Friends of the Trail hope to take video nationwide

SNOQUALMIE - Spend a day out in the woods with Wade Holden and you'll be surprised at what you'll find. Computers used for target practice then discarded in a pristine stream, thousands of rounds of ammunition casings, tires, broken down motorcycles and a slew of empty beer cans and bottles are just a fraction of the things Holden discovers on his excursions.

SNOQUALMIE – Spend a day out in the woods with Wade Holden and you’ll be surprised at what you’ll find. Computers used for target practice then discarded in a pristine stream, thousands of rounds of ammunition casings, tires, broken down motorcycles and a slew of empty beer cans and bottles are just a fraction of the things Holden discovers on his excursions.

While many parents don’t want to admit that a solid portion of the offenders are of high-school age, Holden’s hoping that a new video produced by a local student for his nonprofit group Friends of the Trail will help to dissuade offenders from mucking up an invaluable resource.

“I’ve always wanted to do some sort of presentation in the schools,” said Holden. “I always thought it’d be good to get the message out that if you trash the woods, you won’t be able to use them later on.”

Since 1996 Friends of the Trail has been working to clean up the dumping that occurs on public land, waterways and scenic areas in Eastern King County. In that time the group has removed more than 700 tons of raw garbage, almost 300 appliances and more than 100 vehicles.

The video is the latest tool in the group’s growing arsenal of weapons used to counteract the damage done to forests and help ensure the woods can be enjoyed by future generations. Holden hopes to eventually get the video distributed to schools nationwide.

For the complete story, pick up a copy of this week’s Valley Record