Cascade Reservoir, allowing access to beaches and picnic areas in
beautiful nature surroundings. Kathy Young, Jennifer Hull, and Michelle Bean
dedicated themselves to converting this abandoned railroad grade into a trail,
thus, keeping all motorized vehicles out. Public opinion surveys were placed
along the trail to inform the public that the trail could possibly become
a country road in the future. The majority of the people were in favor of
the nature trail, while a few thought it would be more profitable as a county
road.
THE GOAL
The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) made the final decision concerning the future
of the railroad grade. Every ten years, the BOR reconsiders the RMP (Reclamation
Management Plan) for the Cascade Reservoir area. This year, 2001, was a year
to re-evaluate the RMP. The goal of the RMP is to preserve and sustain the
quality of Cascade Reservoir and the surrounding area. The plan deals with
different accesses to Cascade Reservoir, such as community boat docks, trails,
Wildlife Preservation Areas, and old abandoned airport on the North side of
the Reservoir. The RMP allows steps to be taken, but does not take those steps
itself. For example, one of the variations of the proposed RMP is construction
of a marina. If the idea were approved, someone besides the BOR would raise
the money, get a permit, go through all the community approval processes,
and then build the marina. In the RMP (for the next ten years) the Crown Point
trail will be non-motorized. However, snowmobiles are allowed in the winter.
OUR PLANS
Our group of advanced biology students, now consisting of Anna Rogers, Krista
Waldron, and Matt Hewlett, will be preserving the Crown Point trail (the trail’s
designated title). We will obtain a special-use permit, which allows us to
make improvements on the trail. These improvements include: erosion control,
tree and plant transplanting. We are also going to place interpretive signs
at designated spots along the trail. These signs will include information
about the history of Cascade Reservoir, near-by campground sites, maps of
the lake and surrounding area, the wildlife along the trail, etc. We will
also be building wooden benches for public use, which will then be placed
along the trail. The Crown Point Trail is a beautiful asset to the community
of Cascade, an asset that will remain enjoyable for members of the town as
well as visitors to the area.
FUTURE TRAILS
Boise Cascade, a timber corporation, has been closing numerous mills in Idaho.
Sadly, Cascade contains one of the mills being closed. As a result, a section
of the Idaho National Pacific Railroad may be filing for abandonment. Thunder
Mountain Line, a historical tour organization, may be able to use this railroad
for their purposes in the future. However, if not, our class would like to
help organize a Rail-Trail conversion of this approximately 70-mile stretch
of railroad. A similar organization in Camas Prairie recently accomplished
such a goal, converting a railroad from Camas Prairie to Lewiston into a trail.
We would like to emulate this organization, and supplement the outdoor opportunities
available in Central Idaho. If you or anyone you know would like to help or
have any advice to give, please email the Advanced Biology class of Cascade
High School. The address is available on the Advanced Biology homepage.
Other websites to visit about this topic and Lake Cascade:
Cascadeid.com
Crews-cascade.org