elaine
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Posts posted by elaine
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Rest in Peace Andie!
I heard the news last night. I've climbed with her and her husband. She was a great climber, PCT Board member, and great friend to all.
She will most certainly be missed.
Much love to Jeff, her husband, and her extended Mazama family.
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Thanks to those that did show up.
Please pass this along to your friends and contacts.....
The first public meeting with Clackamas County and Alta Planning and
Design, the consultants hired to do the Master Plan for this site, went
well last night.
The turn out was not that great in general, but about 3 dozen Clackamas
County residents and climbers showed up. I think there was an equal
balance of both. The citizens/residents were very vocal and in support of
re-establishing access at the site and allowing rock climbing there as well as hiking and other uses.
Some of the other comments that were brought up were:
1) A unanimous vote was casted to NO LONGER allow timber harvest on the
site. This was taken by a general show of hands. The Parks Staff will
report this back to the Parks Board and the Commissioners
2) The size of the site ( 44 acres) does not support multiple recreation
uses, such as horseback riding or mountain biking. Clackamas County felt
that if there was an acquisition of property with surrounding sites, that
other such uses could be discussed.
3) Many liked the opportunities for education and conservation. Keeping it as primitive as possible while developing it enough for access, and to find that balance is key.
Two meetings will follow with the same opportunity for public input. The
meeting place HAS NOT been determined yet. They are hoping to use the
Still Meadow Center again.
The next meetings will be held on:
Wednesday September 24th at 6:00 pm
Wednesday October 29 at 6:00 pm
If you cannot attend, please send your comments to the following folks:
Katie Dunham -kdunham@co.clackamas.or.us
Chris VanDuzer- chrisv@co.clackamas.or.us
Alta Planning an Design has also established a website to send in your
comments and see the project. This is NOT a site that has been established, nor maintained
by our committee.
Go to www.madronewall.com
Many thanks,
Kellie Rice
Madrone Wall Preservation Committee
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Thanks to those that showed up.
Please pass this along to your friends and contacts.....
The first public meeting with Clackamas County and Alta Planning and
Design, the consultants hired to do the Master Plan for this site, went
well last night.
The turn out was not that great in general, but about 3 dozen Clackamas
County residents and climbers showed up. I think there was an equal
balance of both. The citizens/residents were very vocal and in support of
re-establishing access at the site and allowing rock climbing there as well as hiking and other uses.
Some of the other comments that were brought up were:
1) A unanimous vote was casted to NO LONGER allow timber harvest on the
site. This was taken by a general show of hands. The Parks Staff will
report this back to the Parks Board and the Commissioners
2) The size of the site ( 44 acres) does not support multiple recreation
uses, such as horseback riding or mountain biking. Clackamas County felt
that if there was an acquisition of property with surrounding sites, that
other such uses could be discussed.
3) Many liked the opportunities for education and conservation. Keeping it as primitive as possible while developing it enough for access, and to find that balance is key.
Two meetings will follow with the same opportunity for public input. The
meeting place HAS NOT been determined yet. They are hoping to use the
Still Meadow Center again.
The next meetings will be held on:
Wednesday September 24th at 6:00 pm
Wednesday October 29 at 6:00 pm
If you cannot attend, please send your comments to the following folks:
Katie Dunham -kdunham@co.clackamas.or.us
Chris VanDuzer- chrisv@co.clackamas.or.us
Alta Planning an Design has also established a website to send in your
comments and see the project. This is NOT a site that has been established, nor will it be maintained
by our committee.
Go to www.madronewall.com
Many thanks,
Kellie Rice
Madrone Wall Preservation Committee
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See my posts under Access and the Climbers Board.
Kellie
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A gentle reminder about the meeting next Wednesday.
This will be the first of 3 public input meetings that the Madrone will be having as it completes the Master Plan this summer and fall.
Please carpool to the Still Meadow Center, as parking is somewhat limited. I'll be leaving from downtown Lake O at 5:30 sharp, and the #35 bus from PSU can get you there. Contact me if you want a ride.
Directions to the meeting are here:
http://www.stillmeadowcommunity.com/about/getting_here.php
The meeting is from 6-8:00. It's OK if you show up late. Showing up late is better than not showing up at all. The last time Clackamas County set up a public meeting for recreationalists back in 2005, only about 70 folks showed up and those that did show were not all climbers. I'm sure that there are at least 70 people that would like to have access to the Madrone.
