SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2017
Parks
Dunes
from 1A
Russell told the attentive
audience his department had a
draft proposal ready for the
public to approve a couple of
years ago. However, after
receiving comments from the
community, department man-
agers decided their original
plan was ill suited to the needs
of county residents.
“In 2015 there was a release
of a draft plan. We had several
meetings like these around the
county, and from the public
feedback we learned that the
draft plan did not necessarily
reflect the values of our com-
munity,” Russell said. “We are
basically in a reset mode. We
are rewriting the plan and we
are starting over.”
Russell then made a point of
highlighting three basic con-
cepts to consider when dis-
cussing the recommendations
for the Master Plan: an
Accessible
Water
Based
System, a Nature Based
Recreation System and a
Connected Trail Based System.
Russell added that these
three types of parks could be
thought of as stand alones or
they can be grouped so that
connecting trails, paths or road-
ways can access parks with dif-
ferent features.
He also pointed out that
MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS
Mike Russell, a manager at the Department of Public Works, led the public forum that
solicited ideas for the creation of a new plan for utilization of area parks
water is one of the main draws
to county parks. He empha-
sized the desire of residents to
spend time on or near the
water.
“A big focus of Lane County
Parks is access to water. And
you will see that we have boat
ramps, docks, five camp-
grounds with 250 campsites
and we have marinas at three
different locations that provide
over 300 marina slips,” he said.
After setting the stage for the
evening’s discussions, Russell
asked those in attendance to
join in a group activity.
Parks staff attached posters
to the wall that had the three
different types of parks delin-
eated. Then the public took col-
ored dots prepared by staff and
stuck them to the poster that
reflected their ideas of a
desired park. They also includ-
ed dots for types of parks they
would like to see in their area
and any ideas they had for
alternate park usage.
This activity was followed
by the formation of discussion
groups and recommendations
from those groups.
Lane County Parks staff has
created a survey that was hand-
ed out to the group. These sur-
veys can also be filled out on
line at the Lane County Parks
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website.
The recommendations from
the public forums and from the
survey will constitute a large
part of the data the department
will use to determine the shape
of the final plan.
Russell also said during the
evening that the task of main-
taining and upgrading the sys-
tem is daunting.
The county’s park system, as
it is presently constituted, has
71 parks that encompass
approximately 4,300 acres.
These parks are situated in a
variety of settings from moun-
tains to seaside.
Moreover, because there is
such a large area that is served
by these parks, the department
will be conducting public
meeting in each of six regions
over the next few weeks to
recieve as much public input as
possible on the new Master
Plan.
One of these public meet-
ings is scheduled to take place
in Florence on Thursday, May
4, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the
Siuslaw Valley Fire and
Rescue Main Station, 2625
Highway 101.
For more information on
Lane County’s Master Park
Public meetings, the survey
and the department’s eventual
recommendations,
visit
LaneCounty.org/ParksPlan.
from 1A
“Our special dune ecosys-
tem has been severely
impacted by invasive species
such as Scotch broom. Other
plant species like European
beachgrass has also slowed
the progression of sand and,
essentially, frozen much of
our dunes in place,” Marohl
stated. “This can have a great
impact on our local economy
which is heavily reliant on
recreation and tourism.”
The work the students and
teachers are doing on local
dunes is part of a larger
endeavor overseen by the
Oregon Dunes Restoration
Collaborative, a group com-
prised of state agencies, edu-
cators and private citizens.
According
to
Lisa
Romano, public affairs staff
officer for the Siuslaw
National Forest, the protec-
tion of the dunes is para-
mount and the time for action
is now.
“The need is overwhelm-
ing, expensive and complex.
Identifying where and how
7 A
we can make the best impact
will assure success today and
into the future,” Romano
said. “Developing the dunes
restoration strategy was an
important first step in what
will be a long process of on-
the-ground restoration.”
Marohl points out that
restoring the dunes to their
natural state is a long-term
process that will require
attention and labor for years
to come.
Marohl and others, partic-
ularly STEP member Jim
Grano, have been working on
this for years. They believe
that the students that partici-
pate in the removal will con-
tinue to care about the dunes
and local ecosystems as they
grow into adulthood.
“We hope to have this tra-
dition for our school contin-
ue for many years to come.
As the program moves for-
ward, we will continue to
focus on salmon, watersheds,
restorations and education.
Our students will learn about
these topics both in the class-
room and through hands-on
field trips,” Marohl said.
MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS
Middle schoolers dig up Scotch broom in the dunes
Friday. Siuslaw Middle School Principal Andy Marohl
said students will continue to learn about species,
ecosystems, restoration and more in class and through
field trips.
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