Visitors to Vancouver Lake’s trap shooting area this year will find a new structure there: an ADA accessible shooting pavilion. The pavilion was built this last weekend by volunteers with the Vancouver Wildlife League.
The new pavilion will offer wheelchair-bound sportsmen a dry and protected area to shoot from, as well as adding a little protection from the elements to all trap shooters that use the range.
The pavilion is just another project taken on and completed by members of the Vancouver Wildlife League. The league has also been the driving force behind a wave of new ADA accessible hunting blinds that are being built at local public hunting refuges and wildlife areas.
These brick-and-mortar projects enhance the other works the group has taken on, including the planting of pheasants every year for the western Washington pheasant hunting project, holding the annual Vancouver-area youth pheasant hunt, and helping with local fishing clinics for kids.
There are donation programs that strive to outfit young fishermen with rods and other gear, and a plethora of other projects designed to help the local outdoor community.
The pavilion floor still needs to be finished, the last step of the project. The flooring will be constructed of repurposed concrete overlaid with fine gravels and packed to create a solid, but permeable floor. It should be completed in a few days.
The volunteer work party had to work around the fact that a contractor that had committed to the project bailed at the last minute. Undeterred, the volunteers scrambled to fill in the gaps and succeeded in building the structure themselves.
Founded in 1929, the Vancouver Wildlife League is an organization of outdoor enthusiasts and conservationists. It is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Washington.
“We are one of the few multi-purpose hunting clubs,” said Chuck Cheshire, the current president of the league. “If there is a need, any need, that is what we are all about.”
Cheshire said the club has a number of methods to gather funds for projects, including membership dues, the auctioning of donated time, and more.
Once the funding is in place, it’s time to gather up the usual volunteers.
“Without the volunteers, these projects don’t happen,” said Cheshire. “Some volunteers can donate time, some donate money, and some bring muscle. We take whatever we get and put it all together.”
The project is being spear-headed by Rick Spring, who has logged over 250 hours on this project alone.
Spring deflects any praise for himself, and points to the volunteers as the real heroes of the project.
“The guys on the team I had were fabulous,” said Spring.
Spring, who is a Vietnam War veteran, has been involved in many projects of different kinds, including fishing docks and ramps for the disabled, and he is a member of the state’s advisory board on ADA access.
Spring began volunteering at a VA hospital after he retired, and has devoted his time to helping disabled vets.
He was perplexed that veterans with a penchant for fishing and hunting had such little access, and what was out there was pretty poor.
“I saw the old ADA blind at Ridgefield (National Wildlife Refuge), and it was a piece of junk,” Spring said. “I knew I wanted to rebuild that blind, so I approached the manager of the refuge.”
The wildlife area manager, Darren Hauswald, agreed, and a project was born.
What he designed and built has gotten the attention of refuge managers everywhere, and even drawn national attention for his work.
The blind project “took on a life of its own,” said Spring.
He soon had orders to build more blinds at other refuges and wildlife areas. The wildlife league and volunteers from other wildlife groups will be helping him build two blinds a year for the next three years.
All told there will be two at the Ridgefield NWR, one at the Willapa Bay NWR, two at the Sunnyside Wildlife Area near Toppenish, and the one at the Shillapoo Wildlife Area.
The blinds are extremely low maintenance and should last for about 25 years. The design has been approved as ADA compliant at the federal and state level.
The response to the blinds and his design has awed Spring.
“These blinds have been so well received,” said Spring. “And, it’s now also being used as a wildlife viewing blind, not just for hunting.”
Hauswald reports that usage of the ADA blinds has increased.
“It is reserved almost every weekend of the hunting season now,” he said.
He has also enjoyed working with the people from the wildlife league.
“It’s been good,” he said. “Rick is a great guy to work with. He’s a real go-getter.”
Spring’s attitude is reflective of the wildlife league and its members. The league is constantly looking for ways to give back to the community.
Some of the projects in the works include a sectioned-off archery practice range. Archers often come to the wildlife area to practice, but there is no facility. Broadhead arrows often get lost in the grass and become a hazard for dogs that can slice their feet on the razor-sharp blades.
Fencing off a practice range will protect dogs from this hazard.
While it is hard work, Cheshire, Spring, and other members of the club derive great satisfaction from the volunteer and community work they do.
“This is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life,” adds Spring.
The Vancouver Wildlife League is always looking for new members, as well as donations for their projects. Those interested in joining or donating can check out the club’s website at: http://vancouverwildlife.org
Wildlife area tour
The public can join a tour of the wildlife area on Saturday, September 15. Interested parties should arrive at the shooting pavilion near the Vancouver Lake boat launch at 9:00 am. The tour will be guided by staff from the wildlife area.
