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Tony ( the AF rep), many folks from the Smith Rock Group, and a few others at the main AF office have received the same e-mail as Bill. Thanks, Bill for posting this. From what I've known for some time is if you drive 1/4 mile or so up the gravel road north of the campground it's BLM land for 25 miles to the north.....you can camp amongst the cow pies for free!!! I agree that the fee is most lame, damn right illegal without any kind of public process, and has been put into place because of thefts, non-climbing riff raff hanging out for weeks on end, trash, etc, etc. I stopped camping there a couple of years ago because I just got tired of the generators running all night. I'd rather pay my 4 bucks at the bivy, and sleep in peace and quiet in a maintained campground.

I had posted this under Access, but it has not seen many views... Saturday May 16 from 10 am - 1pm. Meet at Carver Park by 9:45 ( drive across the bridge to the Carver Boat Ramp), and we'll carpool to the site. Bring whatever tools you have for clipping ivy, clematis, scotch broom, and blackberry brambles (label your tools if you can). There is poison oak, but it's mostly up near the cliffs. Bring work gloves and water. Climb Max will be putting on a BBQ afterwards for volunteers at Carver Park. We did not see much garbage for the wildflower tour 2 weeks back, but there might be some. Send me a PM if you need more details. And no, there won't be any climbing afterwards! Sorry! Thanks! Kellie What's the status? It's rather short and sweet, and there have not been many update since I posted in the Access Forum back in March. You can look there for more details. 1) Clackamas County filed the Conditional Use Application (CUP) for the State of Oregon to allow recreation ( a conditional use) on a zoned timber site. A public hearing will take place on the CUP, and anyone can attend. We're waiting for the date, time and location of that hearing... 2) Clackamas County also filed (or is doing that right now) the Local Government Grant for $100K with OR State Parks. It will be a matching grant with the $100K that the County is fronting. We'll need this grant to get started on the construction next Summer 2010. 3) If all goes well with the hearing and the grant, Clackamas County should start taking construction bids in the Winter.

Nice to see you out on your bike today! There is some poison oak up near the cliffs, but it's hard to find it down below in the meadow area. There are a TON of stinging nettles though.

I've received a few e-mails and spoke with a few others in recent months about the Madrone. Those that I've spoke with have heard that the Madrone is "open" for climbing and that access has been restored. This could not be farther from the truth. We're all adults here. For those that choose to poach, you're taking your own chances. Below is my response to one of those people who have heard that it's open. One thing is for certain. When it's open, you will all know about it and there will be a huge party!!! Many of us on this forum take ownership of a local crag. Many of us have put hours of blood, sweat, and tears into an area. Joseph H and company at Beacon with the peregrines, Bill Coe who has tirelessly has helped me out at Rocky Butte over the years with all of the garbage, Kevin E and company at Ozone, lots of folks at Smith, many in Southern Oregon, and the list goes on for other folks with their Washigton crags.... Yes, Clackamas County is dragging their heels, and they enjoy making Keith and I jump through all kinds of bureaucratic hoops. It's complete bullshit, but we keep on moving forward and busting our asses so that one day, thousands of people (and not just a few) will have a great place and get to climb, hike, play with their kids, enjoy nature, etc. ----- The Madrone Wall has been posted "No Trespassing" since September of 1997. While there has been forward progress made with park creation and the completion of a parks master plan by the County, it still remains closed to public use ( ie, no access). Climbing, and other uses, without County permission, are discouraged and NOT supported by the Madrone Wall Preservation Committee ( MWPC). The MWPC has had times where we've been granted permission by Clackamas County for our Annual Wildflower Tour ( just held yesterday with almost 25 visitors), visits by various supporting conservation groups ( Native Plant Society, Three Rivers Land Conservancy), visits by the media ( many Oregonian articles), as well as our stewardship/ volunteer clean up events. Our first event was held in September of 2008 and our second will be held on May 16. We do have permission, support, and presence by the County to be out there for these clean ups. These clean ups are helping to "prime" the area for future clean up events, for the construction process, as well as a solid affirmation by our group to become a "Friends of" organization. Our work out there helps us and the County potentially be at the top of the list to receive grant money for park creation and capital improvements (construction costs), when granting organizations see a "Friends of" group attached to the request for donations or awards. Climbing, hiking, and unfortunately vandalism and other destructive activities, that are currently happening out there are not allowed. Many people continue to "poach" the site for a variety of uses. It is illegal and none of us are above the law. None of this helps the work that we are trying to do, and it continues to be a step backwards in regards to the forward progress that has been made. All of our updates are on www.savemadrone.org Please respect the County's wishes in regards to the closure, and do not trespass. Kellie Rice President, Madrone Wall Preservation Committee kellie.e.rice@gmail.com

