Silver Star Vision Plan is a North Star for the Future of a Special Area

Silver Star is a magnificent network of multi-use trails just an hour from Vancouver, Washington. For years, the trail system has been part of WTA's advocacy efforts to improve recreation opportunities in the area. The most recent of those efforts has spanned 3 years, and the result is a brand-new vision plan that will guide management here for years to come.

Silver Star is full of expansive views, rugged trails, and gorgeous wildflowers. Photo by trip reporter ejain.

Understanding the broad range of priorities for user groups who recreate at Silver Star takes time. In 2021, WTA pulled together a diverse set of stakeholders, including land managers, the Cowlitz Tribe and other outdoor recreation groups, to make this happen. 

• Onward
• 
• — Read the full vision plan for Silver Star
• — Get more context about the vision process

This plan builds upon the advocacy efforts of past trails and conservation advocates who worked hard to ensure protections for area going back to the 70’s and 80’s.

The vision plan is a broad, guiding principle for the area. It doesn’t outline specific trail projects — that work will come later. But that doesn't mean there won't be on-the-ground work happening this year.

WTA has tackled deferred maintenance on Bluff Mountain and Ed's Trail already this year, and anyone who has driven in Silver Star will be thrilled to hear that the Friends of Road 4109 plan more road maintenance this year!

We've pulled together some frequently asked questions to help explain what a vision plan is, as well as more details on the hopes for the future of the area.

Thanks to work from Friends of Road 4109, it's less likely you'll encounter conditions like this after their work at Silver Star this year. Photo courtesy Cheryl Hill.

What is a vision plan?

A vision plan describes an ideal future and sets the direction for planning and management of an area based on recommendations with broad support. They are not legally binding and do not have specific timelines but they are an expression of the collective voice of the organizations that wrote them. 

Why is this important? Why now?

The Silver Star Mountain and nearby ridges and valleys are important to protect because they feature outstanding scenic, botanical and cultural resources. The plants and animals that find a home there include rare and sensitive species, and the landscape as well as its inhabitants are a living part of the cultural identity of Indigenous Tribes who have inhabited the lower Columbia watershed since time immemorial. The Forest Service managed lands there were designated as a Special Interest Scenic Area in the Forest Management Plan in 1990. 

Hikers flock to Silver Star in the spring because of the gorgeous wildflower displays. Photo from WTA archives.

As the number of visitors to this unique area has grown, the organizations involved in the planning effort recognized a need to build a shared understanding of how to protect the area while fostering recreation opportunities that are in harmony with the values we wish to share with future generations.

Who is involved in this project?

The planning team formed in December 2021 and includes representatives from: Backcountry Horsemen of Washington, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Chinook Trail Association, Cougar Area Trail Seekers, Cowlitz Indian Tribe, Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, Friends of Road 4109, Gifford Pinchot National Forest — Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Gifford Pinchot National Forest Supervisor’s Office, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Washington Native Plant Society and Washington Trails Association. 

If Silver Star is on lands managed by the Forest Service, why is DNR involved?

The Silver Star Special Interest Scenic Area shares a border with the Yacolt Burn State Forest, managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and several trails connect across the border between DNR and Forest Service lands. An increasing number of people are visiting the area and using these trails. A holistic and integrated approach to managing recreation across both land management agencies will be the most efficient way to provide a high-quality trail system while protecting unique and sensitive natural, cultural and scenic resources.

Will there be new trails?

This is not a trails plan. Although the document contains recommendations to show potential new trail concepts, any new project idea will need to be further studied to follow applicable federal and state requirements for environmental analysis and public comment. This vision plan does not set a timeline for those additional, detailed planning efforts. This plan does recommend where new trails could be considered to improve the overall trail system to reduce future congestion and negative impacts to cultural, scenic and natural resources.​

Why isn’t motorized recreation part of this project?

​The 1986 Gifford Pinchot National Forest travel plan designated the Silver Star area as non-motorized to protect the unique and fragile plant communities from damage and to protect the semi-primitive recreational opportunities. Similarly, the DNR trails that connect to the Silver Star area are designated as non-motorized multi-use routes. Recommendations in this plan are consistent with existing rules, regulations and policies established by prior planning efforts, including the 1993 Silver Star Trails Plan and the 2010 Western Yacolt Burn Forest Recreation Plan.

Will this plan reduce timber harvests in the area?

No. Washington state trust lands are sustainably managed to produce wood products to support school construction and local services. The trust obligation contained in the state Constitution directs how DNR trust lands are managed, while this plan only includes recommendations for recreation management. 

What comes next?

Planning team members have already started to collaborate, pooling their resources to accomplish some of the high-priority recommendations from the planning process. For example, Washington Trails Association and the Chinook Trail Association (CTA) led volunteer trail work parties this spring to restore existing trails. Friends of Road 4109 plans to continue its road maintenance work, and the Forest Service has contributed money through a grant that volunteers with CTA and Friends of Road 4109 will implement to install new boulders to help keep off-road vehicles out of sensitive meadows.

With the vision document as evidence of broad support, members of the planning team can work together to seek grant funding for priority projects to come in future years. By working together this year to complete deferred maintenance, we are demonstrating how a fellowship of organizations pulling in the same direction can accomplish more than a lone actor.

In addition to this plan, the Gifford Pinchot National Forest will be developing a sustainable trails plan for the entire forest and will be seeking public input during the summer and fall of 2023.