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.
Silver Falls State Park. Courtesy Oregon Parks and Recreation.
It wasn’t all that long ago that the Oregon State Parks system was on the brink of collapse. After years of budget cuts, park maintenance had fallen so far behind that more than five dozen state parks were in danger of shutting down.
But a group of Oregonians came to the rescue, and in 1998 voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure dedicating 15% of lottery revenues to fund state parks, protect watersheds, and restore habitat for fish and wildlife.
That measure expires in a few years. So with time running out, many of the same supporters are working on a new ballot measure to make the funding permanent.
State parks face cuts of up to $8.65 million. Photo from Oregon Parks and Recreation
If Measures 66 and 67 fail in next month’s special election, it could mean major reductions in how much money the state spends on monitoring pollution, protecting and restoring streams, maintaining state parks, and fighting wildfires.
These two measures raise about $733 million for state government by increasing incomes taxes on high earning Oregonians, and raising minimum taxes paid by corporations. Business groups have been fighting hard against the measures. About a month ago, Oregonian’s environmental community stepped into the fight. The Oregon League of Conservation Voters endorsed Measures 66 and 67 and warned that if they’re defeated the state’s natural resources would take a serious hit.
Now we have some actual numbers to examine that claim.
It comes from state agencies. This week, they released new data showing how they might handle budget cuts of 5% and 10%.
A few “let the reader beware” warnings.
I’m using the 10% cut numbers because in the past, agencies that handle natural resources tend to be cut deeper than other parts of state government. If the pain was shared equally, all agencies would be cutting about 5%. My experience tells me that lawmakers are likely to protect spending on education, law enforcement and human services at the expense of wildlife, parks, pollution and water quality.
Remember these are suggested cuts only. If Measures 66 and 67 are voted down, agencies’ priorities might change when faced with making actual cuts instead of hypothetical ones.
The numbers are spread out over two years. These potential cuts cover spending for 2010 and 2011.
Finally, I’m no budget expert. But I’ve done my best to look at the material online and tried to figure it all out. If I’ve made a mistake, please don’t hesitate to correct me.
-See the Legislative Fiscal Office webpage and follow the Budget Reduction Options link to do your own calculations.
With that in mind, here we go!
Parks and Recreation: Faces cuts of about $8.65 million, much of it coming from putting off maintenance at state parks. The agency warns that park facilities will look shabbier and more rundown. The department is also trying to take a lot of money out of office operations.
Forestry Department: Could lose the equivalent of 47 full-time jobs within the department and see its budget cut by about $7.8 million. Most of the money would come from fighting wildfires, including the initial attack units that have been given lots of credit for putting out wildfires before they get out of control. Dozens more temporary wildfire fighting positions would also be cut.
Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board: Probably the most important agency the public doesn’t know about. Every year OWEB funds hundreds of projects including dam removal, improving fish habitat and restoring streams and rivers. A 10% cut would mean OWEB would have about $6 million less to spend on these projects during 2010 and 2011.
Environmental Quality: DEQ would lose about $3.3 million under this scenario and the equivalent of about 15 full-time jobs. The department says efforts to monitor air and water quality would probably suffer the most. One possible casualty, an air monitoring station in either Salem or Medford.
Fish and Wildlife: This agency would have to trim about 1.9 million, with a lot of the cuts coming from the monitoring of steelhead and salmon, fish screening projects and hatchery maintenance.
Agriculture: Could lose about $979,000 with a lot of the money coming from cuts in programs to control noxious weeds, invasive species and soil and water conservation.
If you’re a frequent visitor to Oregon State Parks, this may be the best time ever to buy an annual state park pass.
Oregon Parks and Recreation is dropping the price of a 12-month day use pass to $20 during December for the department’s yearly Holiday Sale. Come January 1, prices go up to $30.
You can order them over the telephone by calling 800-551-6949. They’re also available at Oregon Parks and Recreation offices and several private vendors.
For a full list, go here.
Finally, a reminder that all fees for camping and day-use will rise starting next year. Here’s a look at what to expect.
Except for the Day Use fees, the prices listed above show the amount of increase, not how much you’ll pay.
The Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway. Photo from Oregon Parks and Recreation.
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is looking for new routes to add to the state’s Scenic Bikeways program.
It put out word today that it wants ideas from the public. From now until the end of January, anyone can nominate their favorite bike route. But Parks and Rec is specifically looking for routes that, “connect riders with outstanding scenic, historic and natural settings”.
To guide you through the process, the department has released a handbook that’s available on the state’s Scenic Bikeways website.
Our first and only scenic bikeway started as the pilot project in 2005. The Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway runs from the Champoeg State Heritage Area to Armitage County Park near Eugene-Springfield. That’s a distance of just over 130 miles.
It’s that time of year. Many Oregon State Park campgrounds will be closing soon for the winter season.
Some of the first to close are popular camp sites in the Columbia River Gorge. Here’s a list.
Closing October 26
Closing October 31
Closing November 2
Closing December 1
Oregon Parks and Recreation says year-round camping is available at 29 state parks at reduced winter rates. (They call this “Discovery Season.) For more information see the Parks and Rec website.
And here’s an important reminder, parking and camping fees are going up next year.
