The John Day River through Cottonwood Canyon. Photo from Oregon State Parks.
Oregon Parks and Recreation is getting ready to go public with what it calls, “the most important state park in a generation.”
And if that wasn’t enough, the agency is hoping to add “biggest state park” to that title.
Opening in 2013, Cottonwood Canyon State Park will be located on 8,000 acres along the lower John Day River in north-central Oregon.
It includes some of the most stunning scenery in the state, with rugged cliffs hugging the longest free flowing river in Oregon. It’s also home to one of the state’s largest herds of bighorn sheep.
Park officials hope to double the size of Cottonwood Canyon by purchasing another 8,000 acres of grazing rights on surrounding property. That would open up those lands as additional recreation areas and make this Oregon’s biggest state park.
While 2013 may seem like a ways off, the planning work begins in a couple of weeks. In late April, the Parks and Recreation Department holds a series of public meetings to get input on how to manage this new state park.
“At the public meetings, OPRD staff will introduce the property’s natural, cultural, historic and scenic values; discuss ways to protect its wild setting and natural resources, and open a dialogue on its potential for recreation, interpretive and educational uses. More meetings will be scheduled through spring 2011 leading to the development of a draft master plan for managing the park. A final draft of the plan will then be submitted to the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission.”
-Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
Photo from Oregon State Parks
So far, the department has spent about $2.3 million to purchase some 2,400 acres. It plans to buy another 5,600 acres that have been preserved by the Western Rivers Conservancy before the park opens. The money is coming from a special Lottery fund that was set aside for state parks back in 1998. That funding expires in a few years. Parks supporters and other groups want to make it permanent through a ballot measure that voters will be asked to approve in November.
See earlier story: This Fall, Will Oregon Support Water, Parks and Wildlife?
Here’s the schedule for the public meetings – all of them run from 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Monday, April 26
Sherman County Fairgrounds, 4-H Pavilion, Moro
Tuesday, April 27
Memorial Hall, 128 S. Main St., Condon (Next to City Hall)
Thursday, April 29
Tryon Creek State Park Nature Center, 11321 SW Terwilliger Blvd., Portland
For more information:
Oregon State Parks: Cottonwood Canyon Blog
