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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 18, 2021)
SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2021 | 3A North Fork, Opal Creek will stay closed Zach Urness Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK A new set of gates will further limit access to the Little North Santiam Can- yon and Opal Creek area and stay in place at least through the summer of 2022, Marion County officials said this week. The narrow river canyon east of Sa- lem and northeast of Mehama, often known as the North Fork, has been closed to visitors since March, following extensive damage from the Beachie Creek Fire. The latest move will mean only resi- dents and their guests will be able to drive into what was once among Ore- gon’s most popular recreation destina- tions. The gates will be placed on North Fork Road, Gates Hill Road and Pioneer Road near each road’s junction with Highway 22 in late August or early Sep- tember. Before last year’s wildfires, the North Fork and Opal Creek area was a popular place to hike, swim, kayak and camp that could see upwards of 5,000 people visiting on a hot weekend, according to Forest Service data from 2020. The decision to shut the area down with gates came for multiple reasons, Marion County spokeswoman Jolene Kelley said. The area remains dangerous and despite the earlier closure and signs threatening $2,000 fines, people have been trespassing into the area on a reg- ular basis this summer, officials said. The Marion County Sheriff ’s Office issued 237 warnings or citations to peo- ple trespassing into fire-burned areas this summer. “The decision to install temporary gates in this area was based on Marion County’s commitment to public safety,” Kelley said in an email. She referenced thousands of severely fire-burned trees that “can come down at any time with no warning,” along with dangerous rock fall, noxious weeds and chemical changes in the soil that have made it more prone to erosion. “These issues exist in other areas of Marion County, but the hazards in the Little North Fork Santiam River corridor are more numerous and severe than in other parts of the county, prompting ad- ditional measures to ensure safety,” she said. There have also been reports of ram- pant theft at home construction sites in the canyon, according to multiple local residents. The Marion County Sheriff ’s Office did not directly comment on the con- cern other than to say: “As people are working through the rebuilding process, the theft of building materials is definitely something we are paying attention to and have worked with people in the area to find ways to help prevent being a victim to thefts,” Marion County Sheriff ’s Office spokes- A closure sign stands at the beginning of the Little North Fork Canyon. WESLEY LAPOINTE/STATESMAN JOURNAL man Jeremy Landers said previously. How will residents access the area? While the area will remain closed to the public, local residents will be able to access the canyon two ways, Kelley said. h By long-range key cards to open the gate — The county will issue up to four cards per property owner. h Each property owner will be issued a unique entry code — this can be given to guests or hired contractors or used as a backup method to the key cards. “In addition to property owners, Marion County will issue entry codes, key cards and other remote entry de- vices to emergency response agencies; federal and state agencies; and to feder- al, state, and county-hired contractors that need access the corridor," Kelley said. When will the gates be removed? It’s unclear when the North Fork or Opal Creek area will reopen. Kelley said a removal date for the gates “has not been set, but we expect the gates to re- main in place at least through summer 2022 depending on the pace of recovery work. “There is a lot of hazard mitigation work to complete within the parks and along county roads,” Kelley said. “This is going to take time.” Zach Urness has been an outdoors re- porter, photographer and videographer in Oregon for 14 years. Urness can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJour- nal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors. HAR OR K W D Closure sign at entrance of the North Fork Road WESLEY LAPOINTE/ STATESMAN JOURNAL ER B V E N S HA EEN SO EASY a good soaking Tress benefit from deep watering once a month during the driest months Oregon Department of Forestry Oregon is in the grip of a deepening drought ranked as severe to excep- tional in more than half the state. Our yard and street trees are particularly hard hit by the prolonged dryness. 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