Saturday May 9th. I think this is the 17th or 18th year in a row. The fun starts at 8 am and will be wrapped by by 3:00 or so. Free dinner ( generally a burrito feed), slideshow, silent and oral auction, raffle prizes, gear vendors, slacklines, beer, kids, dogs, and lots of good friends! Volunteers get free parking for the day. There are always several projects that need to be done. You can work really hard hauling rocks around for retaining walls, or something a little easier, like picking up trash along the river. There is something for everyone to do. Even the little kids. You can always get more information at www.smithrocks.com Silent and oral auction money raised goes to the Smith Rocks Climbers Coalition ( a non profit) and it will buy supplies for the clean up in 2010.

I'll be sending you a PM.

#1 Annual Wildflower Tour- 4/19 at 3pm ( We'll finish by 5:30) Meet at Still Meadow Community Retreat Center at 16561 SE Marna Rd off of Hwy 224 and about 1/2 mile WEST of the Madrone site www.stillmeadowcommunity.com We'll carpool to the site after Keith does a presentation. This annual event draws about 3 dozen people each year to see trillium, bleeding hearts, and other wildflowers. #2 Our second Restoration Event- 5/16 from 10am-1pm Last September, we had 75 people show up to pull blackberry, clematis, and remove 2 dump trucks full of garbage. Meet at Carver Park ( Carver Boat Ramp) before 10:00 to get signed in and carpool over the site. Bring whatever tools you have. Clackamas County will provide some tools. Bring work gloves and water. Climb Max will host another BBQ afterward for the volunteers. I'll even bring some yummy banana bread! Send me a PM if you want more information or want to attend. You can always get info at www.savemadrone.org Kellie

I had heard from someone once before say that, "If you never ask, the answer is always 'No' " Might help? Can't hurt! Based on my recent update in this forum, Keith Daellenbach ( an engineer himself) has drafted a SOW or Statement of Work. To simply sum it up, Clackamas County Planner, Katie Dunham (kdunham@co.clackamas.or us) asked the MWPC to find a civil engineer that would be willing to do the engineering plans "pro bono." We have sent this SOW to Univ. of Portland, PSU, and OSU. No confirmed takers, but some possible interest from OSU. I thought I'd post it here in case other engineering students ( or professionals) would want a crack at it. Details are below. You must contact Keith directly if you have further questions or are interested. His info is below. I'm taking a shot here because many climbers have told be about their own skills, and using the professional talent of climbers to help move forward on the creation of a park at this site. Madrone Wall Park Creation Help Needed Are you looking for real-world engineering experience? Are you interested in helping create a new Clackamas County Park that will be enjoyed for years to come? Would you like to be paid for your hard work? If so, a Spring/Summer 2009 term project is waiting for you. Our non-profit organization seeks a motivated civil engineering student, or group of students, to design a quarter mile gravel access pedestrian and vehicle access road into the park terminating in a dispersed gravel parking area for 20 vehicles. Additionally, assistance is needed to determine whether or not a left turn lane will be warranted by ODOT off of State Highway 224 and preparation assistance for ODOT’s “Application for State Highway Approach”. This primitive park will have no electricity or potable water and will have a vault toilet, entrance gate, and trail head signage. This 44-acre amazing civic treasure is located on the eastern edge of Metro Portland adjacent to Damascus. The County is scheduled to implement the engineering construction documents and create the park in 2010. Once this site is opened, it will be enjoyed by hikers, rock climbers, bird watchers, picnickers, wild flower viewers for generations. A few trips to Clackamas County will be needed, however, most work can be accomplished remotely. Only a part-time effort is needed and up to a $500 stipend is available for completion of engineering construction documents. To be considered, please email your resume and interest by April 24th to: Keith K. Daellenbach, P.E. Director/Treasurer Madrone Wall Preservation Committee 5815 N.E. 31st Avenue Portland, Oregon 97211 503/249-1618 kdaellenbach@att.net WWW.SAVEMADRONE.ORG

