Okanogan County Outdoor Recreation Plan 2/04
APPENDIX C
PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PROCESS AND SURVEY RESULTS
PUBLIC MEETINGS
There were 3 public meetings held in Okanogan, Oroville, and Twisp. Surveys were handed out and public interest was sought for their input. This is what they picked for their priorities
OKANOGAN
How would you rate the need for the following additional facilities?
Item Points
Off road hiking and biking trails30
Indoor Pool and recreation center23
Trail from Okanogan to Omak Eastside Park (Greenway)17
Nature and interpretive centers and fish and wildlife habitat areas12
River/Lake access sites9
On road bicycles shoulder lanes7
Community center for cultural and social events6
Off leash dog park5
Fishing piers docks and shoreline sites4
Equestrian arena4
Indoor play areas for children under five4
Kayak, canoe or other non-motorized boat launches3
Historical interpretive sites3
Horse trails and riding areas2
Nordic ski trails1
These are not in any order just a list gleaned from the Okanogan public meeting.
Trails from Conconully via Andrews Lake to Salmon Creek
Greenway trail from Stampede Grounds to Okanogan on East side of River.
Bike/Hike loop from Okanogan to Omak to Conconully up Salmon Creek.
Hike trail to Omak Lake area.
Rock climb out of Riverside.
Flats down the ravine to Hospital on Elmway.
Trails up Vick Smith Road to Salmon Creek.
Trail from Lower Conconully Lake to Salmon Falls.
Greenway trail from North Country Oroville to Okanogan.
Bike route to Grand Coulee.
Swim area in Grand Coulee.
Campsite along Okanogan River for Canoes.
Keep Hwy. 20 as a bike route to Methow trails and provide more pull outs for RV’s on grade.
Rebuild Salmon Meadows lodge.
TRAILS AND IMPROVEMENTS THE PUBLIC WOULD LIKE
OROVILLE
How would you rate the need for the following additional facilities?
Item Points
Take care of existing backcountry trail system44
Off road hiking and biking trails42
Mineral prospecting-panning, sluicing, high banking and dredging18
Indoor Horse Arena15
Trap and skeet shooting14
On-road bicycle shoulders/lanes13
Rodeo facilities13
River/Lake access sites11
Equestrian arenas9
Horse trails and riding areas8
Historical interpretive sites7
Sitzmark Ski Area/Highlands Sno-Park7
Snowmobile Trails7
Picnic tables, shelters and other outdoor group activities areas6
Off Road Vehicle Trails5
Power Boat launch ramps5
Fishing Docks and Piers4
Farmers Markets4
Kayak, canoe or other non-motorized boat launches3
Molson Museum3
Skate Parks3
Indoor Pool3
Nature and interpretive centers and fish and wildlife habitat areas2
Barter Fair2
Ice skating1
TRAILS AND IMPROVEMENTS FROM OROVILLE PUBLIC MEETING
Trails from French Creek to Coleman Ridge to 4 Point Lake.
Trails from 30-Mile Creek to Dill Creek.
Goat Wall trail.
Frog Pond trail.
Old PLT connection.
Improve Cub Creek trail.
Boat access at Weeman Bridge.
Similkameen trail Oroville to Nighthawk to Canadian Border.
Trail from Oroville to Chesaw to Ferry County.
Tonasket to Fish Lake trail.
Chopaka Natural Area Preserve trail from Cold Springs to Hurley Peak.
TWISP
How would you rate the need for the following additional facilities?
Item Points
Ice Skating Rink/Trail head in Winthrop41
Winthrop S. End bridge trail extend to school17
As irrigation ditches are piped do it so trails for walkers can be located on top15
On road bicycle shoulder/lanes10
Horse trails and riding areas9
Bridge 9
Acquire walker/fish access on Methow River8
New lodge at Loup Loup with restrooms6
Off rod hiking and biking trails5
Playgrounds and children play area5
Nordic ski trails5
Snowmobile trails5
Movie Theater5
Okanogan/Omak Greenway trail5
Similkameen-Nighthawk to Oroville trail5
Historic interpretive sites3
Bathrooms at MVCT trailheads1
Soccer Fields1
Twisp to Winthrop Trail1
TRAILS AND IMPROVEMENTS FROM TWISP PUBLIC MEETING
Loup Loup facilities upgrade restrooms and develop more trails around Loup Loup Ski area.