Please don't assume that plenty of people will just show up and help represent you. If you cannot come, please send your comments to:
Katie Dunham at kdunham@co.clackamas.or.us
Chris VanDuzer at chrisv@co.clackamas.or.us
Bill mentioned something about a get together at a pub afterwards. I'll be headed to NE PDX after the meeting. Any suggestions? Kennedy School? Lucky Lab in SE?
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I've posted the info in Access Forum as well, but the more viewings the better. For more details, go to the Access Forum.
Two very important events are listed below! Please attend if you can!
Public Input Meeting regarding the Madrone Wall
Wednesday August 6th at Still Meadow Community Center
http://www.stillmeadowcommunity.com/about/getting_here.php
The meeting is from 6pm to 8pm, and it is OK if you show up a little late. This will be the first of Three public meetings as Clackamas Co seeks public input for this site as it goes through their Master Planning process. Your attendance is important!
I will be leaving downtown Lake Oswego at 5:30 sharp from work. If you want to carpool with me from there, feel free. You can take the #35 bus from PSU area to get to Lake O. Carpooling is essential as parking at Still Meadow is somewhat limited.
The second event will be the first clean up of the site on September 27th from 10am -1pm. We will be removing invasive species ( ivy, blackberry, scotch broom, etc) and picking up whatever trash is out there. We will not be doing anything with bolts or anchors. Tonia Burns from the Clackamas Co. Natural Resources Team will be out there helping us.
Meet at the Carver Community School by 9:45 for Carpooling to the site. Address is 16077 SE Hwy 224 Clackamas, OR 97015
Please do not drive there yourself and park along 224 or 197th. Bring whatever tools you have for ivy removal, and your own work gloves. They are only a couple of bucks at Fred Meyer. Bring the kids. There will be something for everyone to do. It may also still be dry, so stinging hornets and insects might be an issue if you are allergic.
The kind folks at Climb Max will be doing another BBQ afterwards. These folks have really supported access issues and clean ups, so remember to support them.
Many thanks!
Kellie
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The meeting lets out early enough that swinging by a pub might work out.
I will send out a reminder the week before 8/6. I will be working in downtown Lake Oswego until 5:30, so if anyone would like to carpool with me to the meeting give me a shout. You can take the # 35 bus from downtown PDX and near the PSU campus to get to Lake O if transportation is an issue for you.
For those of you who have not been to Still Meadow before, there is not a whole lot of parking so carpooling is important!!!
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No worries, Bill. Come to the meeting if you can in August, even if you get there after the start of the meeting. Attendance is really important!
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OK kids. Here is the latest and the greatest!!
Thanks to Doug Hutchinson, Kent, Tom S, Mike, and a couple of other guys, gals, and one 2 year old, that helped us get the 900 plus mailings out last night at the Lab.
Two very important events happening, so your participation and input is essential!!
MADRONE WALL - PUBLIC MEETING #1 FOR PARKS MASTER PLAN INPUT
WHERE: Still Meadow Community
16561 S.E. Marna Road
Damascus, Oregon 97089
www.stillmeadowcommunity.com
(1/2-mile north of Madrone Wall)
WHEN: 6 August 2008 (Wednesday)
6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Clackamas County Parks is now inviting public input for a Parks Master Planning process for Hardscrabble Quarry (a.k.a. Madrone Wall). This is the first of three Public Involvement Meetings. The County is working with the community to complete a feasibility study and develop a concept Parks Master Plan for the Madrone Wall. THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY to attend and provide input on future uses of and improvements to this site including the potential creation of a park.
This meeting is the first step to involve the public in the Parks Master Planning process.
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Event #2
The First Clean Up Party!
Saturday September 27th from 10am-1pm
Meet at the Carver School by 9:45 for carpooling to the site.
16077 SE Hwy 224
Clackamas, OR 97015
Please do not drive to the site yourself and park along Hwy 224 or 197th and Semple Rd.
PLEASE DO bring any tools you have for invasive species removal. There will be lots of ivy and scotch broom to pull. Small hand saws, loppers, rakes, etc are needed. We will not be doing any bolt or anchor replacement at this clean up. Some trash will likely need to be picked up.
PLEASE bring your own work gloves. They are 1.99 or so at Fred Meyer's. A Natural Resources Specialist with Clackamas County will be out there with us guiding us through invasive species removal.
