Roads managed on the 82,000 acres recently acquired by the Washington Department of Natural Resources will be managed using the “Green Dot System” employed on many public wildlife recreation areas managed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“The old way was to put up “Road Closed” signs on roads where vehicle traffic was prohibited,” said Bill Essman, RMEF member and retired state wildlife enforcement officer. “You couldn’t keep the signs in the ground.

“The Green Dot system works the other way around. The green markers are put up only on roads that are open to vehicle traffic. That way, if a guy wants to yank out a sign, he’s closing a road rather than opening it.”

Maps for the new DNR lands that have been blocked up on the east slope of the Cascades will be available this spring, DNR officials say. Green Dot road system signs will start going up this spring as well, and should be in place by fall.