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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (April 5, 2017)
Appeal Tribune Wednesday, April 5, 2017 3A Treasurer now open to keeping forest public In yet another plot twist to the seem- ingly endless battle over Oregon’s Elliott State Forest, Treasurer Tobias Read said Tuesday he now supports working to- ward a plan that would keep the 83,000- acre forest in public hands. In a statement posted on Read’s website, the Democrat said he saw “a path forward” to a solution that would re- move the state forest from its obligation to the Common School Fund and likely keep it in state ownership. The statement comes more than a month after Read surprised many by voting to proceed with the sale of the Coos Bay-area forest to a Roseburg tim- ber company. He later defended his vote in an interview with the Statesman Journal. “If there is a viable so- lution that provides for public ownership of the Elliott State Forest, we should strongly consider Read it,” Read said, adding that he would work with Gov. Kate Brown and the state legislature to accomplish that goal. Toby Luther, CEO of Lone Rock Tim- ber Management Company, which pro- posed to purchase the land for $220 mil- lion and manage it in partnership with the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, issued a statement expressing frustration. “If state leaders who advanced this process never had the intent to allow for Camping No campfires, limited parking on Opal Creek Trail Continued from Page 1A One of the most iconic hikes in Oregon begins at the Opal Creek Gate Trailhead and runs three miles to Jawbone Flats. But crowding on the trail and at the small parking lot has caused numerous problems, Weathers and Cable said. The first proposal is to outlaw camp- fires from the Opal Creek Gate Trail- head to Jawbone Flats, Opal Pool and up the Kopetski Trail, for 200 feet on both sides of the trail. That means at numer- ous small campsites along the trail, campfires would no longer be allowed. Fines for illegal campfires start at $250. “This addresses the concern about campfires getting out of control in a nar- row corridor with just one exit,” Cable said. “It would also help us to encourage a greater focus on day-use and responsi- ble camping.” The second proposal would limit the number of cars allowed to park near the Opal Creek Gate Trailhead. Currently, busy weekends often see upward of 220 cars parked for a mile down Forest Service Road 2209. Under a new rule, cars could only park a quarter mile down the road from the trailhead, reducing the number of people allowed in on the busiest weekends. ZACH URNESS STATESMAN JOURNAL Comment Input?project=51339. Officials hope to make a decision by Memorial Day — May 29 — so rules could be implemented this coming sum- mer. The goal, said officials, is to find a bal- ance between encouraging the public to use national forests while also protect- ing it from long-term harm. Here’s a breakdown of what the For- est Service is proposing: Booze-free Three Pools The Forest Service is proposing two new regulations at what’s probably the most troubled and crowded spot in Wil- lamette National Forest. The first proposal is a ban on alcohol at Three Pools. “Alcohol seems to be a contributing factor to a lot of the problems at the site — litter, vandalism, fights and damage to resource,” Weathers said. “Every year, we’ve had calls for emergency response when people have fallen, slipped and even drowned. Many have been alcohol- related.” Fines for breaking an alcohol prohibi- tion is $200, plus a $35 processing fee. Al- cohol is also banned at nearby Salmon Falls and North Fork county parks. The second proposal at Three Pools is limiting entry to those who can find a parking space. That means once the 94 spots at Three Pools are filled, no one else is allowed in. “This would be a way to limit the huge volumes of people on the really popular days — and provide a better experience for everyone,” said Suzanne Cable, rec- reation staff officer for Willamette Na- tional Forest. “We’d have an active pres- ence on the most crowded days. “Ninety-four parking spots still al- lows a lot of people to enjoy the experi- ence.” Fines for parking illegally start at $50. Buses Continued from Page 1A lem. Frequency will increase to five dai- ly trips. “One of the things we hadn’t really done as much as we could in the past was public awareness of the CARTS system,” Feeny said. “With work from the plan- ning committee, we realized that with these changes we could provide better integration with regular Cherriots ser- vices, better reliability, and faster travel times. It’s just more efficient and effec- tive. There’s also a safety component. In rural areas, you really don’t want buses making unexpected stops or people flag- ging buses down from the side of the road.” For people without a computer or any- one who has questions about their new route or riding the bus in general, Cher- riots offers the Travel Training Pro- gram. Run by Outreach Specialist