3A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, MAY 22, 2017
Ilwaco spins differing visions for Black Lake
“in good faith” recommend it
in their evaluation. They con-
cluded the hilly area along the
northern shore is “not per-
fect” but it suits an intermedi-
ate course.
City Councilman Mat-
thew Lessnau, 29, said he’d
like to see both sites devel-
oped, one for warmup or prac-
tice rounds and the other for
advanced play, leagues and
tournaments.
“The city of Ilwaco has
untapped potential in the
Black Lake area,” Lessnau, a
former parks commissioner,
said. “It’s fairly pristine so
things are being done very
consciously and have been
well thought out.”
Frisbee golf
competes with
nature in forest
By AMY NILE
EO Media Group
ILWACO, Wash. — City
leaders are moving forward
with plans for a disc golf
course north of Black Lake.
But concerns about clearing
roughly 50-foot-wide fair-
ways in the forest could stymie
progress.
Ilwaco’s volunteer Parks
and Recreation Commission
Chairman Nick Haldeman is
ready to spearhead efforts to
raise at least $12,000 for the
city to build a 12-hole course
along a 1-mile route that winds
through the woods.
The 32-year-old has suc-
cessfully led cash-collection
drives and found grant money
to cover past parks projects.
However, financial costs aren’t
the only handicap to consider
for this course.
“There’s so little land in the
city to give it up for Frisbee
golf,” City Councilman David
Jensen said.
Players of disc or Frisbee
golf, sometimes called “folf,”
compete to get discs into ele-
vated baskets with the fewest
throws. Unlike regular golfers,
they don’t have to worry about
paying greens fees, buying
expensive equipment or wear-
ing certain outfits.
Details to come
Damian Mulinix/For EO Media Group
Ilwaco City Councilman David Jensen, who walks the Black Lake trail with his dog daily, opposes the proposed con-
struction of a Frisbee golf course in the dense forested areas above the lake.
Activity for almost
anyone
The sport is growing with
players of all ages and skill
levels, Haldeman said. It’s
popular among young people,
particularly older millennials.
The now 30-something
crowd or so-called Oregon
Trail generation, a reference to
the classic computer game, of
course, is also becoming more
affluent. Bringing disc golfers
to town would benefit busi-
nesses, Haldeman said.
A new outdoor offering at
Black Lake could also draw
people who live elsewhere on
the peninsula to the city.
The Ilwaco Merchants
The City Council approved
the course design and has
asked for more information
before moving forward with
construction. Haldeman is
working on a plan for oper-
ations and upkeep, includ-
ing a budget. He’s research-
ing possible environmental
effects and permit require-
ments while the city looks
into potential insurance and
law enforcement issues.
City Councilman Fred
Marshall said he’s “perfectly
neutral” on the controver-
sial proposal. The 77-year-
old isn’t opposed to building
a course but he’s not exactly
excited about it either.
“The people who have the
energy and the interest need to
make it work,” he said.
Damian Mulinix/For EO Media Group
Thick forest covers the areas proposed for a Frisbee golf
course in the upper portions of the Black Lake Trail in Il-
waco.
Association and Saturday
Market have backed the pro-
posal. In 2016, the nonprofits
donated $1,200 for the Port-
land-based Firefly Disc Golf
to evaluate a potential course
and design it.
Altering the forest
Jensen, 69, doesn’t want to
lose the city’s quiet getaway
and disrupt wildlife in the
woods for disc golf. He takes
his Spanish mastiff, “Train-
wreck,” on morning walks
along the Sitka spruce, west-
ern hemlock and red-cedar
tree-lined trails.
“I like the forest experi-
ence of Black Lake,” Halde-
man said. “I want to maintain
it as much as possible.”
Building the course, how-
ever, would include a “mini-
mal removal” of underbrush
to clear the fairways and
make room for baskets, tees
and signs. Players would use
existing trails to get to tees but
they would throw away from
them to reach baskets.
Jensen is reluctant to
take on extra costs with city
resources already stretched
thin.
“We really don’t have the
manpower to maintain the
Black Lake trails very well,”
he said.
At least, the city would
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need to provide garbage
cans, trash pick-up and a por-
ta-potty if the course is built.
More expensive upgrades,
such as expanding the small
parking lot, might be needed
too.
Jensen would prefer to
put in a smaller course south
of the lake near Ilwaco High
School. Designers considered
the site but said they couldn’t
M em orial D ay
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