Here's where we are at now. Some good things have been happening despite the fact that the County likes to throw up these hurdles/ barriers at us. Maybe they're thinking that they are some sort of obstacle that Keith an I cannot overcome. 1) Clackamas County Parks Dept and Planner ( Katie Dunham- kdunham@co.clackamas.or.us) had asked Keith and I to see if we could find a civil engineer that would be willing to do the engineering plans for this site pro bono ( AKA "for free"). We were a little taken aback by this since the cost estimates that the County came up with ($880K) and ours with ODOT and a CEM professional ($400K max) BOTH included engineer plans. Again these cost estimates have been previously posted on this forum, so it's not anything new. I had asked Katie on Tuesday at the PAB meeting if it was the norm for a non proft group to find a civil engineer to work for free on such a project. She said "of course not," but referenced the potential costs for the total project. Even the Director of Transportation and Planning ( Cam Gilmore) with the County was a little pissed that Katie asked us to do this. Needless to say, Keith and I brainstormed and connected with the Civil Engineering program at Oregon State. Keith tried PSU, but never got a response. The OSU folks sound interested, but there is a little more that needs to be done before this is firm. 2) Keith Daellenbach had set up a meeting with Clackamas County and the Oregon National Guard out of Salem Thursday afternoon. Three top guys came up and met with Dan Zinzer, Katie and Keith. The Guard got both perspectives. They toured the property for about 2 hours and the Guard seems pretty excited to do this project. The timing of when they could do it is critical. That group is on call during fire season and would need to drop everything once that happens. Dan Zinzer said that he wants to work with the Guard when it works for them. This is good with Clackamas wanting to be flexible. 3) So possibly having the OSU students and the Guard doing the work would save the County a great deal of money since the labor is free. It's a win for us and for the County! 4) On a less than postive note in regards to logging the site...For those of you that attended the Fall meetings, or wrote in letters/comments of support. The County still plans to log the upper portions of the cliffs even though it was unanimously voted on by the public to NOT log the site at all. 5) The Conditional Use Application should have been filed by the County already. I'm not sure if it has yet. The "conditional use" would allow recreation on a zoned timber site. A public hearing will be taking place in the next 6 weeks or so. Date and time TBD when we hear from the County. ODOT will have some input because of the appreoach from HWY 224. Again, we are still on our timeline ( posted in this forum) for construction to begin in the Spring/Summer 2010. More details to come in the coming weeks! Kellie

Nope. I did not get any. I'll see if Jeff or Keith got any.

Thanks to all those that came out! There was probably 250+ folks that made it. After the Hollywood takes their share, we'll know how much we raised. Thanks to Jeff and Brook for sharing their art! Thanks to CRAG Law Center for sponsoring the event, and all of the shops and businesses that donated raffle prizes. Thanks to Climb Max, Next Adventure, Oregon Mountain Community, Mountain Shop, Cilo Gear, Patagonia, Trader Joes, Off Piste, Mt Hood Meadows, Bright Star Massage Therapy, Mountain Hardwear, and US Outdoor Store for all of the goodies!! Kellie

Go the www.madronewall.com ( County's website) to view the concept plans. There would be far more trail development and improvements than what is currently out there. Yes, you have a "social" trail that continues to get used, but the old logging/quarry roads that are on the property would be converted into beginner trails. You can see that there is a discrepancy between the County's estimates and what our experts in the field have come up with. $880K vs $400K. The concept plans include an ADA 1/4 mile interpretive trail, bike parking ( remember, only 20 parking spots), a vault toilet, other beginner and intermediate trails, and a trail to the top. Pedestrian improvements would also be along Hwy 224 from the Trimet bus stop, and a walkway along the road from 224 up to the parking area.....read the concept plans on the site. The plans were viewed and voted upon at the Fall public meetings. Thanks for the info on the Oregon Nat Guard, too! See some of you tonight at the Hollywood?????

