Federal Office of Surface Mining, King County stress importance of staying on Cougar Mountain trails

Long-simmering coal seam fire among hazards of venturing off-trail

With more and more people straying from established trails, the federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM) and King County remind visitors to Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park that the area's coal mining history makes off-trail travel dangerous.

The park, which remains largely undeveloped, features miles of hiking and horseback-riding trails, wetlands, salmon-bearing streams and a tremendous variety of wildlife. The 3,000-acre park was established in 1983, in part because the extent of past mining activity in the hilly region made it unsafe for large-scale housing developments.

Cave-ins, steep slopes and toxic fumes are typical dangers associated with past mining activity, and a recent report issued by the OSM confirms that an underground coal seam fire should be included in that list.

"There are mine entrances, mine shafts and other potential dangers throughout the region, including significant portions of Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park," said Ginger Kaldenbach, senior Abandoned Mine Program Manager for the OSM.

"Anywhere you have historic mining activity you've got potential safety hazards. Danger is danger, so a coal seam fire isn't necessarily any more risky than falling into an abandoned shaft, but this does underscore the message that this wonderful park should be safely enjoyed from designated trails," she said.

Kaldenbach and King County staff will share information about the dangers of venturing off-trail at Cougar Mountain at a public meeting tonight from 7-9 p.m. at the Lewis Creek Visitors Center, 5808 Lakemont Blvd in Bellevue.

King County Parks Director Kevin Brown said that the new information from the OSM, combined with the increase in popularity of off-trail uses for activities such as "geocaching," has prompted King County to remind Cougar Mountain park visitors to remain on designated trails. Geocaching is essentially a high-tech treasure hunt in which participants use handheld GPS units to locate items that are hidden by other participants in remote locations. Geocachers frequently go off designated trails.

"Public safety is our number-one priority," said Brown. "Cougar Mountain is a regional treasure and can be fully enjoyed by staying on its extensive 35-mile trail system. However, as interest in venturing off-trail grows, we have increased safety signage along the trails and have erected an information kiosk at the Red Town trailhead."

Brown said geocaching, orienteering and other activities can still be enjoyed at Cougar Mountain; however, these activities should be done on the designated trail system.

King County has been working with the OSM to identify and seal known entrances to mines in the park. However, there could be undiscovered air shafts or other mine entrances in the sprawling park that could pose as a potential hazard to park visitors who go off-trail.

An estimated 13 million tons of coal were mined from underneath Cougar Mountain before the last mine was closed in 1963. The labyrinth of tunnels, entrances and air shafts built during coal-mining operations present the potential for cave-ins, increased surface temperatures and noxious fumes at the surface.

Kaldenbach said the fire has likely been burning for decades, possibly as long as half a century and does not pose a significant threat to nearby homeowners. The steam vents are limited to a five-acre portion of the 3,000-acre park.

She said a coal seam fire can bring potentially high temperatures at the steam vents and can increase risk of ground collapse, so it's "another reason why it's a good idea to stay on designated trails."

As for the chances of an underground coal seam fire causing a forest fire, county foresters say careless hikers and lightning strikes pose a significantly greater threat than the underground fire due to the relatively low temperatures recorded at known steam vents combined with the high moisture content of forestlands.

King County has implemented a monitoring plan in coordination with the OSM, and has been working with emergency first responders on overall emergency response plans for all hazards at Cougar Mountain.

According to the OSM, there are more than 100 coal mine fires burning across the United States, including in the Rocky Mountains and in the heavily mined regions of the eastern U.S. Coal fires can be started by numerous sources, including forest fires near a coal seam, lightning strikes, mining activities, or spontaneous combustion of the coal.

King County has developed a fact sheet on the coal seam fire. The document is available online at http://dnr.metrokc.gov/dnrp/pa/cougar-mountain-coal-fire/.