JULY 18, 2003
Submitted by Gay Jervey, CGWA, Mosier Alliance
Introduction
The Spring Creek Hatchery State Park is located on Washington Highway 14 near Bingen, Washington on the north shore of the Columbia River. The site is a heavily used water recreation launch area. Windsurfing is the predominate sport, and the Hatchery enjoys over 245,000 visitors per year for this use. The Hatchery is a world famous windsurfing venue and draws recreation visitors from all over the United States and other countries. It was recently featured in NBC network coverage of the 2002 Gorge Games. In addition, in a 2002 Columbia Gorge Windsurfing Association Survey, the Hatchery is one of the top two most popular sites in the Gorge region, out of 30 active windsurfing sites.
Problem Statement
The Hatchery recreation site is largely in a primitive state. There is no water available and sanitary facilities are portable. Improvements have been made through partnership between Washington State Parks and the volunteers of the Columbia Gorge Windsurfing Association. A Master Plan for Park improvement has been prepared and approved by the Columbia River Gorge Commission for Federal funding; however, there is no guarantee that this funding will occur in the near term.
Grant Proposal
In order to enhance the entrance to the Hatchery recreation site, it is proposed that the following work be funded. The effort would focus on both the appearance to the site and its functionality. The figure entitled “Spring Creek Fish Hatchery Overview” shows the area of improvement at the entrance to the park. The improvement would be consistent with the overall Master Plan as shown and would draw interest due to its large volunteer in-kind donation of time and materials.
The work would specifically consist of:
- Fencing along the entrance road south of Highway 14 on the east side of the driveway. The fence configuration is shown in the attached drawing. The fence would serve to improve the entrance appearance but also would function as a small windbreak to shelter users while rigging their sails. Cost: 50 feet of fence at $15/linear foot = $750.
- The area immediately east of the fence and park sign needs to be leveled and graded and bordered by large rock set into the sub-base. This work could be accomplished by the CGWA volunteers. In-kind cost: 40 man-hours at $10/hour = $400.
- The bordered area would then be covered by a base layer of aggregate, covered by a layer of pea gravel. Cost: 100 yards of rock/10 truck loads at $150 per truck load = $1,500. In-kind cost for placing rock: 15 man-hours at $10/hour = $150.
- Adjacent to the rigging area described above, there is a row of trees and shrubs that border the parking area. It would be desirable to lop back and remove large rocks to form a shaded area ordered with the large rocks. This would offer additional resting or picnicking areas without subtracting from the current parking. In-kind cost: 80 man-hours at $10/hour = $800.
- Six picnic tables in these areas would provide a more comfortable environment for visitors, protected from the prevailing wind and shaded. Cost: 6 tables @ $455 each = $2,730.
Total Grant Funding Requested from Washington State Parks: $4,980
In-kind Match Funding from CGWA: $1,350
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