Mission 05 · Gifford Pinchot National Forest · WA · 2026
Spirit Lake outflow
The U.S. Forest Service is taking objections to a decision it has already drafted here. Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Washington.
The agency files it as “Spirit Lake Outflow Safety Improvement Project”
Record openthe agency stopped taking comments September 8 · what you find still counts
Places to check
1
People it would take
6
Said they’ll go
0
Photographs filed
0
Opened
September 4
Window closed
September 8
Evidence
Nothing filed yet.
No photograph has been filed on this mission yet. The first one lands here with its fingerprint, where its location came from, and how far inside the agency’s own boundary it was taken. The places to check are below.
The objective
What we are testing.
Gifford Pinchot National ForestStream crossings
“the approximately 250-foot walk to the tunnel outlet requires crossing a waterfall stream where South Fork Coldwater Creek joins with tunnel outflow. A small trail bridge is in place”
The agency wrote that in its own document, under Section 1.2.2, Existing Spirit Lake Outflow Tunnel. Nobody has been out to check it.
Park at the small administrative lot off Highway 504 and walk the short path, about 250 feet, to the Spirit Lake tunnel outlet. Photograph the little footbridge over the falling stream where South Fork Coldwater Creek meets the tunnel flow. A photo showing the footbridge in place and its condition, or showing no bridge at that crossing, settles it.
Everything else the document says about the ground.
11 more sentences, in the agency’s own words, with where each one sits in the document. Any of them is fair game for a photograph.
“The existing Spirit Lake outflow tunnel is 8,465 feet long and 11 feet in diameter.”
Under Section 1.2.2, Existing Spirit Lake Outflow TunnelWhere: the tunnel outlet at the administrative parking area off SR-504 along Coldwater Creek
“The tunnel intake at Spirit Lake has no road access and is only accessible by helicopter or by boat from Duck Bay.”
Under Section 1.2.2, Existing Spirit Lake Outflow TunnelWhere: the tunnel intake on the shoreline of Spirit Lake
“The current road is approximately 16 feet wide and composed of a matrix of large cobbles.”
Under Section 2.2.10.1, Truman Trail Access RoadWhere: the Truman Trail Access Road between the Researcher Parking Lot and the Spirit Lake shoreline
“The current temporary road crosses creeks, drainages, and wetlands. The crossings include both temporary crossings that are removed seasonally and overwintering crossings that are designed for 100-year flood events with consideration for debris.”
Under Section 2.2.10.1, Truman Trail Access RoadWhere: the Truman Trail Access Road across the Pumice Plain
“The Truman Trail Access Road alignment crosses four streams known to support rainbow trout populations (Camp Creek, Geothermal Creek West, Geothermal Creek East, and Clear Creek).”
Under Section 3.5.1.3, Aquatic HabitatsWhere: Camp Creek, Geothermal Creek West, Geothermal Creek East, and Clear Creek crossings along the Truman Trail Access Road
“Clear Creek had the highest number of rainbow trout, likely because the stream contains more in-stream wood and logs, which provide good habitat for juvenile fish”
Under Section 3.5.1.4, General Fish and WildlifeWhere: Clear Creek in the Pumice Plain drainage to Spirit Lake
“The study confirmed that NZMS are heavily concentrated along the western shoreline of Spirit Lake including Duck Bay and Leech Cove.”
Under Section 3.5.1.6, Aquatic Invasive Species " New SnailWhere: the western shoreline of Spirit Lake at Duck Bay and Leech Cove versus the tunnel intake area
“No NZMS occupied the area near the tunnel inlet when the study was conducted.”
Under Section 3.5.1.6, Aquatic Invasive Species " New Zealand Mud SnailWhere: the tunnel inlet area on Spirit Lake
“The analysis area for FS-99 (15-meter buffer) overlaps 17.7 acres of late successional reserves along 2.97 miles of the road.”
Under Section 3.5.1.2, Terrestrial HabitatWhere: FS-99 between its junction with FS-25 and the Researcher Parking Lot
“no marbled murrelet zones are mapped in the analysis area for any alternative. The nearest marbled murrelet zones are mapped along the Green River about 6.5 miles north of Harry's Ridge and Spirit Lake.”
Under Table 3.5-1, Likelihood of occurrence of federally-listed fish and wildlife in the area of analysisWhere: Harry's Ridge and Spirit Lake analysis area, compared to Green River zones 6.5 miles north
“No known historic built environment or archaeological resources are within the footprint. Construction is unlikely to encounter unknown historic built environment and archaeological resources due to the location and depth of project construction.”
Under Section 3.4.2, Environmental ConsequencesWhere: the construction footprints of Alternatives 2 through 9 within the Monument
The window shut September 8. Evidence still counts: it backs the objections from people who did comment, goes to the lawyers, and outlives the decision.