The study session with the Commissioners went well......No big surprises really when you get to watch politicians in action.....but we cleared one hurdle and some good points were raised. A decent turn out of Clackamas County folks showed up. There were 15 or so seats surrounding the outside of the conference room table. All but one of the outside seats were taken. Keith and I were both there. We were glad to see the number of Clackamas County folks that showed up! The BCC agreed to the proposed concept plan that was voted on by the public, and told the Planner ( Katie) and Parks Dept ( Dan) to move forward with the Conditional Use Application. The topic of logging was brought up since the site is zoned "timber." A compromise was agreed upon at the PAB meeting to log the upper portion of the site, and leave the lower portion. It was unanimous at the 3 public meetings to NOT log the site...so the County Parks dept is going against the wishes of the public. Two citizens who were against the logging "refreshed" the memories of Katie and Dan yesterday as to what was stated by the public, and the compromise that the Parks Dept and PAB came up with in mid January. The amount that the County will make from logging the upper portion of the site is just a few thousand dollars a year. Two of the newest Commissioners took their own tour of the site, and felt it was a beautiful place. One Commissioner actually used to rock climb, but still likes spelunking (sp?). Keith brought up the estimated costs. Clackamas County estimates that it could cost $880K with 20% contingency. Keith and I had independent reviews with an ODOT engineer and a private construction manager who helps build roads in parks...2 good professionals to review the County's plans.... and they both felt that it could cost $400K max and not $800K. Lynn Peterson, Commissioner, asked the Parks Dept to review why there would be such a discrepancy in the costs when our experts reviewed the plan ( one visited the site himself), and made their own estimates of the costs. The actual costs will come out when the project goes to bid. Keith also brought up a conversation he had with an Oregon National Guard ( Commander?). I think it was the 1249 brigade out of Salem that goes into disaster zones and builds roads and bridges and such. The Commander said that this kind of project is right up their alley and it would be a huge decrease in costs ( free labor) for the County. The County would only have to pay for the engineering design, furnish the construction equipment, and buy the materials. The labor costs would be a HUGE savings, and it trains our men and women who go into service with real hands on projects for when they get deployed. The Commissioners were keen on that idea. More to come after Feb 17th when the PAB begins to review their 5 year budget. Again, we STRONGLY encourage climbers to attend.

Dear Honorable Commissioners, Dan Zinzer and Katie Dunham, In the last few days, I learned how quickly the Knightsbridge area has bypassed any kind of formal process for parks master planning compared to the Springwater Corridor improvements and the Madrone Wall/ Hardscrabble Quarry site. Both the Springwater Corridor improvements and the Madrone Wall had Alta Planning and Design, along with the public, create the concept plans that you all will be voting on very soon. Who did the concept plan for the Knightsbridge area? In the Oregonian article about the Madrone Wall, dated November 21, 2008, Dan Zinzer stated that: So I must ask, why did the Knightsbridge project get expedited with no "bureaucratic hoops" to jump through? It sounds like the permits that Dan referenced above were easily obtained for the construction at the Knightsbridge area for a parking and an access road with no public process. No public meetings were held for this site compared to those that were held for the Madrone and the Springwater Corridor. No significant letters of public input or testimony at the PAB meetings ( and I've been to several of them). I've been involved with the Madrone Wall Preservation Committee since 2004, and since then we've danced your dance. We've been patient with the "process" of park creation, been involved in numerous public meetings, we've educated our supporters and interested citizens about these "bureaucratic hoops" that we need to go through, and I was even one of the main organizers of the first official Madrone Wall clean up back in September of 2008. Keith Daellenbach and I, along with Tonia Burns, your new Natural Resources Specialist, recruited 75 volunteers between the ages of 3 and 70 + to remove invasive plants and clean up illegally dumped rubbish. Which I may add is still sitting in the meadow area awaiting Dump Stoppers to be picked up since September 27th. Amazing that our group can get 75 people to show up at a stewardship project for a place that has no recreational access. Since 1997, it still remains posted "No Trespassing." The citizens of Clackamas County and the surrounding Metro region have spoken since 1997, and you have received hundreds of letters, e-mails and public feedback about timely park creation and restoring access to this 44 acre publicly owned property. It seems to me that these bureaucratic hoops and construction permits are not that difficult to obtain when just a few people within Clackamas County are willing to put forth a little effort. According to your Parks Department, the Springwater Corridor is their first priority and the Madrone Wall is the department's #2 priority. Therefore, park creation for these two highly valued sites ( by the public) really should have no more hoops to jump through, and should be given equal attention and effort as your Knightsbridge project received. Kellie Rice President, Madrone Wall Preservation Committee

