Updates on Little Badger & The Year Ahead
With tremendous outpouring of support, we raised $3.5M through May 2022 to create the new 75-acre Little Badger Preserve. Only with your support was this possible. Thank you!
Now in the coming year here’s what we hope to achieve:
- Building FoBM’s sections of the new Little Badger Trail, starting east from the Badger Preserve and winding through striking sagebrush habitat on the new 11-acre parcel we just purchased. This will connect with the City of Richland’s section on the north slope which they will design this spring. Then it’s onto the knife edge of the mountain with its 360-degree views and access to the south side of Little Badger on which we will also build a section this spring.
- Finalizing an agreement with Ramer Holtan, owner of a significant amount of land on Candy Mountain, to purchase land and secure a trail route that will wind down from the summit of Candy all the way to Kennedy Road to the west, adding two+ miles of trail.
- Building the remaining section to create an official Red Mountain Vineyard Trail that would go two miles from Antinori Road, across from Col Solare Winery, to Sunset Road in the west.
- Identifying land on the east end of Little Badger that would enable us to cross an existing irrigation canal and head to Amon Basin. This will involve negotiations with the landowner, probably over several years, for purchase of the land and then with KID to build a small bridge across the canal.
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Updates on Badger Mountain
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Trail Surface Improvements
If you hike Badger’s Canyon you’ve seen the changes – the trail widened to 5’, lots of rocks removed, the trail smoothed out. Thank you volunteers for your outstanding work.
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Trail Work Volunteers Needed
Work includes removing rocks, smoothing the surface, then top off with a new layer of gravel. Sign up! Contact trailmaster@friendsofbadger.org or 509-943-3992 (or 509-940-7234). Work parties this week are Thursday through Sunday, 8 AM to noon, and will likely continue each week until mid-to-late April.
The trailmaster provides all the tools and fresh, tasty homemade cookies at the mid-morning break. Signing up helps with planning and to make sure he’s got enough cookies. The more help we can get the sooner we can get started on the new Little Badger trail.
Also, if you have access to a rock crusher, please get ahold of our Trailmaster. This will be of assistance on upcoming trail work projects.
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New Trail Signs
 Check out the new trail signs on Badger Mountain, an effort spearheaded by FoBM Board Member Dale Lindsey and Committee. You’re likely never to get lost again!
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New Memorial Page
Your donation dedicated in honor or in memory of others will now be acknowledged on our website. For more information, click the button below, or go to friendsofbadger.org/memorials/
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Badger Mountain Challenge
The 12th Annual Badger Mountain Challenge is coming up March 24th & 25th. Trails on Badger are likely to be busy on the 25th. They needs lots of volunteers. All volunteers will receive a free entrance to a BMC 15k – or a reduced fee to one of the ultra-distance events.
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Health People, Happy Planet - Earth Day Tri-Cities
Saturday, April 22, 10 am – 2pm, The Reach, free admission
Enjoy music, games and a student poetry competition, try out science experiments for kids, learn about electric cars and bikes — and birds, gems, trees, local trails, tips for gardening, a climate simulator and much more.
Taco and Thai trucks will be available to provide food. Pending approval by the Ben Franklin Transit board, April 22 will be a “fare free” day, 7am to 10pm so that people can “Try Transit”. Or consider other forms of eco-friendly travel -- walking, biking, kayaking, rolling or ride sharing!
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Wildflower Walks
 The first flower of 2023, the wooly-pod milk vetch, photographed by Rick Zimmerman.
Check-in with the calendar on our website, or our Facebook page, in the coming weeks for Wildflower Walks this coming spring.
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Time to get out, repair those trails, and enjoy a hike!
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Sharon Grant
Chair, FoBM Capital Campaign
Newsletter Editor
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Chris Lindhartsen
FoBM Webmaster
Newsletter Publisher
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