PLEASE DO bring water, snacks and whatever else you think you might need for trail work. If it is still dry out, bees and other stinging critters might be an issue if you are allergic.
The crew from Climb Max will be there hosting another BBQ afterwards. These guys will be just coming back from the Smith Rock Detour Event the weekend before, too. This goup of folks really know how to give back. Let's make sure we continue to support them.
Come on out and have some fun. Bring the kids. There will be something for everyone.
Lastly, please don't ask when it will be "open." You won't get an answer because neither Keith or I know the answer to that with any exact date. We've been told by Dan Zinzer at the County that if all goes smoothly with their application with the State, the master planning process, and the public hearings that will be taking place, it COULD be as early as Fall of 2009 or Spring of 2010. It will not be open until there is sufficient parking on-site.
If you want a better understanding of the process then come to the meeting on August 6th. You'll find out what the County's planning process is. The more people that show up, the more the County will see that this should be a high priority with their parks department.
A gentle reminder is still needed. It is still posted as "No Trespassing." This means it is not open for climbing or anything else. Continuing to climb there does not help the current situation with the 1000's of volunteer hours that a few folks have put in over the years for this site to become an actual park. Eleven years after it's closure, we're on our way to meeting this goal.
Many thanks for the support
Kellie Rice
President, Madrone Wall Preservation Committee
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Keith is putting together another flier for the latest updates this weekend.
Come to the Lucky Lab in SE Portland at 6:00 or whenever you can to stamp and label about 900 mailings. I'll be there a little late coming from the bike shop.
An update will be posted here next week based on the info Keith has in the mailing.
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PRG, The Circuit Gym, Mazamas are all good places. I'm not sure that all 3 can hold 300 people though. I have not been to the new an improved "Bridgeport" or Lucky Lab in the Pearl, either. Maybe they have a big enough space.
Kevin, keep me posted as you continue to plan ( if you want). I've worked with lots of local businesses about donating raffle prizes and silent auction items. The crew at Climb Max have always been awesome with this kind of stuff, too.
Kellie
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So I tried posting this about 3 months ago, and still no takers.
Finding one or more folks to volunteer for the organization and serve as a Regional Coordinator is key.
Tony Holmes is still managing Mt Hood and the Columbia River Gorge, but finding some folks from around the State that might take on a smaller area or region to deal with access issues, and coordinate or help out with clean ups is what the Access Fund is looking for.
Feel free to contact me, or Charlie at the Access Fund if you are interested or have more questions.
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176 volunteers was the tally for the day!
Lots of work got done in 6 or so hours. I worked on the new stairs descending from Karate Crack past Latest Rage ( the old ones were damn scary!). Others worked over by Scarface and improved trail access in the Aggro Gully.
Other projects included removing dead junipers from the parking lot area, working at the Grasslands and the main access trail from the parking lot. Some new bolts and anchors were supposed to be replaced at the Picnic Lunch Wall ( Five Easy Pieces was one route).
The Smith Rock Group always does an awesome job putting this event on.
And by the way....no one has expressed interest for stepping into the Access Fund RC's role for any region of the State. Volunteer reps do not have to manage a large area, but could focus on a smaller region and having more reps in the State. Having different folks focus in on Central, Eastern, Southern, and the Portland area would be a plus. Contact me or the AF if you are interested!!
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Just a brief update to keep you all in the loop. Yesterday, Keith held another public tour of the site with permission from the County. 35 folks showed up from various groups who are interested in this site becoming a park. You can read Keith's summary below. We have been invited to meet with the County's new Natural Resources Coordinator to coordinate clean ups with removing invasive plants and trash before the site opens up for recreation. Unfortunately, she was injured on the job prior to our scheduled meeting a couple of weeks ago. We will be looking to meet with her again.
Current time-line is that construction on the parking area could begin as early as next summer, providing that the County is awarded a matching grant from Oregon State Parks local grant program. In the past, they've applied for two matching grants every year and have been awarded both grants. The County considers the MWPC an ally as they apply for this matching grant.
Just a gentile reminder that we ask you to continue to respect the closure. This site is still posted "No Trespassing."