I just got off the phone with a Clackamas County resident and someone who is VERY involved with conservation issues with the Mazamas and locally within Clackamas County. Clackamas County approved the nomination for their 5th Commissioner, Ann Lininger. Ann is one of the directors of the Meyer Memorial Trust (which gave the MWPC a cash grant for outreach in 2008) and also has great experience in the non profit sector. She is an attorney, and has a great "ability to recognize new sources of revenue to compensate for dwindling federal and state revenues." According to my friend, the Commissioners have stood up to the LNG pipeline that would run through Molalla and into Mt Hood NF, and are willing to listen to their citizens based on meetings she has had with them. 4 of the 5 commissioners are all new. If you're planning on attending the Feb 3rd meeting, we don't have to go in with our anarchy flags flying! You can still bring one, though! Tuesday Feb 3rd- BCC study session. Public is welcome, but input can be limited. 1:30 pm 2051 Kaen Rd Oregon City. The Commissioners will hear the Master Plan on the Madrone as well as the improvements on the Springwater Corridor. Need a ride? Meet me at Climb Max by 12:30. I don't condone parking in their lot, but there is street parking. I have room for 3 people. Tuesday Feb 17th, Parks Advisory Board meeting 6pm. Address is 150 Beavercreek Rd right next to the Commissioners office. Kaen Rd is adjacent to Beavercreek. This is where the PAB will discuss the 5 year budget ( Capital Improvement Plan). You'll hear how they plan to budget for the Madrone.

Below is Keith's letter regarding this issue to the County Kellie Madrone Wall Preservation Committee 5815 N.E. 31st Avenue Portland, Oregon 97211 www.savemadrone.org 28 January 2009 Dan Zinzer, Director Katie Dunham, Planner Department of Business and Community Services 150 Beavercreek Road Oregon City, Oregon 97045 Re: Madrone Wall Capital Improvement Estimate and Timely Park Creation Requested Dear Dan and Katie: Thank you for discussing various funding approaches for the Madrone Wall with me yesterday as County Parks prepares DRAFT recommendations for Parks Advisory Board (PAB) for review starting at the February meeting on the 17th of next month. I was encouraged to hear from you that the Madrone Wall is considered a priority by County Parks perhaps only second behind the efforts underway to finish sections of the Springwater Trail which was recently selected for funding by ODOT’s Transportation Enhancement Grant (congratulations!). Given the substantial public involvement in the County’s Public Involvement Meetings last August, September, and October where ~40 people attended each meeting, the 250 letters and emails County Parks received in the last six months alone, the 225 hours of volunteer work hours at our remarkably successful volunteer restoration event where 75 people of all ages came out to the site to remove invasive plants and two flatbed trucks of illegally dumped rubbish, we request that the County match your priority and the public’s enthusiasm with a funding strategy for creating this primitive park in a timely fashion. The County’s initial estimate to establish this park was described to be $880,000 at the January PAB meeting held last week; this estimate was created by the County’s consultant, Alta Planning & Design, which led the parks master planning effort now completed. Comparing this amount with the estimate I prepared, with input from an ODOT Road Construction Specialist and a Paving and Cost Estimating Specialist of a central Oregon firm that provides contact paving for Oregon Parks and Recreation Department projects, shows the County estimate to be unexplainably high. My estimate attached, which while I received input from people who do estimating work for a living represents my estimate alone, shows the Phase I park implementation cost, i.e., that required to get the park open, at $323,658. My estimate has substantial yet industry-accepted contingencies (~25%) and generous excavation and aggregate costs (based on ODOT’s Region 1/Portland Metro area). Given the current economy, biding for available work will be highly competitive and I was told the final price could be even lower. As a basis, my estimate used the same Madrone Wall Final Draft Concept Design (dated 10/29/08, attached) as the County’s consultant which calls for permeable (not asphalt) access road of an 8% grade that is 0.24 miles long, dispersed parking for 20 vehicles (permeable not asphalt surface), vault toilet, signs, and trails. Accomplishing this improvement should not take nearly nine-tenths of a million dollars. Once the park is opened, I estimate another $36,000 for bike rack, trails, and educational kiosk, much of the cost of which will very likely be offset by grants our organization will win from such potential allied organizations such as The Access Fund, Mazamas, and REI. The MWPC has already shown it can get 75 people on the site for a work day – the majority of people who had never even seen the site; think of the enthusiasm to care for this amazing civic treasure once it becomes a park! In preparing for this winter’s PAB review and, subsequently, the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) review of park capital improvement priorities, please consider identifying a plan to fund a Phase I implementation in its entirety in the FY2009/2010 budget. In April 2008, the PAB completed its 5-year Capital Improvement Plan (attached) with a $100,000 provisional FY2009/2010 allocation from the County’s Trust Fund to be matched with a prospective (and provisional) allocation of $100,000 from a State of Oregon grant. Yesterday, you spoke provisionally reducing the County’s FY2009/2010 participation from what it determined last year to $30,000 for project management, permits, and planning, coupled with a $70,000 allocation if the $1,937,000 originally allocated to Clackamas County by the 2006 passage of the Metro greenspace ballot measure 26-80 (amounting to a mere 3.6% of the entire allocation), coupled with a $100,000 Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Local Government Grant (contingent, of course, on winning this highly competitive grant). This total is $200,000 and I fail to see how this amount would complete the park for opening. Given the tight Trust Fund money supply this year, please consider allocating a greater portion of the Metro greenspace money to give the FY2009/2010 budget allocation parity with my ~$325,000 Phase I estimate. Perhaps a small augmenting contribution can be made to this project from the $16.1 million federal timber money that was reauthorized by Congress late last year. In so far as trying to find “shovel readyâ€

