Hoodsport cleanup party May 13, reopening May 27

Kirk Boxleitner | May 04, 20230

The Port of Hoodsport commission invites people to join a reopening ceremony for the 80-acre Hoodsport Trail Park at the end of the month and join other volunteers to help clean the park two weeks before its opening.

The park’s yearlong project to remove all of its diseased, dying and fallen hazardous trees should be completed by the end of May.

The grand reopening is scheduled at 10 a.m. on May 27. The volunteer work party has been scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 13, rain or shine. The park is 3 miles west of Hoodsport off of state Route 119.

Cleanup volunteers must be at least 18 years old and will be expected to groom the park’s soft surface hiking trails, distribute bark throughout its grounds and provide general trail maintenance.

To trim branches and remove debris from the current trails, volunteers should bring hand saws, rakes, pruning shears and loppers.

For hauling and spreading bark, moving it from piles into designated areas, volunteers should bring wheelbarrows, rakes, and gardening hoes or shovels.

To stake smaller trees, volunteers should bring sledge hammers or mallets to pound in stakes. Volunteers are encouraged to wear clothing for outdoor work, including work gloves.

The port will provide extra work gloves, eye protection, trail park maps, bottled water and snacks, along with supplies needed to complete the day’s tasks.

Due to the type of manual labor involved, volunteers will need to register and sign liability waivers to participate. Registration forms are on the Port of Hoodsport’s website, under the “Community Events” tab of the “What’s Happening” tab, at http://www.portofhoodsport.us.

As part of the port’s reforestation project, 3,000 cedar trees, which are impervious to the laminated root rot known as Poria weirii disease that had claimed many of their predecessors, were purchased and replanted within the park, not only to restore the park’s forest and wildlife habitat; but also to protect its soil and water resources.

Along with the reopening of the Hoodsport Trail Park, the port commission also invites the public to enjoy the 20-acre Hoodsport Hills Disc Golf Course, on the south side of state Route 119, adjacent to the Lake Cushman Golf Course.

Disc golf clinics and tournaments at the nine-hole disc golf course events can be scheduled by submitting an event application to the Port of Hoodsport, and those applications can also be found on the port’s website, under the “Facility Use Events” tab of the “About Us” tab.

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: Hoodsport Trail Park reopening ceremony

WHEN: 10 a.m. May 27

WHERE: Hoodsport Trail Park, 3 miles west of Hoodsport off of state Route 119

ADMISSION: Free