The Columbia Press
June 18, 2021
3
Keep Oregon Green sponsors billboard contest
Courtesy Oregon Parks
Trees block a portion of the North Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain Trail
in Oswald West State Park.
North Coast trails closed for
three years due to wind damage
Portions of three trails on
the North Coast will remain
closed at least two more years
while crews remove danger-
ous trees left in the wake of a
September 2020 windstorm.
The trail at Cape Lookout
State Park and two sections
of trails at Oswald West State
Park are impassable due to
downed trees and will require
extensive work to reopen, ac-
cording to Oregon Parks and
Recreation Department.
The agency is working with
FEMA and other federal part-
ners, Oregon Department of
Forestry, private consultants,
South Fork Forest Camp and
volunteers to map the dam-
age and plan for a safe re-
opening.
“We want to thank visi-
tors for their patience as we
work as quickly as possible
to reopen these historic and
culturally important trails,”
said Justin Parker, North
Coast district manager. “In
the meantime, we encourage
visitors to explore one of the
many open trails along the
north coast.”
Specific closures
Cape Lookout: The entire
North Trail, which connects
the day-use area to the Cape
Trail.
Oswald West: The 1.4-
mile section of the Arch
Cape to Cape Falcon Trail,
from the north trailhead to
the crossing at U.S. Highway
101.
Oswald West: A 1.6-mile
section of North Neah-Kah-
Nie Mountain Trail from U.S.
Highway 101 to the summit.
The trail segments have
been closed since Labor Day
2020, when the winds that
fueled wildfires in other parts
of the state caused extensive
blowdown on about 185 acres
within the two state parks.
An especially wet and
stormy fall and winter fol-
lowed, knocking down more
trees that had been weakened
by the windstorm.
In the hardest hit areas, up
to 90 percent of the trees —
made up of hemlock, Douglas
fir and giant Sitka spruce as
tall as 140’ — are down or in
danger of falling.
The closed sections are all
part of the Oregon Coast
Trail that stretches along the
362-mile coastline.
Keep Oregon Green cel-
ebrates its 80-year history
with the first billboard poster
art contest.
Oregonians of all ages can
share their vision for keeping
Oregon free of wildfire.
“We are excited to celebrate
our important milestone by
offering this fun opportunity
to all Oregon residents,” said
Kristin Babbs, president of
the Keep Oregon Green Asso-
ciation.
“As over 70 percent of
Oregon’s wildfires are hu-
man-caused, the power of
prevention is … our shared
responsibility.”
Contest deadline is 5 p.m.
Aug. 9 (Smokey Bear’s birth-
day).
In 2022, Oregon will be-
come an open-air art gal-
lery, the group vowed, as
the winning artwork in three
age categories (adult, grades
6-12, and grades 1-5) ap-
pears on billboards at major
intersections, highways and
interstates.
Cash prizes and certificates
will be awarded to the first
three people who place in
each age division.
For more information, go
to keeporegongreen.org and
click on “art contest.”
New map shows locations of sensitive fish species
The state released an up-
dated salmonid habitat map
last month.
The map identifies streams
that are critical habitat for
Chinook salmon, steelhead
trout, and other sensitive,
threatened or endangered
fish species.
In Warrenton, the Skipanon
River, parts of Alder Creek,
and Adair Slough, which runs
beside the airport, all are
on the list. Other sensitive
streams are in Astoria, Gear-
hart, Seaside and unincorpo-
rated Clatsop County.
Oregon law requires pro-
tection of the streams during
construction projects. Re-
moval-fill permits must be
obtained for most projects
that remove or add materials
near streams on the map.
“Knowing which streams
are essential habitat helps
property owners do their
part to protect fish,” said
Vicki Walker, Department of
State Lands director. “More
streams have been identi-
fied as essential, so now is a
good time to check the map.”
The map was created us-
ing Oregon Department
of Fish and Wildlife data
and includes 1,700 more
stream miles than the pre-
vious map released in 2015.
DSL’s recent requirement to
update the map also created a
process to ensure the map re-
flects current data. The map
will be updated annually in a
process that includes a public
review and comment period.
The map can be found at
oregon.gov/dsl/WW/Pages/
ESH-permits.aspx.