OLYMPIC FIELD TO BE IMPROVED WITH ANOTHER RAF GRANT

Washington State RAF Liaison Ray Ballantyne has secured another RAF grant, this one to help provide materials for a multi-purpose kiosk at Olympic Airfield between Port Townsend and Sequim, WA. RAF Oregon Ambassador Kevin Johnson aided by RAF Supporter Jay PerryCook, developed a prototype and budget for the kiosk, where visitors will be able to charge their devices, and view RAF information and general notices, protected from the weather. The design can be used for other locations, and RAF Supporter Sherry Sherod is helping fund this and other airfield kiosks in memory of her husband, William Neal Sherod, an experienced bush pilot.

Johnson has volunteered to assemble the materials and transport them to the site. PerryCook will supply his hydraulic drill. The local EAA Chapter 430 is providing volunteers for the project. Property owners and supporters Ryan and Marianne Larrance will assist, and provide an excavator, and lunch. The project should be complete in April 2025.

In August of 2024, an RAF grant was awarded to Olympic Field to construct an off-the-grid bathhouse, which was accomplished by the same volunteers who will install the kiosk. The Larrances graciously provide the water source.

Olympic Airfield lies in the “Lavender Capital of North America,” and has a good turf 2,500-ft long runway, and equally long stretch of water for aircraft on floats. Ballantyne says it offers a secluded place to camp, close to Olympic National Park. “If biking, running, or hiking are your interests, the 126-mile Olympic Discovery Trail follows the Old Seattle & North Coast Railroad grade and can be accessed down the hill from Olympic Field’s campground,” he said.

For more information and permission contact details, see the Airfield Guide.

Submitted February 12, 2025
By Carmine Mowbray

Posted in News

ROB KEANE

February 24, 2026

FLORIDA AMBASADOR

HOWIE BOHL

February 24, 2026

CALIFORNIA AMBASSADOR

RAF AWARDS GRANT FOR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF HCRC

February 24, 2026

Oregon RAF Liaison Bill Ables has been awarded a $5,000 RAF grant to retain RAF membership in and support the Hells Canyon Recreation Collaborative (HCRC) for the next five years. The HCRC was organized in 2016 at the request of Idaho’s Congressional Delegation as a framework for the various recreational user groups to collaborate with the US Forest Service within the 652,488-acre Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. Ables, a past Director and current member of the group, explained that HCRC membership is a cross-section of user groups from both the private and commercial sectors, including river rafters and jet boaters, backpackers, horse packers, aviators, and governmental management agencies. Providing ongoing support ensures continued aviation representation. The rugged Snake River canyon region hugs the borders of northeastern Oregon and western Idaho, and includes nine backcountry airstrips within the Recreational Area. All are maintained by volunteer aviation groups in collaboration with the USFS: Cache Creek, Salmon Bar, Dug Bar, Temperance Creek, Pittsburg Landing, Sluice Creek, Lord Flat, Memaloose, and Big Bar. “Our support of HCRC, combined with the other involved aviation groups, ensures ongoing maintenance and improvements at each of these nine airstrips. It benefits general aviation by preserving access to enjoy the beauty of the Hells Canyon area, which directly speaks to the Mission of the RAF,” Ables said. For more information on Dug Bar, Cache Creek, Big Bar, and Memaloose, see the Airfield Guide . Pittsburg Landing, Sluice Creek, Temperance Creek, and Salmon Bar are not listed in the Airfield Guide at this time. Submitted February 24, 2026