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29 4: Public access goals The following principals guide the development and implementation of this public access plan: Goal 1: Monitor safety conditions on the rivers – identify and continuously update hazardous conditions on the Yakima and Cle Elum Rivers, including dams and diversions, logjams, snags and sweepers, swift water, and other non-safe conditions of concern to all river users and interests on websites, maps, brochures, and site kiosks hosted by Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office and Chamber of Commerce, Cle Elum, Ellensburg, Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and private parties such as Red’s Fly Shop. Goal 2: Improve safe access on the rivers – designate which river segments are of safe passage for all types of watercraft for all user skills levels from river segments that should only be accessed by frame boats and skilled users during different seasons of the year, special events like the Epic Float, and dam and flume water release schedules. Goal 3: Improve emergency response capabilities – improve existing launch ramps such as WDFW’s SR-10 Takeout site and Irene Rinehart’s Umptanum Bridge launch, and develop new emergency launch capabilities at strategically placed sites such as Bullfrog Road Bridge, Old Church Camp, Swauk Creek, and Thrall Road/Wilson Creek that reduce emergency response travel time and provide direct access to hazardous areas on the Yakima and Cle Elum Rivers. Goal 4: Anticipate changing river conditions – identify public access sites that will be affected by and may need to be replaced with alternative sites due to changing river channels, higher water flows, and other hydrological impacts such as the continuing flooding of Ringer Loop Road and the WDFW Ringer Loop Road South launch site. Goal 5: Eliminate gaps in river access – develop additional public access sites to reduce long inaccessible river stretches, increase takeout and put-in options, and implement advisory and possibly mandatory takeout requirements at unsafe segments such as the proposed public access sites at Bullfrog Road Bridge, Old Church Camp, Swauk Creek, City Wells, and Thrall Road/Wilson Creek. Goal 6: Increase multiple use site capabilities – add wildlife trails, picnic areas, river bridge crossings, parking capacity, and toilets to existing sites with multiple use interests and opportunities such as Easton Acclimation Ponds, King Horn Slough-Hundley Road, Bullfrog Road South, Cle Elum Hanson Ponds, Lambert Road on Teanaway River, Teanaway River Bridge, Clark Flat Acclimation Ponds, Thorp/Green Bridge, Gladmar Road Conservancy, Thorp Highway Bridge South, Mile Post 20/19, and Big Pines Campground, as well as new potential sites such as Bullfrog Road Bridge, Old Church Camp, Swauk Creek, City Wells, and Thrall Road/Wilson Creek. Goal 7: Increase access to other public lands – across the Yakima River that link shoreline, trail, picnic, and camping opportunities for public access as well as other upland interests at existing public access sites such as a trail bridge crossings at Easton Acclimation Ponds to BPA conservancy lands and Big Pines Campground to BLM and WDFW west ridgeline trails as well as trail bridge and trail crossings at new sites such as Old Church Camp to Washington State Department of Natural Resource (DNR) lands and to the Palouse to Cascade Trail (PCT) at Old Church Camp and Swauk Creek. Goal 8: Conserve and restore significant wildlife habitat – for fish, birds, and mammals in and around existing public access sites and properties such as U-Fish Road/NF-4823 End of Road, Hanson Ponds/Kiwanis Fishing Pond – Whispering Pines Drive, Gladmar Road Conservancy, Hanson Pits/Tjossem Ditch, and Ringer Loop Road as well as around new potential properties at Bullfrog Road Bridge, Old Church Camp, Swauk Creek, and Thrall Road/Wilson Creek.