Four foot shoulder for bike safety.
Bike lane sidewalk trails in Twisp.
Connecting trail from Twisp to Winthrop.
Maintain public fishing area.
Winthrop South end Pedestrian trail.
Town trailhead in Winthrop to ice rink.
Improve boat launch at Red Barn.
Parasailing launch site.
Surface Methow Community Trail.
Trails from School to town of Winthrop
Community trail from War Creek to Eagle Creek to Oval Lakes.
Indoor pool in Winthrop.
Historic tour of Winthrop, Mazama, and Harts Pass.
Improve town trail in Winthrop.
Gunn Road trail.
Make ditches ROW and connect to Methow trail.
Connect MVSTA to West Fork of Chewuch River.
2003 Online Recreational Survey
Okanogan County sponsored an online recreational survey to better understand the recreational trends and user preferences of the community. The online survey was designed and pre-tested prior to being uploaded to the County’s web site. A total of 307 completed surveys were completed during a two week period in February 2003. To ensure participation of citizens without access to the internet, hard copies of the survey were left at libraries and other public venues. County staff manually entered the responses from the completed hard copy surveys directly into the computer. The geographic distribution of the survey respondents is summarized within Table 1. Survey results were evaluated using Microsoft Excel. Summary percentages were generated for each question, using the total responses generated for that question as a basis for the statistical analysis.
Table 1. Geographic distribution of survey respondents
Zip code / # Respondents / % of Total90040 / 1 / 0%
98021 / 1 / 0%
98053 / 1 / 0%
98117 / 1 / 0%
98232 / 1 / 0%
98292 / 1 / 0%
98506 / 1 / 0%
98802 / 3 / 1%
98812 / 11 / 4%
98814 / 1 / 0%
98819 / 5 / 2%
98827 / 1 / 0%
98829 / 1 / 0%
98833 / 7 / 2%
98834 / 1 / 0%
98840 / 58 / 19%
98841 / 56 / 18%
98843 / 1 / 0%
98844 / 25 / 8%
98846 / 10 / 3%
98849 / 11 / 4%
98855 / 32 / 10%
98856 / 17 / 6%
98862 / 43 / 14%
98926 / 1 / 0%
99116 / 1 / 0%
99576 / 1 / 0%
No zip code / 14 / 5%
Survey Results Summary
Recreational facilities are very important to those members of the community who responded to the 2003 Okanogan County Recreational Survey. Nearly 75% of respondents stated that parks, trails, and other recreational facilities were “very important” to their families. Interestingly, a similar proportion of respondents (79%) believe that parks, trails, and recreational facilities were “very important” contributor to the economy of Okanogan County.
Question #1 inquired, “Which recreational facilities do you or your family use and how often?” Respondents to this question indicated how frequently (daily, weekly, monthly semi-annually, annually, and never) they visited a list of twenty-seven local, state, and federal recreational facilities. Though survey respondents make use of local, state, federal, and private recreational facilities throughout the County, city park facilities are visited less frequently than state, federal, and private recreational facilities. Omak, Twisp, Okanogan and Winthrop parks received the most frequent daily and weekly visitation, among the twelve local parks included within the survey. Over 30% of respondents to each question visited a state park, campground, and/or water access point on a monthly or more frequent basis. Just under 30% of survey respondents made use of snow-based recreational sites, including snowmobile sno-parks and Nordic skiing sno-parks, on a monthly or more frequent basis. U.S. Forest Service campgrounds and trails are frequented by 50% of survey respondents, on a monthly or more frequent basis. Private recreational facilities, including athletic clubs, bowling alleys, gun clubs, are frequented by just under 50% of survey respondents on a monthly or more frequent basis.