Kellie Rice
Access Fund RC- Oregon
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20 April 2008, Sunday
Dan Zinzer
Director, Department of Business and Community Services
Tonia Burns
Natural Resources Coordinator
Dan and Tonia:
Our public wildflower viewing tour today at the Madrone Wall was a great success. About 35 people participated including many from the Native Plant Society of Oregon - Portland Chapter, Trails Club, Mazamas, and Eagle Creek-Barton CPO; most were citizens living in the Carver/Damascus area. Their ages ranged from probably about 10 to over 70. The superb retreat center at Still Meadow Community (www.stillmeadowcommunity.com), located about a half mile from the site on Marna Road, again provided a great place for us to meet, introduce people to the site, and then use it as a base to carpool to and from the site. I'm always amazed that, after over a decade of closure, so many folks continue to show up to our public tours of the site. We even found a couple native plants not found on our plant survey (http://www.savemadrone.org/plantsurvey.htm), which has identified over one hundred plant species; one was the Calypso orchid (see attached picture of this uncommon orchid and an
other
of the Oregon fawn lilly that is also in full bloom at this time) that I've thought may be at the site but, after looking for it for more than 10 years, I finally found several!
Needless to say, there are a lot of invasive, non-native, exotic plant species including Himilayan blackberry, Scot's broom, English holly, English laurel, and English ivy to name a few. We'd like to work with Tonia to discuss the logistics and tactics for removing these exotics, along with illegally dumped rubbish (note the most recent dumping infraction at the site's entrance involved someone lighting a burn pile at Highway 224) and rock graffiti. We'd like to set up some dates for work parties to carpool to the site to start this work over the course of the next year prior to park opening.
As you've both had other items come up and have cancelled our meeting dates/times that have been scheduled over the last two weeks, I am wondering would it be possible to meet with you this Wednesday 23 April? I am available to drop by the Sunnybrook Service Center anytime during that day. I have a few things I'd like to run by you, Dan, as we discussed at last week's PAB meeting (probably for 15 or 20 minutes) and I'd like to sit down and go over maps and exotic plant removal ideas with Tonia for about an hour. Would you let me know if meeting you both this Wednesday would work? Again, I'm available to come by anytime on the 23rd.
Keith K. Daellenbach (kdaellenbach@att.net, 503/249-1618)
Secretary/Treasurer, Director
Madrone Wall Preservation Committee
5815 N.E. 31st Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97211
www.savemadrone.org
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Kay-
Thanks for posting this here. I know Jason Keith ( Policy Director at the AF) emailed Tony Holmes and copied me. He asked Tony about putting an "Action Alert" to get the word out.
I will gladly write a letter. Hopefully you and Tony can coordinate. Let me know if you need any more help.
Kellie
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Join us if you can!
Saturday May 3rd
Volunteer Registration booth open from 8-10:00 am by the fee station. Volunteers get to pick from many improvement projects. Light breakfast, work gloves, tools, sunscreeen, and water provided.
All ages are welcome to volunteer.
The "Barn" (above the Lower Gorge access) opens at 4:00 for gear demos, slacklining, silent auction, BEER, and other snacks before the FREE dinner.
Dinner starts at 6:00, and it typically is a burrito feed.
The oral auction and gear raffle follow dinner.
All proceeds from silent and oral auction items go back into the funds for the clean up next year. The Smith Rock Group is a non profit, so it goes to a great cause.
Go to smithrocks.com for more info or contact Ian Caldwell at iancaldwell@hotmail.com
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The trash and poison oak is something we can address with the natural resources gal. She already has us on her radar to start coordinating some volunteer projects.
We were encouraged after Tuesday's meeting. We have been fortunate to be part of the process with Clackamas County and providing input, even though were are not citizens of that County.
Thanks for the support, Jeff
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Madrone Wall Supporters. Tuesday was the most recent Parks meeting and there is some good news.........fingers crossed. This is what we got out of it.
1.) Current draft plans for implementing capital improvement at the site, necessary for park opening, are not scheduled before FY'09-'10 (County fiscal years start in July). Additional refinement of the County's draft five year capital improvement plan will occur at the next Parks Advisory Board (PAB) meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday 15 April PAB meeting (9101 S.E. Sunnybrook Blvd., Clackamas). Plan on attending if you would like to provide input. 3 Madrone supporters showed up- an elderly couple from the Trails Club and a PRG climber named Andrew.
