BENTON CITY -- A covered shooting range for use in hunter education and safety training classes will be built at the Rattlesnake Mountain Shooting Facility near Benton City, thanks in part to a grant awarded this week to the Tri-Cities Shooting Association.
Washington's State Recreation and Conservation Funding Board approved a $23,986 grant for the shooting association to help build the new hunter education range and an innovative practical field course at the Rattlesnake Mountain facility near Benton City.
The association also will contribute $32,438 in cash and donations of equipment, labor and materials, said the group's Dan Martini, who handled the grant application process to the state.
The covered range will have a 200-foot firing line and be designed to allow archery, rifle, pistol and shotgun use, he said.
Also planned is a practical applications course for hunter safety participants, Martini said.
The course will include a fenced gate, a log, fencing and more, allowing students to learn proper firearm safety while coping with obstacles and situations typically encountered while hunting.
The 1,100-acre Rattlesnake Mountain facility is open to the public, and membership to the Tri-Cities Shooting Association is $30 per year for an adult. The association manages the shooting facility under a lease/concession agreement with the Benton County Park Board.
Workers needed to help with Amon Creek trail
Volunteers are needed to help work on the south Amon Creek trail from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Nov. 28.
The trailhead is off Leslie Road near the Rachel Road intersection.
Bring gloves, a reusable water bottle, sharp-nosed shovels and rakes.
For more information or a map, go to www.tapteal.org.