Hurricane Ridge 4 Day Access Fundraiser

Through a cooperative effort with Olympic National Park, the Hurricane Ridge Winter Access Coalition is seeking to raise $48,860 by November 23 to fund an additional day of winter access for the 2014-15 season.

HRWAC has been working hard since we launched the petition back in Feb 2014 and this opportunity comes through a cooperative effort with Olympic National Park. We had our first meeting with Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum on March 10, 2014 after gathering over 1,000 signatures in less than a month. During this first meeting and subsequent meetings, we've engaged in a constructive dialogue with park officials about the importance and challenges of opening the road additional days. Winter road access is resource intensive and expensive, but it's also vitally important to the local community, regional community, and mountain community.

Seven day access is the direction we're heading. 4 day access this winter is the first step, but it will only be possible with a community effort. We need your help. If you care about Hurricane Ridge, access to the mountains, or economic development on the Olympic Peninsula, please donate to this effort:

www.razoo.com/story/accesstheridge

Where does the money go? Olympic National Park. This money covers the cost of additional staffing requirements for 4 day access, as well as an additional day of maintenance costs. We've partnered with Washington's National Park Fund, a 501c3 nonprofit. Donations go into an account specifically for this cause, and upon reaching our goal this money is transferred to Olympic Natl Park.

Donations are tax deductible.

Breakdown:

$22,400 for an additional seasonal maintenance position
$13,400 for an additional seasonal ranger position
$9,540 in additional maintenance costs (sand, tires, chains)
$3,520 in fuel

What if we don't reach our goal? We're going to do everything we can to make this happen for the 2014-15 winter season. If we come up short, funds will be held for the 2015-16 winter season. This money is earmarked for increased winter access to Hurricane Ridge and nothing else.

How is this different from the trial period? This effort is different in a number of ways. First, this is not a trial period, and instead a partnership. Rather than success or failure being measured on visitor metrics, the simple premise is that if HRWAC can close the gap in the park's projected budget for 4 day winter access, the park will hire the necessary personnel and open the road 4 days a week. The Hurricane Ridge Winter Access Coalition was formed in Jan 2014 and will continue to play an important role in advocating on behalf of the community. So far the coalition has been very successful in both gathering support and engaging with park officials.

For more info see the Fundraising FAQ on our website: www.accesstheridge.org/fundraising-faq

We have a Facebook page: www.facebook.com/accesstheridge

www.accesstheridge.org/donate

www.king5.com/story/news/local/2014/11/1...try-access/18886713/