Monitoring the county park activities
DCPARC Update….John Hunter
We continue to monitor the situation at Whistlers Bend Park where more than 100 trees in the campground were cut. Far more than 11 reported by the Parks Advisory Board (PAB. Public awareness of the logging was non-existent and no harvest plan was filed with the Oregon Dept. of Forestry. The logging company was given total discretion to extract over 10 times the number of trees advertised! Whistler’s Bend is noted for its world renowned disc golf course. The logging damaged and disrupted regular play at the course upsetting Disc Golfers who have helped to maintain the course. Equipment used has left mud ruts throughout the campground.
We are monitoring other county land and hosted a hike to the former Britt Nichols County Park. Over 30 people joined us which was reclassified by the BOC in Dec as County forest. The Kiwanis Club and the Roseburg school district, in 1953, was promised a share of the timber receipts. On Feb. 19, along with other concerned groups and individuals, we hosted a “Rally for Transparency” in front of the County Courthouse. A group of 60 people joined us to exercise their right to free speech and assembly and encourage more transparency in our county government.
It is our quest to find common ground with all of Douglas County to create a more livable 100 valleys of the Umpqua. Anyone wanting to show their support and solidarity, DCPARC has “Remember Whistler’s Bend” as well as “Remember Busenbark” T-shirts sizes medium through 2XL, now available for $16 at the UW.