Sand Scorpions clean up dunes

MOSES LAKE — For Sand Scorpions director Rich Archer, cleaning up the Moses Lake Sand Dunes is his way of preserving a place he feels is an important part of the community.

“It is a destination spot; people all over the world come out to the sand dunes,” Archer said. “This is something our group does because we want to make sure we don’t tear up the area, but keep it nice for families.”

The Sand Scorpions are having a Mud Flats Clean Up Fun Run on Saturday. Anyone interested is invited to meet the group at the south end of Moses Lake and near the water at 11:30 a.m. The group leaves for the dunes at noon.

The group is cleaning ?the yellow zone with ?permission from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. Sand Scorpions share the yellow zone area with hunters.

“We use that area from July 1 to Oct. 1 and then move out for the hunters to use it the rest of the time,” Archer said. “The clean-up is something our group does because we want to be able to use that area. We respect the hunters and appreciate that they let us use the space.”

Sand Scorpion members have performed two clean-ups every year since they formed in 1990.

“It started out with me and a few friends,” Archer said. “We were out in the dunes one day and decided we wanted to get something organized to preserve our dunes and create events.”

There is now about 492 families in the group based in Moses Lake and other areas in Washington State. There are eight directors making decisions and speaking to the public. They are Rich Archer, Lye Labes, Ken Daley, Dave Phillips, Jeff VanNess, Stan Cafferty, Jose Hernandez and Delbert Surfac. 

“The Sand Dunes bring more people in to Grant County than any other sport,” Archer said. “We have 2,800 acres, the camping is free and we have the biggest beach in all the interior part of Washington.”

People pay a $5 fee for a lifetime membership. The Sand Scorpions own a race and party trailer equipped with a Race America Drag Race Timing System and a Professional Drag Racing Tree capable of printing out race results with reaction times, speed, red light, and win information. It is equipped with a built in kitchen and plenty of storage, said Archer.

“We travel quite a bit and maintain our own racetracks,” Archer said.

The group hosts 20 events a year, including the Christmas Tree Bon Fire and Party, Sand Drags, Night Time Poker Runs, Family Camp Outs, Cross Country Races, Mud Bogs, Team Mud Bogs, Easter Egg Hunts and Stadium Races.

“The whole reason behind (the group) is that we realized back then there were certain groups that might want to close off the dunes,” Archer said. “We knew it was important to keep them open.”

Last week the group met with the Grant County board to discuss budget cuts made by Washington State Legislature this year. The state redirected the Non-highway and Off-road Vehicle Activities (NOVA), to Washington State Parks, causing sand dunes manager, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, to lose $200,000 for the next two years.

“We are trying to figure out how we are going to maintain the dunes by creating a committee to figure out funding,” Archer said. “We are striving to save the sand dunes.”

The group fears cuts will cause changes to how the dunes are operated. Changes could include possible closures, curfews, user fees, garbage removal, restroom maintenance and enforcement, according to their Web site.

“We are working on it right now with the board and believe we will figure something out in a matter of time,” Archer said. “We just need to figure out how to take care of the dunes in the meantime. We don’t want to lose them.”

Archer said Grant County would suffer without the dunes.

“There are so many four-wheel drives and quads in this county,” he said. “If we don’t allow them a place to go, every dirt patch will have some kid with a motorcycle in it. It is better to keep kids contained in one area.”

Archer said the clean-up is one way the community can keep the integrity of the dunes.

“It’s also always a pretty good time,” he said.

The sand dunes are located four miles outside Moses Lake city limits. To get there, drive south on Division Street or take exit 174 off of I-90 and follow signs south.

For more information, call Rich Archer at 509-398-2616.