It doesn't surprise me that she'd give a blanket response. Dan Zinzer has been interviewed numerous times for various newspapers (Oregonian, Damascus Review, etc), and each time he states that there is a process and how it can take years for a place to become a park....You can understand why Keith, myself, and certainly others are a little outraged.....The Knightsbridge property never went through any process, master plan, or public input, no letters, no e-mails, nothing in comparison to the Madrone.....And it was almost if "POOF" there's another park. And the County actually had to buy some of the Knightsbridge property in order for it to become a park. The County does not have to pay a dime to acquire the Madrone. They own the whole 44 acre plot! We really hope some of you folks can come to the 2 up and coming meetings on Feb 3rd and Feb 17th

Mtguide- The Commissioners have not voted on the Madrone and the plan yet. That happens on Feb 3rd. The Parks staff have expedited a project "Knightsbridge" without any public input, letters of support, or similar process that the Madrone, and other parks ( Springwater Corridor) have had to go through. No hoops to jump for the Knightsbridge! According to the County Planner ( Katie Dunham) in a chat with Keith Daellenbach less than 2 weeks ago, we had $200K as a base to start from before applying for grants. Now we have $170K (that is what the County hopes for) including one grant from Oregon State Parks- local options grant. If we had the $200K like Katie Dunham said we did, then that could mean at least $300K in matching grants through Oregon State Parks. You have to front $100K to be eligible for an additional $50K in grant money. Last April, the PAB ( Parks Board- citizen led) voted on & agreed to $200K as a base before grants. The heads of the parks has gone ahead and moved some of the funding around to expedite this "Knightsbridge " project. The Parks Board and the PAB moved around money without considering what was approved and agreed upon last April, and without considering and adjusting their budget for future projects the following year...ie, the Madrone... So yup, there was a commitment on the part of the Parks Dept and Parks Board- citizen volunteers- to set aside some for the Madrone for this up and coming year.........and they pretty much screwed us! Why the County Planner ( Katie) said one thing, and then sat alongside Dan Zinzer and said a completely different thing within 2 weeks time is absurd! If you've never seen Keith or I pissed and fuming with steam coming out of our ears............that's what we look like!

Man how things can change from one week to the next! If you've ever written a letter, or attended any of the public meetings in support of this site. Clackamas County Parks has just about slapped us all across the face. About 2 weeks ago, Keith Daellenbach and Katie Dunham ( County planner) had a conversation about how much funding was in place before grants were applied for. Katie confrimed that there was $200K as the base from County revenues. Grant monies awarded would be in addition to the $200K. Keith had a follow up call with Katie and Dan Zinzer ( head of parks), and the County has changed their plans to decrease funding. Why? Get this.... The County created a new park in just a few months. The area is known as Knightsbridge in the Canby area. They spent Metro Bond money, used up other revenues/taxpayer dollars, and quickly established an access road, parking area, and vault toilet with NO public input, NO letters of support from citizens, and NO master plan or concept plan drafted for public viewing! Those of you who came to the public meetings this Fall? The County did nothing of the sorts for Knightsbridge. What can you do? E-mail the following folks and mention the above scenario about how the "process" was ignored for Knightsbridge...which we've been following for so many years now. Board of County Commissioners bcc@co.clackamas.or.us Lynn Peterson, Commissioner, lynnpet@co.clackamas.or.us Dan Zinzer, County Parks, danz@co.clackamas.or.us Katie Dunham, Planner, kdunham@co.clackamas.or.us What else? Attend the study session with the Commissioners at 1:30 on Feb 3rd on Kaen Rd in Oregon City. Attend the next PAB meeting on 2/17 at their Oregon city location on 150 S Beavercreek Rd which is adjacent to the Commissioners office. It is at this PAB meeting that their board will vote on funding for the Madrone. If you also know of anyone in Clackamas County that supports this site, then have them attend the meetings! Kellie

