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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