Volunteers haul trash away from 'Triangle Pit'

Mounds of shot-blasted debris fill shooting range

By Rolf Boone | The Olympian • Published September 07, 2008

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Plastic bottles, plywood, cardboard boxes, computer monitors, TVs and hundreds of used, red, 12-gauge shotgun shells were picked up and bagged Saturday in Capitol State Forest as part of an effort to clean up an area known for litter.

Shooting rules

Firing is allowed in nearly all areas throughout the forest, and many people use the Triangle Pit because of its gravel backdrop, said Department of Natural Resources representative Nick Cronquist.

Although the property is one of DNR's biggest headaches because of nearby neighborhood complaints about noise, he said, there is no plan to close the site year-round. It is closed in the winter; there are no set dates, Cronquist added.

The area, known as the Triangle Pit, is a gravel pit that gun owners are allowed to use for target practice. Many of them leave behind piles of blasted-apart debris.

"People get excited, not realizing the trash they create," said Thurston County Sheriff's Lt. Paul Counts, who was providing security for Saturday's cleanup.

"It has become a repository for people who are not responsible," Counts added.

The Thurston County Sheriff's Jeep Patrol, Washington chapter of the Toyota Territory Off-Road Association and state Department of Natural Resources pitched in to help, filling 25 trash bags with debris within an hour of their 10:30 a.m. start.

Rick LaCourse of Olympia, a member of the off-road association and Thurston County Jeep Patrol, said he was partly spurred to action by a story about hunting safety in The Olympian last month that included a picture of a bullet-hole-filled target left behind at the pit. To read that article, click the link with this story at www.theolympian.com.

LaCourse and about 10 other people, including DNR representative Nick Cronquist, picked up a range of items including spent brass gun casings and the remnants of a computer keyboard blasted apart by gun fire.

Some of the debris was potentially hazardous.

Cronquist picked up a propane tank that had been used for target practice; LaCourse found a live shotgun shell.

Chris Eakland of Tacoma, a member of the off-road association who has participated in other public land cleanup projects, said the Triangle Pit was one of the most debris-filled he has seen.

"I rolled in and was absolutely appalled at the disrespect to everyone else," he said.

Ryan Kalmikov of Olympia, also with the off-road association, said he has used the site in the past, setting up clay pigeons for target practice. But in the past year, the pit has become much worse, he said.

"There's no other place to go (for target practice), so I don't want it to shut down," Kalmikov said. "It's just good to get everyone out."

Rolf Boone is a reporter for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5403 or rboone@theolympian.com.