Ivan- The question you raised is something that we have not been given a direct or concrete response to yet. The County's drafted timeline that has been posted on this site is still pretty close to the current timeline. IF the County receives adequate funding from matching grants from Oregon State Parks-Local Options, AND the County has dotted their I's, crossed their T's on all of the necessary forms, AND ODOT has done their piece with their property bordering, AND the Commissioners make funding THIS site a priority on Feb 3rd....Then construction is set to begin in the Summer of 2010. A friend that has done construction projects on parks has looked at some of the design info and feels that it should only take about 3-4 months to build the road and make a parking area. The park will not be officially open without onsite parking. Even though people are parking all along HWY 224, ODOT states that it is illegal to do so. People who are currently accessing the site, and parking along 197th and Semple Rd- WATCH OUT! Residents are taking note of people with ropes and packs and calling the County with car and license descriptions..........

An update from last night's PAB meeting. The Parks Board approved the concept plan #2 with trail development up top. What they also approved was to not log the lower area, but allow the County to log the upper portion as they harvest timber every couple of decades. Now it will go to the Board of County Commissioners to review and approve the plan on February 3rd. The public is welcome to attend the study session at 1:30 at their offices on Kaen Rd in Oregon City. What was also talked about was the costs of the full project. $880,000 was the expected costs with 20% contingency factored in. About half of that is the road improvements and parking area. The suggestion of Alta Planning and design was to do the work in phases. Phase 1 would be parking, trail improvements to the rock, and the road in. Other trail building efforts, signage, ADA trail, and a permanent bathroom would be Phase 2 as more funding is set aside. Pending approval from the Commissioners, the County Planner will follow through on the Conditional Use Application to the State. Once the "hearing" for the conditional use is completed, the County will begin applying for grants through Oregon State Parks Grant program. We will also work with the County on Access Fund grants, REI grants, and so on. This timeline is a slight deviation from the drafted timeline on this site I put up a couple of months ago. Only by about 2 months off. The Conditional Use Permit needs to be granted before the County can begin applying for matching parks grants. What can you do to help? 1) Attend the study session with the Commissioners on Feb 3rd at 1:30 2) Attend the next Parks Board meeting on 2/17/09 at 6pm. They will be discussing their up and coming budget for the next 5 years. The Madrone is currently on track to receive $200K from the County before grants are applied for. 3) Attend the film fest at the Hollywood theater on Feb 5th 4) Stay tuned for the proposed clean up on May 16. More details to come. Go to www.madronewall.com (County's website), or www.savemadrone.com (Our website) for more info. Thanks! Kellie

I've had a few e-mails about the up and coming meeting on Tuesday. We strongly encourage climbers to attend. From the talks that we've had with Clackamas County, at the start of the new Fiscal Year on July 1st there will be funding available. From what we have also heard from the County and their work with Alta Planning and Design who did the Master Plan, is that Alta will ask what is the minimum that needs to get done to get it open for use, and not adhere to the idea that all of the funding needs to be in place to make all of the proposed improvements. Directions and meeting times are above. Please attend! Thanks to those that showed up at the Lucky Lab in Portland last night to put together another mailing. If you are one of the 1000+ people that receive our snail mail updates, you should be getting one soon! thanks! Kellie Rice

YAY, Tony!

It looks as if Option 3 was agreed upon. So access will still be available from the north to Bulo. Thanks to Leslie in 'da Couv, and Kay in Hood River, for being involved in the discussions. This option would leave the 2730240 road open from the north (from Highway 44) to the crag and include a turn around with parking. The road would be converted to a trail from the crag south. For the full story, go to the Forest website at www.fs.fed.us/r6/mthood in the Projects and Plans section.

Mount Hood Meadows have kicked in a nice raffle prize, too! Dinner, lodging, and lift tickets to a lucky winner who comes to the show!