IATC History Chapter 37 (2017): Club Hires Executive Director

IATC History

Chapter 37:  2017

Club Hires Executive Director

By Doug Simpson

January – March:  Lenard Seeks Paid Help

President Kirt Lenard sought club support for both an Executive Director and a bookkeeper.  Since the club lacks a Treasurer, Lenard has had to deal with all financial matters as well as his regular duties.  The IATC supported payment for both positions. 

John Sherwin was elected to replace Rachel Hopkins on the board.  Cornelia Remy reported at the meeting that the previous quarter the club had 11 hike leaders, 31 hikes and 221 hikers for an average of 7.1 per hike.

Lenard in his “President’s Report” discussed the need for more club members.  “If we are going to continue to be effective promoters and defenders of wild space, we are going to have to do more than just keep our membership base,” he wrote.

The winner of the club’s second “Picture the Alps” photo contest was Connie King’s ”Dew Drop on the Nook” taken on Tiger Mountain.  Photos on Cougar Mountain by Kristy Swanson and Tony Messer took second and third places.  All three photos were printed in the Alpiner.

A feature article told of “Grandma” Marjorie James and her progress toward hiking the entire Pacific Crest Trail.  An injury prompted her to seek companions on future Crest outings.

The second installment of Bill Longwell’s citing his favorite area birds focused on the Wilson’s Warbler, the Northern Bullock’s Oriole, the Western Wood Pee Wee and the Western Tanager.

Ed Vervoort reported on two new trails on Tiger Mountain— The Legend (.8 miles) and Easy,Tiger (.6 miles)—both between the eastern section of the Northwest Timber Trail and the Eastside Road.

April – June:  Kagan Hired as Executive Director

The club’s January 6 annual meeting drew a large crowd of about sixty people at the Issaquah Train Depot.  The main focus was a panel on “The Future of Trails in the Greater Issaquah Alps.” Moderator David Kappler introduced Kelly Heintz of King County Parks, Nicki Fields from Washington State Parks, Jeff Watling of Issaquah Parks, and Laurie Benson from the State Department of Natural Resources.

The four discussed ongoing and future projects and answered questions from the audience.  After the 90-minute session, IATC held its annual meeting for spectators.  Kappler and Kathleen Petty were reelected as Vice-President and Secretary, and board members George Potter, Doug Simpson and Steve Williams were also reelected.

Suzanne Kagan was hired by the IATC Board to be the club’s first Executive Director.  Her contract requires an average of 25 hours per month.  Kagan has extensive experience with the Friends of Lake Sammamish and the Lake Washington Saddle Club.

In his “President’s Report,” Kirt Lenard, among other topics, announced that Doug McClellan, recently retired from the State Department of Natural Resources, has agreed to act as a strategic advisor to the IATC Board.

Advocacy Vice-President Dave Kappler noted that a priority for the club is persuading King County to change its policy of “mixing hikers, bicyclists and equestrians on the same trail regardless of trail alignment, width or steepness.”  In a separate article, Kappler urged acquisition of the 800-acre Winterbrook Farm, strategically located off the May Valley Road across from the Squak Mountain State Park trailhead.

Steve Williams wrote a letter to the City of Bellevue urging it not to change the old Milt Swanson property across from Cougar’s Coal Creek access into a 41-house development.  For 80 years the property has been rural pasture and an important wildlife crossing corridor. [This club advocacy effort continues under the banner of “Save Coal Creek.” Ed.]

July – September:  Scholarship Winners from Issaquah High

Looking to the future, IATC’s Board of Directors established a permanent nominating committee to establish a better organized system to provide for future leadership.  New Executive Director Suzanne Kagan would chair the committee, with Ken Konigsmark and David Dunphy also serving.

A third of the club’s 39 scheduled hikes in the second quarter were cancelled due to bad weather or insufficient turnout.

David Kappler wrote of the club’s need to explore utilizing means such as bus shuttles and ride-sharing to reduce parking and congestion problems on popular trail sites.  He noted a hike on Taylor Mountain with great views and no other hikers as an example to utilize.

Two Issaquah High students were winners in the club’s scholarship program.  Christine You took the $1000 first prize and Jacob Duhukey got the $500 second prize.  You plans to attend California’s Scripps College to study pre-med while Duhukey will attend Western Washington University to study business.

You volunteered for a trail work project at the Beaver Lake Preserve.  “. . . I have never once thought of how all the trails came to be.  I certainly never knew that a great part of the trails are respectfully forged through the organization of volunteers who share a distinct admiration for nature and self-established commitment to enabling others to appreciate it too.”

Duhukey hiked on Dave Kappler’s Taylor Mountain Big View Trail and also on Scott Semans’ hike on Cougar Mountain’s Big Tree Trail.  He learned about the history and geology of the trails and issues that are faced to gain and preserve recreational trails.  “I have learned so much interesting information I would never have known about the Issaquah region. . .It was a wonderful experience.”

October – December:  Metro Provides Shuttles

Completion of the East Lake Sammamish Trail was delayed again due to legal challenges over the safety of trail crossings in the final 1.3 miles at issue that would complete the trail.

Another long-time active member of IATC, Marty Hanson, passed on June 3.  Along with her recently deceased husband Larry, she was active on many fronts.

After nearly 15 years as the leader of the most IATC hikes, Richard Mann, now 87, has decided to step down as a hike leader.  He cites Squak Mountain as his favorite area to hike.  Mann also served a number of years as a member of the IATC Board of Directors.

With the establishment of Trailhead Direct Service, hikers can now utilize shuttle busses to reach a number of hiking destinations.  King County Metro established the program.

New hike leaders in 2017 were Denice Carnahan, Marjorie James and Suzanne Kagan.