On a sunny spring day, shooters drive miles on pot-hole ridden roads with a car full of ammo to spend their day off enjoying their favorite outdoor recreational activity.

They arrive at what is usually an empty field. This time, overwhelming their customary view of the surrounding green hills, are mounds of beer cans, broken glass and empty cartridges.

Some recreational shooters are littering local public lands, shooting in unsafe locations and damaging the local environment, a problem acknowledged by the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) that was addressed last year, but no further action has been taken.

Many students and local community members alike enjoy target shooting; it’s a pastime for many in the Ellensburg area.

Between 2005 and 2010, Ellensburg has seen a population increase of 1,400 people, according to the United States Census Bureau.

As the Kittitas Valley sees an influx in population levels, more and more people are taking advantage of the surrounding land to target shoot.

Durr Road, located in the Wenas Wildlife Area near Umptanum Road, is showing scars of this pastime.

With the increased numbers participating in target shooting, local shooting pits are being neglected and piling up with trash.

Empty cartridges, broken glass and even a car bumper are just a few notable pieces of litter around the shooting area.

According to the Washington State Legislature WAC 332-52-145, all target shooting must take place in “developed recreation facilities” or in areas with “unobstructed, earthen backstop capable of stopping all projectiles and debris in a safe manner.”

By Washington standards, popular shooting pits like the ones on Durr Road are not legal. Lacking a proper backstop, these locations provide no guarantee to stop stray shots.

Such locations not only pose an environmental hazard, they also pose a threat to others enjoying nearby public lands whether or not they are participating in such activites.

“If there is not a decent place [to shoot], these problems will arise,” said Hal Mason, president of the Kittias Valley rifle and pistol club.

As president of KVRPC, Mason has participated in cleanups of the local shooting pits, like Durr Road. However, the problem extends further than those responsible shooters.

Kittitas Valley Rifle and Pistol Club (KVRPC), the local range headed by Mason, offers a “heated, well lit and safe place,” according to Mason, for those responsible target shooters all year long, reducing the hazards associated with target shooting.

Such options are being considered by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), which manages the Wenas Wildlife Area where many of these rogue pits exist.

Currently, local community members and organizations are working to keep such sites clean and safe.

Kittitas County Field and Stream, based out of Ellensburg, hosts a yearly cleanup at Durr Road sites. This year’s cleanup took place last Saturday, and offered volunteers doughnuts, coffee and a hamburger for their help.

Despite multiple attempts to reach out to WDFW for an interview, they did not reply.

For more access on this issue or for further information contact Cindi Confer Morries, Wildlife Area Manager at (509)-697-4303.