The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

At least three areas in the surrounding countryside are used locally as shooting ranges, possibly all illegally. That may offer an opportunity to improve.

Last week, a firefighter friend in Ephrata noted he and his fellow firefighters had been listening to their scanners expecting to be called by Electric City to help fight the Osborn Bay fire.

He was surprised to learn it had started from the spark of a ricochet in an outdoor, unofficial, make-do shooting area.

“Around here, we shoot at the (real) shooting range,” he said.

Washington Flats, north of west Coulee Dam; out past the old marina in a fenced-off area past the end of Marina Way; and at Osborn Bay up against the coulee wall, local gun owners have made use of sandy hillside backstops for decades, but not without risk. Hikers and dog walkers also like all of those areas.

Years ago, back when winter was more reliably winter, a federal grant from a Bureau of Reclamation fund came through for the purpose of building a skating area at North Dam Park. It could be used for ice skating, encouraging people to stay off the thin ice on Banks Lake by Coulee Playland.

Perhaps city, federal and park district officials could get together on another safety measure for recreation, funding a more suitable shooting range.

It might prevent starting a wildfire or shooting a hiker.

Scott Hunter

editor and publisher