To ensure the recreational survey adequately captured the wide range of recreational facilities used within Okanogan County, question #2 was an open ended question that inquired, “Are there other recreational facilities, not listed in question #1, that you or your family use and how often? There was no statistically significant responses to this question, though the following facilities received more than one response: golf courses, boat landings, private shooting clubs, private land w/permission, Winthrop ice rink, Fairgrounds/arena for equestrian activities, snowmobile trails, wilderness trails/campgrounds, and Sitzmark Ski Area.
Survey respondents participate in a wide range of recreational activities. Question #3 was a close-ended question, “What recreational activities do you and your family participate in and how often?” Over 30% of respondents to this question participated in the following recreational activities on a monthly or more frequent basis: Nordic skiing, alpine skiing, mountain bicycling, playgrounds, indoor play/meeting areas, picnicking, fishing, and equestrian activities. Nearly 50% of respondents took part in rodeo activities on an annual or semi-annual basis and 50% also listed swimming as an activity they participated in on a monthly or more frequent basis. Over 55% of respondents to this question listed that they drove for pleasure, on a monthly or more frequent basis. Over 60% of respondents to this question identified that hiking/walking on trails was an activity they participated in on a monthly or more frequent basis. Wildlife and bird watching, on a monthly or more frequent basis, was a favored activity for over 66% of respondents to this question.
To ensure the recreational survey captured the extensive array of recreational activities pursued by survey respondents, question #4 asked an open ended question, “ Are there other recreational facilities, not listed in question #3, that you and/or your family participate in?” 10% of respondents to this question listed Four Wheeling/ATV/Off-road activities. 3% or more of respondents to this question identified that they participated in the following activities: camping, running on trails/roads, snowboarding, backcountry skiing, wildflower walks, hunting/gathering, bird watching, farmers market, equestrian trail riding, equestrian events, shooting sports, and non-motorized boating.
The survey also assessed the degree to which the community believed new recreational facilities were needed within Okanogan County. Question #9, a close-ended question, listed twenty-five recreational facilities and asked respondents to rate the need for these facilities on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest need and 5 being the highest need. 30% of respondents to this question identified the following recreational facilities to be the highest need: horse trails/riding arenas; playgrounds and child play areas; river/lake access sites; and nature and interpretive centers for fish/wildlife. 40% of respondents to this question indicated the following facilities to be the highest need: off-road hiking and biking trails and off-road bicycle shoulders/lanes. Over 30% of respondents to this question identified the following recreational facilities to be a lowest need: off-road vehicle trails; powerboat launches; snowmobile trails; and rodeo facilities. Over 20% of respondents to this question identified the following recreational facilities to be a lowest need: ice skating; downhill skiing areas; baseball/softball fields; tennis courts; skate board and in-line skating; and other horse facilities.
To ensure this survey captured the entire range of recreational facility types that are needed in Okanogan County, an additional open-ended question (question #10) requested survey respondents to list facility types that were not included in the previous close-ended question. Two recreational facility types were identified as ‘needed’ by 10% of the respondents to this question, including: (1) off-street, non-motorized trails and, (2) an indoor, year-round swimming pool. 3% or more of the respondents to this question listed the following recreational facility types as ‘needed’: interpretive trails, hiking/walking trails, dedicated bicycle lanes/shoulders, Nordic ski trails, dog park, river trails, improved trail access to rivers/shorelines, improved boat launches, indoor equestrian facility, equestrian trails, ATV riding opportunities, picnic areas, bathrooms, and ice skating rinks. Responses to this question reinforced many of the recreational facility types identified as ‘highest need’ within the previous close-ended question. It is important to note that several respondents to this question clearly stated their preference for no new recreational facilities. These respondents stated that the existing inventory of recreational facilities requires a realistic maintenance plan and funding sources.
