TRAILS – A new 8-mile loop trail planned near Fishtrap Lake by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is the target of a National Public Lands Day volunteer effort on Sept. 26 to get the job started.

The Spokane Mountaineers and Washington Trails Association have committed members to working on the non-motorized trail, said Lynn Smith, a trails project coordinator for the Mountaineers.

Workers will assemble at 8:30 a.m. at BLM’s Folsom Farm area and break into groups for work on the trail between Fishtrap Road south to Farmer’s Landing.

Participants should bring gloves, water, and hand tools such as pulaski, ho-dad, pick, shovel, hoe and wheelbarrow.

T-shirts and public-lands access passes also may be given out to registered helpers.

The trail will provide scenic as well as geological and historic values, said Steve Smith BLM’s outdoor recreation planner.

Planning for the trail started in 2013 with help from hiking, mountain biking and horse groups, he said, noting that the trail likely won’t be completed until next fall.

First phase trail improvements will include tread construction, vegetation removal and installation of trail markers and signs.

The July 2014 Watermelon Hill Fire killed a high percentage of the trees along portions of the proposed trail route, especially along the lake's southern end, Smith said. But much of the landscape is rebounding, a process that will be speeded if the drought breaks.

”The public is still welcome to hike or ride horses or mountain bikes anywhere within the Fishtrap (BLM) area prior to completion of the trail,” Smith said.

Sign-up for the project in advance to be counted in for snacks, lunch and beverages by emailing Smith, sasmith@blm.gov.