Please do note the Glacial Heritage Natural Area is owned by Thurston
County, not the state. This is a CLOSED county park and is NOT open to the
public. Permission may be granted by the Thurston County Parks Department,
but it is not regularly given. Russell Rogers is doing a specific study of
the birds of Glacial Heritage Natural Area.


Tom Schooley, Olympia WA , dunlin at mail.tss.net
"The earth that directed itself instinctively in its former phases
seems now to be entering a phase of conscious decision
through its human expression." -Thomas Berry

----------
> From: MBlanchrd at aol.com
> To: guttmanb at elwha.evergreen.edu; TWEETERS at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Re: Glacial Heritage
> Date: Sunday, June 14, 1998 7:54 PM
>
> In a message dated 98-06-14 15:19:59 EDT, you write:
>
> << Where is that? You write as if we should know the area's location,
but
> at least some of us don't.
>
> Burt Guttman guttmanb at elwha.evergreen.edu
> The Evergreen State College Voice: 360-866-6000, x. 6755
> Olympia, WA 98505 FAX: 360-866-6794
>
> Reunite Gondwana!
>
>
> RE: Glacial Heritage..
>
> >>I do apologize. I've been living by it since 93, but it wasn't until
three
> weeks ago, when Russ Rogers reported it and gave directions to it, did I
learn
> that it had a name.
> It can be found on pg 45 of the DeLorme Washington Atlas, 8 A and a
half. If
> you draw a line from Mima road to the eastern edge of the map, you'd
underline
> a town called Mumby. The area below that line is pretty much the area
known as
> Glacial Heritage. Oh, I do wish DeLorme would put grid coordinates on
their
> maps, like any sensible mapmaker does.....
>
> For anyone who is familiar with the area, it's near where Black Hills
Ranch
> used to be. The owners of which are now subdividing it, having twisted a
few
> political arms to change the zoning...........
>
> You must take I-5 south to exit 95, "Maytown Littlerock". Turn right and
> follow the signs into Littlerock. Go straight through Littlerock until
you
> come to a T in the road. Turn left onto Mima Road SW. Follow this road 2
and
> 8/10's miles til you come to a gravel apron on the left. This is
Weyerhauser
> property, their tree nursery is on the right side of the road, and the
apron
> is on the left. Right at that spot is the RailTrail..by which I mean,
it's
> Burlington Northern's railline now donated to the Rails-to-Trails
program. If
> you follow the path back in the direction you came down..in other words,
> northish, you will eventually come out into open country on the left that
is
> now called "Glacial Heritage" It has firs and hundreds of the mounds this
area
> is known for.
>
> Please forgive me, I have no idea how to get in by vehicle. For that,
you'll
> need to contact Russ Rogers, and I think vehicles are not allowed anyway.
I
> don't know how to get in by vehicle as I live right next to it and just
walk
> to it from my backyard, but I have to skirt the gravel pit to get there.
>
> Once you get in the area, you'll see lots of firs in isolated groups. The
> kites seem to hang out around a clump that is in view of Mima Road
(though
> it's not right next to the road by any means....) as well as the
abandoned
> house that's on the property. I'd say it's about a half mile south of the
> gravel pit, which is lined with fir trees. If you cross the railline into
the
> pit, you've gone too far.
> This is all state land, by the way, so there's no need to ask
> permission..however do NOT go into the abandoned house. They used to have
a
> guy guarding it, I don't know if they still have, but it's in bad shape.
I
> think they keep it up to serve as a magnet for escapees from Cedar Creek
> Corrections Center. why it's still there I don't know.
>
> It's worth the trip, just to see the kites...but there's plenty other
birds
> out there as well. If we all raise a voice, maybe the county will leave
it
> alone. A couple years ago Weyerhauser went into the Mima Mounds and took
out
> enormouse old growth trees under the auspices of "restoration". But they
left
> the broom.............
> Michelle