The remainder of this summary report includes 105 verbatim responses to the last question on the survey, “please share your priorities, comments, and/or general suggestions for parks, recreation, and trails projects within Okanogan County.”
- I would like to see a complete multipurpose shooting facility developed on the Game Department owned lands in Scotch Creek Basin. They have thousands of acres; a safe place to develop a range; room for a formal 1000 yard Highpower Rifle Range; Sporting Clays; Silhouette; great weather conditions generally; and down in that valley; hardly any wind. They also have Pitman Robertson Funds that are supposed to be used for hunter safety and range development. They should use some of it here.: : A facility such as I have described could become a destination range; attracting events and shooters from around the Northwest. It is very conceivable that it would be full every weekend with Highpower; Silhouette; Black Powder (Muzzle Loader) Rendezvous; Black Powder Cartridge Rifle Competitions; Archery Competitions; and shotgun sports. This use would be compatible with other hunting and shooting related activities that are popular in Okanogan County; and improve our tourism opportunities. I believe that a range complex could be constructed and operated in a way that did not materially detract from the present use of the land for forage production and Sharp Tail Grouse Habitat as the areas between the firing lines could still be used for hay production. (Just a little more work to swath and bale the hay because of going around the firing lines.) The actual amount of land taken out of production would be very small. : : AND; it would create a situation where the people who own the land; and pay the taxes for the Pitman Robertson Funds got some benefit out of their investments.
- With tourism such a priority today; anything that will attract people to our area and keep them coming back is strongly urged.
- Comment: Visitors will drive long distances for trails; but not tennis courts. The County should focus on recreation that will bring visitors from out of county with a higher priority. In marketing you want to go where everyone else IS NOT. Therefore; if the County wanted an economic opportunity it should strengthen its program for ORV's. ORV's have been shut out of so many places. Most are responsible people and if Okanogan County featured some miles of trails or an ORV play area it would be a big draw. They tend to spend more per person than the more passive activity participants. The County could manage the ORV area or roads and do a pilot project on a small scale to test the theory. I am not a big ORV participant; but from the economic point of view this could be a fantastic chance for the County to be a MAJOR destination for one type of adventure. Maybe the desert area rather than a forest area might be selected. Something to think about. : : Regardless of the ORV idea -- we should encourage trail and park use of the day-use type. We want heads in beds in resorts; motels and camps. The stores and restaurants want patrons. Thank you.
- I've heard that there is proposal to convert the old railroad grade (along the Similkameen River) from Oroville to Nighthawk into a no motorized trail. We drive this route from Tonasket to Oroville often because it is such a beautiful valley and full of visible mining history (the sluiced hillsides); the old railroad grade; the wonderful; but sadly deteriorating buildings in Loomis and Nighthawk). This is a great opportunity to allow people to experience this place on food or bike. Interpretive signage along the route would be very educational. I hope this proposal becomes a reality.
- Trail projects such as the PNT trail add to the county greatly. Facilities for organized activities and a lower priority to me as the schools have lots of room for those types of things.
- Trail projects such as the PNT trail add to the county greatly. Facilities for organized activities and a lower priority to me as the schools have lots of room for those types of things.
- Need more ATV trails for summer use.
- Lots of RV camping areas; facilities; and amenities. Why not push these too?
- Recreation is obviously very important for residents. My suggestions are keyed toward visitors and economic development. Okanogan county can offer visitors an outdoors; non-motorized experience that is hard to find in other places. Work with what you've got; and you will draw more tourism.
- I wish the county would get into the park business big time. Perhaps take over from the state the various state parks that are faced with cutbacks. From an economic development standpoint; it would be about time. Also perhaps the county could partner with the Omak golf course and expand its size to 18 holes. It would be of enormous economic impact. Follow the model as developed in Spokane and get the county involved in golf in a big way. Tourism would grow and we could become part of the greater Okanogan region's burgeoning number of golf courses.
- Recreational facilities will bring resources to all parts of the county.