Dumping at Colfax BLM shootng range on Sac CBS

[paradox]

Update: There will be a cleanup this Saturday, 1/20/2007, starting at 10am


CBS13 out of Sacramento has been running a story on illegal dumping at the BLM range near Colfax. BLM says they may have to close it down if the trash pile continues. The spot ends asking for help cleaning it up.

Overall it was a very pro-gun piece showing an old couple and a father-son couple as the face of the shooting public.

We should organize a CalGuns cleanup day. We could easily get great media coverage from both CBS13 as well as CW31 in the politically important California market. We need to move quickly on this because reporters have the attention span of a gnat on coke.

I’m willing to road trip north. Anyone else want to volunteer? For best effects we should be willing to go live on “Good Day Sacramento” which would equate to meeting at dawn. If we’re lucky, we will be able to do a pre-recorded spot like the recent Mustang Range segment.

[MadMex]

[1919A4]

Hi there,
You should put a copy of this in the outdoor section!!!.

[placergold1]

Count me in

I'd like to help. I have a flyer from one of the past cleanup days with a phone number for the past organizer. He might have tips to organize such an effort.

[Pthfndr]

Here's a map from an old PLINK clean up trip to there from a few years ago.

[762cavalier]

Paradox- Thanks for posting this. I saw the news story at work and planned on coming home and posting it and trying to plan a cleanup day. I am in I have never shot at the colfax range but I live in south sac and am willing to commute. I agree that it should be done really soon. How do we contact BLM to set up a cleanup date.

[Wulf]

I've participated in a couple of clean-up's up there. There's a contractor that BLM hires to come out and clean the place up and haul off the trash. One time I happend to be out there when they were working and just pitched in. Another time someone had posted a flyer and I came out for that. At that second one there was a guy that was collecting email info to set up a list to aid in the clean ups but I've never heard from him.

I have mixed feeling about having the map Pathfinder posted available. The area is very small, and has serrious safety issues that arise when the place is over used....that's over and above trash issue. I really dont want this place to turn into spenceville.

I think what we really need with this range is a couple of people that would hold an email list that could coordinate with BLM and muster the troops for clean-ups. I think more publicity would not necessarily be a good thing in terms of the long term usability and availability of the range.

[paradox]

I think more publicity would not necessarily be a good thing in terms of the long term usability and availability of the range.

Perhaps, perhaps not. The publicity is already there, if we take advantage of the opening and get on air showing us gun owners care and are willing to get our hands dirty doing the right thing it would be good propaganda for our side. Remember, this is the Sacramento TV market and the legislature is in session. It would be a cheap way to get a pro-gunowner message out. Plus I hate seeing our beautiful California outdoors look like the slums of Mexico.

That's just my opinion though.

I'll try calling BLM monday and see what can be worked out. Does anyone know Bill whose number was in the flyer?

[1SGMAT]

I have not shot there in months but am willing to clean up. I always take more out with me than I bring in when I do go.

[Wulf]

It seems like the hard part is really not getting the bodies to do the pickup, its the hauling and disposal. The last time we did it the BLM's contractor brought out two big double axel trailers and a couple of guys. The dozzen or more volunteers that showed up helped them load it. But without the trailers it would have been an impossible task. I dont know whether simply getting the volunteers out is enough to satisfy the BLM if they're still picking up the hauling and disposal tab.

I know at a smilar BLM range up near truckee, they changed it to a key access range. Basically you went to the BLM and paid a fee for a key to the range. That cut down substantially on the midnight dumping and gave the BLM some sort of cash flow to off set the dumping fees. I think that may be a viable option in this case. My impression is is that a fair portion of the stuff dumped out there is not dumped by shooters but by people trying to save 20 bucks by getting rid of their crap at the transfer station. Perhaps the best bet is to go to the key access situation and then put a dumpster out there so that the stuff shooters do generate could be thrown away properly.

[MadMex]

Where did this land?

[placergold1]

Colfax Range

I shot there Friday, and a nice gentelman who belongs to the ElDorado shooting club removed some of the trash. We helped him load some of the shot up electronics into his truck bed. Unfortunately, the volume of junk was so large that we only made a dent in whole pile. I wish I had a truck myself to help properly dispose of this crap that idiots dump at the range. For those of us who use the range we should arrange occasional days to clean the site, and also take up collections to cover the disposal costs. Considering the fees people routinely pay at the privately owned ranges, this cost should be minimal to help ensure the Colfax range remains viable.

[Scarecrow Repair]

Dumpster?

Dumpsters are pretty cheap. Maybe we should rent one for a day? I live near enough to help but have closer places to shoot, like my deck :-) I can probably be available Th-Su if someone sets up a date. I've never even been there. Maybe I ought to go by once in a while and pick up a load, tho I don't know where I'd take it ... dumpster would probably be the cheapest option. Maybe rent one for a week and people could swing by instead of trying to figure out a single date for everybody to get together.

[Kestryll]

I've copied this to the Outdoor forum and am stickying both versions.
This is a great idea even without any media attention, something the shooting community can do for itself and our State.
However if they show it can't hurt the image of shooters to be seen as we really are instead of as the media normally portrays us!

[paradox]

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?p=462751

Well, I finally got a human in charge of the situation at BLM. His name is John Scull, his e-mail address is jscull@ca.blm.gov

There will be a cleanup this Saturday, 1/20/2007, starting at 10am