Lyle’s Community Trails Committee will meet Wednesday, July 1, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Lyle Activity Center (the old Lyle School) to discuss draft trail planning maps for the Lyle Cherry Orchard property, owned by Friends of the Columbia Gorge, and adjacent Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) land. The public is welcome to attend.
Dan Miller, a community planner from the National Parks Service’s Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance, and the trails planning sub-committee will present draft trail plans regarding trail development within the 550 acres of the Lyle Cherry Orchard and the adjacent 415 approximate acres of DNR land.
DNR has requested that no trail development take place on the north side of the Centerville Highway, due to a grazing allotment.
Regulations for the proposed trails have been declared and include the prohibition of motorized vehicles, due to fire hazard.
Hunting will be permitted on the DNR portion of the trail system, but not allowed on the Cherry Orchard parcel. Equestrian use is also prohibited on the potential Cherry Orchard trail system.
Mountain biking will be possible on the new trail.
In previous meetings, before the creation of the sub-committee, a survey was circulated by Friends of the Columbia Gorge to gauge community interest in developing a new trail system in Lyle. The survey’s findings reflected a majority who were in favor of the idea.
Fifty-six percent of participants, 78 individuals, from Lyle said they would support a new trail system, while 41%, 57 individuals, said they would not support a new trail system in the Lyle area. Three percent of those polled were reported as indifferent to the issue.
Those apprehensive to the trail system’s creation voiced such concern as the impact the trails would have on turkey breeding, traffic volume on Centerville Highway, erosion, maintenance, potential for disrespectful outsiders, and overall skepticism of the sub-committee.
In the past non-supporters also brought up the issue of the Friends eventually selling the Cherry Orchard property, which non-supporters argue will result in the loss of taxes on land in Lyle.
Those involved with the Friends have stated before that the Friends of the Columbia Gorge have no intention of selling the Cherry Orchard property.
Once there’s a decided trail system, the trail plan will be presented to the Lyle community then passed on to Fish and Wildlife Service, and the County and Scenic Area for review before being initiated.
Those pushing for the trail system hope to eventually have the system be part of the Gorge Town to Trails project, which links trail systems to urban areas throughout the Gorge.
For now, the sub-committee will focus on working with the public to create a trail plan that pleases the majority of Lyle community members.
Commented