Except for the Day Use fees, the prices listed above show the amount of increase, not how much you’ll pay. For a complete list of campgrounds and the new prices for next year see this website: 2010 Prime Season Rates.
With summer over, now’s the time federal and state officials are taking a hard look at some controversial issues that affect a lot of people in the state.
On Tuesday, the Mt. Hood National Forest holds a public hearing on a plan that will dramatically cut back where off roading is allowed in the forest. The off roading community has a lot to lose here, but its members are motivated to speak out and they could dominate the discussion. Environmental groups are trying to get “quiet” users of the forest, such as hikers, backpackers and mountain bikers, to show up as well.
A concern enviros have about the plan is that one of the places set aside for off roading will be next to two wilderness areas. Mt. Hood officials also want to build 40 brand new miles of off road tracks on the north side of the mountain.
(For more information click on the Quiet Forest category for all our stories on this issue.)
Tuesday’s hearing starts at 6pm in Portland at the University Place Hotel & Conference Center, 310 SW Lincoln.
A second hearing takes place in Hood River on Wednesday at the Hood River Inn, 1108 East Marine Way. This also starts at 6pm.
The yurts at Beverly Beach State Park near Newport. Courtesy Oregon Parks and Recreation
Then on Thursday, Oregon Parks and Recreation begins a series of meetings around the state on a fee increase for state parks. They want to raise day use fees from $3 to $5, and annual passes from $25 to $30. Fees for camp sites would go up $4 per day, and fees for yurts and some cabins will rise $10 per night.
Parks and Rec says the increases will raise more than $4 million from January 2010 through June 2011.
Here’s a full schedule of the meetings. All start at 6pm and should conclude by 8:30pm.
Sept. 17: LaGrande
City Library, 2006 4th St, Colleen F. Johnson Community Room
Sept 18: Bend
Parks and Recreation District Meeting Room, 799 SW Columbia Street
Sept. 21: Champoeg State Heritage Area Visitor Center
8239 Champoeg Road NE, St. Paul
Sept. 22: Newport
Central Lincoln Public Utility, 2129 N Coast Hwy
If you’re hoping to reserve a campsite for the Memorial Day Weekend, your chances of booking something are close to zero at Oregon State Parks.
Oregon Parks and Recreation says all of the 4200 campsites available for reservations are gone. “We’re booked up everywhere,” says Sheri Miller of Reservations Northwest which manages reservations for the Parks Department. “”We suggest that people still call until Wednesday to see if any sites are available because of cancellations, but that’s a long-shot.”
The Yurt campground at Fort Stevens State Park. Courtesy Oregon Parks and Recreation.
Miller says you’re probably better off trying for one of the 1350 sites that are open on a first-come, first-served basis. These sites are available at 24 state parks, including Ainsworth and Viento in the Gorge, Cape Blanco and Humbug Mountain near Port Orford, Jasper Point on the Prineville Reservoir, and Hilgard Junction near La Grande.
For a complete list visit this link from Oregon Parks and Rec. Clicking on it will open a PDF file. You can also call the Department at 1-800- 551-6949.
After taking in hundreds of comments from the public, Oregon Parks and Recreation says it’s closing the campground at Oswald West State Park. But the park will remain open as a day-use area.
Oswald West State Park. Courtesy Oregon Parks and Recreation.
The reason? It’s the trees. The park is located in an old growth forest, and some of the trees near the campground are so old, they’re in danger of falling over and killing campers. The seriousness of the situation was made clear last June when an old spruce, about 11-feet in diameter, fell over and landed across several campsites. Luckily no one was hurt.
Parks and Rec officials followed up with a study of other trees near the campground and realized that dozens more are also in danger of toppling. So they gave the public a choice. We can cut down the trees and keep the campground open, or keep the trees and close the campground.
With about 640 responses submitted, the Parks Department says the almost all of them supported keeping the trees. “A naturally-aging old forest, this is one of the reasons people come to this park,” says John Potter, Assistant Director for Operations. “We want to preserve not just the look and feel of the park, but its biological complexity. Letting the forest age naturally in this case is the best way to do that.”
The result is not a surprise. Oswald West State Park is hugely popular, getting about a million visitors a year. But only 15,000 of them used the 30-site campground.
Meanwhile Parks and Rec says it will look for a new camping site at Oswald West. But until then, the nearest camping is five miles south at Nehalem Bay State Park.
Oregon Parks and Recreation has hired a team from Texas to do the conservation work on two old cannons that were found on the coast last year.
Cannons being loaded for the trip to Texas. Courtesy Oregon Parks and Recreation
The cannons were discovered near Arch Cape, and believed to be from the 1846 shipwreck of the USS Shark which went down on the Columbia bar about 70 miles to the north.
But there’s no firm evidence linking the cannons to the wreck. So one of the jobs facing the team from Texas A$M University will be figuring out exactly where the cannons came from. They’ll also remove the decades worth of rocky, concrete-like material that coats the cannons and protect the metal and wood from further decay.
Oregon Parks and Recreation says the work at the university’s Conservation Research Laboratory could last years. But when it’s done, the cannons will be returned to Oregon.
The Parks Department is posting updates with photos and video on its website, It’s also looking for donations to help pay for the $45,000 cost of the project.
