SEQUIM — A “no shooting” zone has been established in state trust land next to Johnson Creek Road to protect nearby houses whose residents felt like they were in the line of fire.
The state Department of Natural Resources, which manages trust lands, established the zone.
Signs marking the area are scheduled to be put up this month. Those violating the zone can be charged with reckless endangerment, a gross misdemeanor.
People shooting from the road and land alongside it pose a danger to people living as close as a half-mile away.
“A group of neighbors came to DNR and told us they felt they were at risk,” said Mike Cronin, Straits district manager for the department’s Olympic Region.
“Mostly they were the adjacent property owners.”
Automatic gunfire
Those living on Vista del Mar Drive are particularly concerned, said William Bjorklund, an officer in a group called Alliance for Recreation and Conservation that’s been working on several issues regarding activities at Burnt Hill.
One resident even reported hearing automatic gunfire at night.
“We’re very encouraged that they’re doing something,” he said. “There’s things that go on up there that shouldn’t.”
The no-shooting zone starts at the entrance to state land from Johnson Creek Road and covers a 40-acre parcel that was recently clearcut. It also extends up the road about a half-mile to where the road splits.
