4A
●
APPEAL TRIBUNE
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2017
Life in the
Valley y
sanews@salem.gannett.com
Q&A
PHOTOS COURTESY OF OPRD
Oregon Parks and Recreation Director Lisa Sumption has watched the number of people visiting the state parks system skyrocket to a record-shattering 54 million visits in 2016.
The czar of state parks
Director Lisa Sumption talks fees, drones and Leslie Knope
ZACH URNESS
STATESMAN JOURNAL
Lisa Sumption has an odd problem.
As director of the Oregon Parks and
Recreation Department, she’s watched
the number of people visiting the state
parks system grow and then skyrocket
to a record-shattering 54 million visits in
2016.
That should be a good thing, especial-
ly since her stated goal is to make parks
accessible to people of every socioeco-
nomic class. But the problems that have
followed — overcrowding, facility dam-
age and a lack of parking — risk dimin-
ishing an experience that’s suppose to be
about relaxation.
The situation has created multiple
complex, interlacing questions.
Should parks build larger parking lots
or let fewer people in? Should their bud-
get go toward hiring more park rangers
or purchasing land for more state parks?
I put those questions — and a lot more
— to Sumption during an hour-long inter-
view earlier this month. Along with com-
munications director Chris Havel, the
two touched on those fundamental is-
sues, along with drone use, bungee jump-
ing and price increases at state parks.
Before the interview, I asked readers
to suggest questions, which led to que-
ries about the possibility of an Elliott
State Forest State Park, her spirit animal
and whether Sumption ever channels
Leslie Knope (a character from the icon-
ic show “Parks and Recreation”) in her
duties as parks czar.
Questions have been edited for length
and clarity.
You’ve been leading the Oregon
Parks and Recreation Department for
three years now. What challenges
have you faced that weren’t anticipat-
ed? What’s surprised you about the
job?
Lisa Sumption: Just the breadth of
the portfolio. People think we’re just
about state parks, but there’s a lot more
to it. We also have conservation and heri-
tage programs, state scenic waterway
programs, a scenic bikeway program, an
all-terrain vehicle program and a com-
munity grant program. You’d be amazed
how many things are part of our mission.
Let’s start with the budget. Two
years ago, you cut back on purchasing
new land to focus on improving the
parks already part of the system. For
the next two years, you’ve said you
want to hire 42 new park rangers and
put $1 million into improving parks.
What in the budget allows you to do
that?
Sumption: Two years ago, we pressed
Oregon Parks and Recreation Director Lisa Sumption
pause on (creating new parks) to make
sure we were taking care of the entire
parks system. For this budget, we want
to make adding staff our top priority.
We’re up 20 percent overall and 45 per-
cent in the off-season in visitation. Our
folks are putting in a lot of time. They
love their jobs but often can’t get ahead
on maintenance projects. The time to re-
spond is now, before visitors are so dis-
appointed that they stop coming.
Let’s go into “flexible fees.” The
premise is charging slightly higher
rates at popular parks to fund lower
rates and attract new visitors at less
visited ones, correct? Why is it neces-
sary?
Sumption: Think about Fort Stevens
State Park. It’s at full capacity 85 percent
of the time all year — and full capacity is
6,000 people. It’s a small city. And it’s full.
At the same time, Humbug Mountain
State Park, which offers a similar expe-
rience, is 20 percent of capacity. It
doesn’t get many visitors. One of our
goals with flexible fees is to try charging
maybe $1 extra at Fort Stevens to pay for
deep discounts to a place like Humbug.
Maybe somebody who’s having prob-
lems getting a night at Fort Stevens
would consider Humbug if they got a
night of camping for free. We’re trying
to move some of our crowds across the
system, and this is one way of doing that.
We have a lot of parks with capacity that
few people visit. We’re testing this to see
if we can encourage people to explore
new areas.
But once you’re allowed to rise
fees, what’s to stop you from charging
$100 per night at Fort Stevens? The de-
mand is obviously there.
Sumption: This would be a revenue-
neutral program. We’re not looking to
make extra money with this.
Chris Havel: There’s that temptation
to charge what you can, instead of what
you should. One way to get around that is
to make sure we’re not making any mon-
ey of this, which is in the legislation. For
every dollar extra we charge, we have to
offset it.
That brings up what’s been kind of
the biggest issue for you during the
past few years — the rise in crowds.
You just set a record for visitation with
54 million day-use and camping visits.
Places like Smith Rock and parks on
the Northern Oregon Coast are totally
overrun on a pretty regular basis. How
do you deal with that issue since it’s
not going anywhere?
Sumption: The last thing we want to
do is limit the number of people that go to
a park or deny access. That’s really not
something we want to do. That said,
there may be times when we’ll have to
consider it because you’d hate to have
the parks system getting loved to death.
Drones are becoming increasingly
popular for photographers and
videographers. How are you dealing
with that issue at state parks?
Havel: We’ve started a policy group to
address the issue. That’s actually going
on now.
Right now, there are no rules related
to drones in the state park system. It has
been a case-by-case basis. If a drone
could hurt people, the resource or park
property, park managers have asked
drone operators to stop. At Smith Rock,
for example, no drones are allowed be-
cause of nesting eagles. Next step will be
crafting rules, park to park, for drones.
We want to make sure that somebody
else’s visit isn’t going to be unduly affect-
ed by drones. You can imagine a cloud of
drones hanging over South Falls at Silver
Falls State Park. ... That’s stuff we’ll
work through.
The way we’ll go about these rules
will probably look a lot like our policy for
using metal detectors. Our approach is
that at some parks you can do it any time
without talking to park staff first. There
are other parks where, before you start,
you need to talk to park staff — you need
permission. And last, there are some
parks where it’s not allowed at all. That
three-tiered approach has worked well.
It’s predictable, all published online and
people can find the information before
going out. That’s where we’re going.
That’s the format.
What are you excited about in the
coming two years?
Sumption: We’re in a good place. We
can be proactive. We’re not talking about
needing to close or privatize parks or ask
for money from the legislature. We’re
trying to build and add new things that
keep us relevant to the next generation.
That’s what I’m most excited about. I
also want to get it to a place where every
Oregonian, regardless of background,
felt welcomed in a state park.
Fun questions from readers ...
What’s your favorite state park?
Sumption: I love them all equally.
Just like my children.
To what extent do you channel Les-
lie Knope (of the television show
“Parks and Recreation”) in your duties
as parks and recreation director?
Sumption: I’ve never watched
“Parks and Recreation.” No really! I’m
not a TV person! I saw a clip of it once
because a family member said I had to
see it. And honestly, it hit a little too close
to home. I’ve seen about two minutes of
it.
Are you kidding?! Oregon’s director
of parks and recreation doesn’t watch
“Parks and Recreation?
Sumption: (Laughs). I don’t watch
any TV. I watch football. That’s about it.
TV would consume the time I get to
spend outdoors.
Zach Urness has been an outdoors
writer, photographer and videographer
in Oregon for eight years. He is the author
of the book “Hiking Southern Oregon”
and
can
be
reached
at
zurness@StatesmanJournal.com
or
(503) 399-6801.