Intro: Washington has received seven million dollars allocated by Congress for forest road and trail repairs on public lands. Construction crews will replace culverts, decommission old logging roads, and stop sediment from piling into creeks that otherwise would be good fish habitat. Mike Anderson with The Wilderness Society says this maintenance has been put off for years due to lack of funding...and now, getting it done also means jobs.

Suggested Tag:  Anderson says Congressman Norm Dicks was responsible for increasing the national total of road and trail money, from 50-million to 90-million dollars. Lack of stable funding in past years has made it tough for the Forest Service to plan the projects and complete them. This month, the money is being distributed to the national forests around the state, to get the work done.

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Alternate Cut: Mike Anderson with The Wilderness Society says the Olympic National Forest is getting one of the largest amounts in the country, almost three million dollars, for work on the Skokomish watershed. It's the largest source of fresh water to the Hood Canal, and needs some major maintenance.