2.) Clackamas County Parks received six proposals responding to their Madrone Wall Request for Proposal by their 03/13/08 deadline. There was a high level of interest from outside consultants to help with desinging the park. The County typically gets 2-3 bidders, and not six. The County expects to hire a consultant before the end of April to lead the parks master planning process at the Madrone Wall. This process is expected to take at least six months and there will be at least three times the County will solicit public input at meetings. The Madrone Wall Preservation Committee is planning to help the County publicize these crucial meetings so stay tuned. We'll want your attendance.
3.) After the County completes the parks master plan, it may, at their discretion, proceed with the following in FY'08-'09 ( again starting in July of 08): filing conditional use application to allow for park status on land zoned as timber, apply for Oregon Parks and Recreation Department matching grant for capital improvements to take place FY'09-'10, submission of State highway approach documentation to ODOT ( does ODOT need to modify the road at all to access parking?), and invasive plant pulling and trash clean up at Madrone Wall in preparation for park opening to be orgainized through Madrone Wall Preservation Committee and The Access Fund. This means that starting as early as next fall/winter, volunteers can go in and start pulling out trash and invasive plants. It will still be closed, but what that means is we can actually start "doing something."
The State will also recognize that there is active citizen involvement and interest at the site which will help with grants.
4.) Assuming funding can be secured ( $200K), park implementation and could start in the second half of 2009 ( Summer or Fall). It's sounding like they are confident they can get the funds needed.
A year ago, we had $150K in funding during the 2009-10 fiscal year. Four months ago they had pulled that funding and had nothing until 2011-12. Now they have moved some things around, and gave us some funds. Thank you to eveyone that wrote another letter!!
The PAB really tried to find more funding for the Madrone site on Tuesday night. They were trying to borrow more money from other park improvement projects, but so many of their parks are in need of help. Clackamas County can only apply for 2 grants from the State Park funds each year. They always typically get both of them when they do apply, and $100K will come from State Park grants. At the next PAB meeting in April, they will finalize their budget, knowing that it gets reviewed often. Please attend April's meeting if you can, but know there will be more opportunities for public input.
With what they told us, Phase 1 of construction and improvements can begin as early as July 1st 2009. With volunteers getting in early, this can help with the construction process. We will be working with their new natural resources coordinator on volunteer projects. She is already drafting up a plan for us. Stay tuned for the first work party at the Madrone Wall site ....hopefully by the end of 2008 or early 2009.
Kellie Rice
Access Fund RC- Oregon
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Absolutely. Thanks for linking it.
You can always find the most up to date info on the savemadrone.org website.
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Tuesday March 18th, the monthly PAB meeting will take place from 7pm-9pm at the Sunnybrook Service Center.
This meeting has an agenda and they will be looking at their capital improvements plan ( how they plan to spend their money). While the meeting is open to the public, and they often allow a minute or two on the floor, the Madrone will not be the focus of the meeting. It will focus on all parks. It still would be great to have a few climbers there besides Keith and I.
Address is:
9101 SE Sunnybrook Blvd Clackamas OR 97015- 4th floor
Take I-205 to Exit 14 and get off at Sunnybrook Blvd and head West.
The building is 1/4 mile or so west of the freeway and the building is on the north side of road. It's a 4 or 5 story building with parking underneath the building.
Thanks, and if you have not written a letter, please do so. You can find a template in the Climbers Forum a couple of pages back.
Kellie
Access Fund RC- Oregon
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The Oregonian Clackamas County Metro section featured an article on the Madrone yesterday. News has not changed since I posted the most recent updates, but it keeps the buzz happening in Clackamas County. For once our Committee is not the only squeaky wheel.
Thanks to all of those who have written in another letter. I have received numerous e-mails that were addressed to Clackamas County Commissioners and Park Staff. My letter to the County is in this forum a page or two back if you need a template.
Kellie
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Madrone Wall and climbing enthusiasts:
If you've written a letter in support of the Madrone Wall becoming a park and re-establishing access, then please write another one. You can read mine below. You can also read recent updates in the Access Forum.
Clackamas County seems to be changing their tune, and not providing subsequent year funding following the completion of the master plan this summer.
Please send your e-mails to the following people.
Bill Kennemer - billken@co.clackamas.or.us
Martha Schrader- marthasch@co.clackamas.or.us
Lynn Peterson, Chair- lynnpet@co.clackamas.or.us
Dan Zinzer- danz@co.clackamas.or.us
Snail mail and phone numbers can be found in the Access Forum with the Feb 2008 update. As always, go to savemadrone.org for info.
