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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2021
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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
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Tress benefit from deep
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That’s why Trees for Life Oregon and
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Young evergreens need watering
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old from a good soaking every other
week until they are established (typi-
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