Lisa Carignan, it offers information and training that covers both Cherriots and Cherriots Regional services and can range from one question to a full walk- Breitenbush River camping There are numerous dispersed, or un- official, campsites along the Breiten- bush River off Road 46 northeast of De- troit. Weathers and Cable said rangers of- ten find trash, degradation and even hu- man feces at these campsites. They also limit the ability for day-use visitors to explore swimming holes along the river. A new proposal would outlaw dis- persed camping for five miles up Road 46 (from Detroit), and for 500 feet from the roadway. That would make it illegal to camp at roughly 30 dispersed sites currently available. Cable said there are numerous campgrounds in the area, and that’s where they hope people decide to through. “The program is very individualized,” Carignan said. “Generally, I speak with a customer about what their specific needs are and what they would like to ac- complish. We determine if they are able to access their nearest designated Cher- riots Regional bus stop. If they are, we can schedule an appointment to actually ride the bus together to their destination, if they’re interested in that. “In general, we cover reading sched- ules, paying your fare, route planning, identifying your bus stop, transferring buses and using accessibility features such as lifts and ramps. We can also help them determine the safest walking route between a stop and the final destination. The goal is for the individual to feel con- fident they can travel independently and we’ll take as much time as needed to get them to that point.” For more information or to speak with a travel trainer, call 503-588-2424. Routes, schedules and the “Trip Plan- ner” function on the Cheriots web site will be updated once the changes take ef- fect. Until that time, the new service in- formation can be viewed at www.cher- riots.org under “News & Events,” “Pro- jects,” “CARTS Changes May 8.” private ownership they had a duty to be clear and forthright with their expecta- tions,” Luther said. “Good will between our state and its many rural communi- ties is further eroded by this futile exer- cise.” The plan moving forward appears to be centered on Brown’s initial plan of is- suing $100 million in state bonds to pro- tect high-value habitat, including old- growth stands. Under her plan, a portion of the forest would be decoupled from the Common School Fund trust lands that fund Oregon schools. The harvest- ing of timber would be allowed while protecting endangered and threatened species, she said previously. “I have made it clear to all sides that if Governor Brown brought forward a via- ble alternative I would consider it,” Read said. “The Governor and her team have continued to refine her framework, and most importantly she has worked to build support for key bonding compo- nents among Legislators, including the Senate President.” Senate President Peter Courtney, D- Salem, said he is “encouraged by Trea- surer Tobias James Read’s statement to- day and remain open to considering bonding as part of a solution.” Elliott State Forest was created in 1930 to provide funding for the Common School Fund, but recently has lost money as timber harvests have declined. In August 2015, Oregon’s State Land Board voted to sell the property as one piece to a single party. It set a sale price of $220 million; Lone Rock submitted the only bid. HENRY MILLER/STATESMAN JOURNAL, HENRY MILLER/STATESMAN JOURNAL A proposed rule would make it illegal to camp anywhere except the campground at Elk Lake. spend the night. “These are sites on a skinny little strip of land between the road and river,” Ca- ble said. “They do a lot of damage and discourage day-use at some of the best swimming holes.” Camping where prohibited carries a fine of $100. Elk Lake camping The small mountain lake north of De- troit has become increasingly popular in recent years, Weathers and Cable said. While Elk Lake is home to a small campground, multiple dispersed camp- sites have popped up around the lake- shore, doing resource damage, Weathers said. Cars of people using those camp- sites often block traffic on narrow and rough Forest Service Road 4697. A proposed rule would make it illegal to camp anywhere except the official campground at Elk Lake. French Creek camping Proposed rules would also target dis- persed camping along French Creek Road 2223 northwest of Detroit. Dispersed camping would be prohib- ited for the first two miles up the road and for 500 feet on either side of the roadway. That would eliminate about six current dispersed sites, Weathers said, but leave many miles open to camping beyond. Blowout Road camping Blowout Creek Road 10, which swings around the south side of Detroit Lake, is currently closed to dispersed camping on either side of the roadway for five miles. New rules would extend the ban to eight miles up the road. Zach Urness can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors. 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