Hello Rail Trail Fans! Here Is Your Spring 2010 Update!

Lots going on: Click on links included and as always, please visit our main site for the most current information.

WEED SPRAY: Ferry County has signed an agreement with the weed board to spray the entire rail corridor for noxious weeds. A variety of noxious weeds have gained ground due to having been totally un-treated the last few years during the railbanking process, so this is great news! Information such as scheduled spray times etc. can be attained through the weed board located in the basement of the County Court house or call (509) 775-5210 or visit the weed board’s website: http://www.ferry-county.com/Other_Depts/Weed.html

IN  THE NEWS: Rail Trail in the news twice this week:

1) Bill Chamberlain has written a lovely and informative article articulating the trails current uses, which appears in the May edition of the Ferry  County View. Copies of the View are free around town or try this link to the full article on the View website: http://www.ferrycountyview.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=40&Itemid=59

2) Curlew School Safe Route to School planners include rail corridor in Route Walk plan. Commissioners Bond and Miller did not support due to the technicality of a missing protocol. The Curlew School Community Association (CSCA) in conjunction with representatives from the County Road Department, the North East Washington Regional Transportation Planning Organization (N.E.W RTPO) and County’s Rail Corridor Committee (RCC) all worked hard on this. We appreciate their efforts and thank them! Read the full story here: http://www.omakchronicle.com/nws/n100511a.shtml

TWO RAIL CORRIDOR COMMITTEE VACANCIES: Rail Corridor Committee members Jim Schumacher and Stan Christie both recently resigned from the RCC. The RCC hopes to fill these vacancies immediately. Please submit your letter of interest ASAP to the Ferry County Commissioners and RCC chair Bobbi Weller
< weller@rcabletv.com >  < commissioners@co.ferry.wa.us >

UPCOMING NEARBY MUSCLE POWER EVENTS

1) Grab your passport and bike/walk or run to a fun trail  event in Grand Forks this weekend. Grand Forks Annual Spring Duathlon is scheduled for Saturday, May 15th at 10am. This is a 5 km run and 10 Km bike ride starting and finishing at the Grand Forks City Park to commemorate “WORLD HEALTH DAY”.  There is no fee for the event but they do request that you register for the Duathlon. The goal is to get more in our communities out and active on May 15th. For Registration call 250-442-2202

2) Fourth Annual Slocan Valley Poker Pedal: On a rail trail like ours! On Sunday, May 16, the Slocan Valley Heritage Trail Society partners with Slocan Valley Recreation to host the Fourth Annual Slocan Valley Poker Pedal.
More about the trail: http://svrt.sm-arts.ca/ < http://svrt.sm-arts.ca/>
More about the run/pedal: http://www.bclocalnews.com/kootenay_rockies/nelsonstar/sports/92366504.html

FINALLY: A BIG THANKS! To everyone who made our FCRTP annual meeting and The Ferry County Conservation Fair booth big successes! Patty Nagler won the FCRTP T-shirt and chose yellow to be more visible while kayaking on Curlew Lake!

Please get involved and support the FCRTP and RCC as both groups work towards development of this great new community asset. The sooner we get improvement funds for our 30 mile rail trail facility the sooner we all reap the health and economic benefits.