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Foundation built for shelter, cooperation Mail Tribune / Paul Fattig Forest Service landscape architect Gary Bartlett says the volunteer effort by members of the Multiple-Use Trail Coalition at the Hamaker trailhead shelter is saving the agency some $40,000. Rogue River National Forest structure has year-round purpose By Paul Fattig PROSPECT � What happens when you put snowmobilers, nordic skiers, motorcyclists, mountain bikers, hikers and horseback riders together in one room? Then, to make it a little more amusing, arm the often-at-odds forest users with screaming power tools that slash and tear, or claw hammers and other blunt instruments? If they are members of the Multiple-Use Trail Coalition, you get an old-fashioned barn raising that saves taxpayers some $40,000. More than 100 volunteers from the diverse Rogue Valley-based group erected most of an impressive shelter at the Hamaker trailhead in the Rogue River National Forest during a three-day effort that ended Sunday. Moreover, the volunteers intend to be back Friday morning to finish the job by sundown Sunday, said Medford resident Gene Bowling, a coalition board member and the group�s volunteer coordinator. "We get good participation from everybody � we work well together," said Bowling, a longtime member of the Rogue Valley Snowmobilers. "We pretty much represent anybody that uses Forest Service trails." Fellow coalition member Edgar Hee, president of the Southern Oregon chapter of the Oregon Nordic Club, agrees. "We take a lot from the forest � we use it and enjoy it," said the Medford resident. "This is one way of helping to pay it back." The fact the site, located on the west side of Highway 230 about 20 miles north of Prospect, may be a little too low in elevation for ideal Nordic skiing doesn�t matter, he said. "It�s a great location for year-round recreation," Hee said of other potential uses for the multiple-use trail into the forest. The volunteers are saving the Forest Service about $40,000, estimated Gary Bartlett, the agency�s representative to the coalition. Bartlett is the landscape architect for the Rogue River forest. It would cost about $80,000 to have the structure built, he said. "We�ll probably have less than $40,000 into this project when it�s done," he said. "We also have companies donating equipment." The structure, covering some 1,200 square feet, is designed to be used year around by the entire public, not just coalition members, Bartlett said. Inside will be a stove to warm visitors during those cold winter days. Doors and windows will be added after the building is completed, Bartlett said. "These volunteers are building the whole thing from the ground up," Bartlett said. The Federal Highway Administration built the parking lot around the site. The Forest Service is providing the materials. Bartlett, who has been working on the forest for nearly a quarter of a century, was there when the coalition formed a decade ago. "There were conflicts, but we found we could do things to reduce those conflicts," he said. "For example, out in the Applegate, there were conflicts between mountain bike riders and equestrians. "Equestrians explained to the mountain bike riders that horses don�t see humans separate from the bicycle," he added. "They explained that the horse sees a creature different from what it is used to, that they come down the trail and are spooked." They let each other see from their perspectives by letting moutain bikers ride horses and vice versa out on a mountain trail, he recalled. "A communications started from that," Bartlett said. "It moved out of the realm of groups being against each other to trying to understand each other. "There is no question there are still conflicts," he added. "But there is understanding now." There were problems in working together at the outset, Bowling confirmed of the group that now includes everything from dog sled enthusiasts to off-road vehicle users. "When we started 10 years ago, we�d have one group on one side of the table and another group on the other side, glaring at each other," Bowling recalled. "Now we communicate. "We understand each other�s needs now," he added. "We�re trying to make it work for everybody. There is a lot of forest out there." There is also plenty of opportunity for other volunteers to help complete the shelter, he said. The volunteer work begins at 8 a.m. Friday and will continue Saturday and Sunday. Anyone wanting to join in the cross-user effort can call Bowling at 772-5659. "Or they can just show up," he said. The only requirement is that they be willing to work and communicate with other users, he added. 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