TRIGGER GAP BENEFITS FROM NEIGHBOR’S DOWNED TREES

Arkansas’s Trigger Gap airfield, (17A) was restocked on Valentine’s weekend with plenty of firewood, split and ready for each of the two firepits within the camping areas. RAF supporter Harper Goodwin and his wife Dianne live near the field, and hosted a crew of RAF volunteers to clean up their front yard of downed trees, creating firewood for the camping areas. The project was encouraged by Dianne, who, it was rumored, was looking for a garden area.

Participating in the project were the Goodwins, Chip Gibbons, Craig Gourley, Greg Matteri and his wife Debbie, and RAF Arkansas Liaison Dave Powell and his wife Julie. “Dianne fed us a great lunch which made it all worth it, and Trigger is now full of wood,” Powell said.

For more details about this scenic recreational airfield, its amenities and Safety Briefing, see the airfield.guide.

Submitted on February 21, 2020

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