Thanks!
Kellie
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February 26. 2008
To: Commissioner Lynne Peterson, Chair
Commissioner Martha Schrader
Commissioner Bill Kennemer
Dan Zinzer, Director, Department of Business and Community Services
Rob Smoot, PAB Chair
RE: Madrone Wall/ Hardscrabble Quarry
Dear Honorable Commissioners, Park Staff, and Parks Advisory Board Members,
I am writing to you in regards to the Madrone Wall, and your future plans for this 44 acre publicly owned site as it gets put into the Parks Master Planning process.
Back in 2005, a massive letter writing campaign showed overwhelming support for this site to be preserved and be incorporated into your parks master plan as a future park. Over 500 letters and e-mails from citizens within Clackamas County, the Metro area, as well as citizens from across the United States unanimously voiced their support for park creation and re-established recreational and educational access. Numerous and well established conservation groups and businesses have also endorsed the preservation of this site; Friends of Mt Hood, Oregon Equestrian Trails, and even all local-area CPO's within Clackamas County. The list goes on and on.
Last April, Commissioner Peterson participated in the Earth Day Tour of this site along with 30 other interested citizens. After the presentation was made and the tour had taken place, our group, the Madrone Wall Preservation Committee, stressed the need for a commitment from Clackamas County for capital improvement funding once the master plan was complete. Many willing businesses ( REI) and non profit groups ( Access Fund, Mazamas) are willing to invest in this site with grant monies as the County establishes funding for park creation. Other large grant agencies, like the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, are well known to County Park staff and are viable sources for matching grants to County funding. If there is no commitment and established timeline for park creation, then grant funding through these outside sources cannot be depended upon to help offset costs that Clackamas County incurs for: parking, bathroom facilities, etc. Commissioner Peterson had urged our group to apply for these grants, and that the money would be there from the County, confirming the County's commitment in making this site a designated park and within a timely fashion.
As recent PAB meetings have taken place, the PAB's five year plan has shown no subsequent year funding following the completion of the master plan this summer. No funding, No commitment. No park – only a multi-year gap that all but ignores the progress made by completing the parks master plan.
I have personally visited and used several of your other established parks in recent years ( Barton, Carver Boat Ramp), and was curious to when these sites were being created as parks, what level of support from the public and various agencies have in voicing their support?
You have seen the list of over 30 agencies, businesses, well established conservation groups and your own CPO's and PAB that support this 44 acre site. I am curious if Barton Park, the Carver Boat Ramp, and your other established parks had this many endorsements as they began and were incorporated into the master plan.
Again, our all-volunteer Madrone Wall Preservation Committee is committed and eager volunteers are ready to donate 1000 hours of service time to; build and improve trails, remove garbage and rubbish, and trim and remove invasive and noxious weeds during the first year that this site becomes and official park. The National Park Service estimates that for each hour a volunteer spends performing the above mentioned tasks, a "service value" rate of just over $18.00 per hour is what it cost take to pay a hired employee.
You have heard loud and clear from the public, the City of Damascus, and many citizens of Clackamas County to move forward and make this site a park for thousands of people, and future generations to access for recreation, learning, and spiritual renewal. Please provide the leadership necessary to open this park in a timely fashion by authorizing capital improvement funding that immediately follows completion of the parks master plan.
Sincerely,
Kellie Rice
Access Fund Regional Coordinator, Oregon
President, Madrone Wall Preservation Committee
Beaverton, Oregon
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This is the info in the mailing that is going out today. Thanks to Bill Coe, Jeff Hemphill and Jim Opdycke for helping us out at the Lucky Lab on Saturday. Last April, Newly-elected Commissioner Peterson told us we would get subsequent year funding following the completion of the Master Plan. Now Clackamas County wants to change their tune. All of the e-mail addresses for Clackamas County officials are below. Send them a note, or show up to one of the meetings below.
Citizens saved this site from being quarried or sold for development. If you wrote in one letter or e-mail back in 2005, write another one.
Thanks
AN OPEN LETTER TO METRO’S CONCERNED CITIZENS:
REQUEST CITIZEN ADVOCACY FOR TIMELY CREATION OF PARK AT MADRONE WALL
1 MARCH 2008: One mile south of the City of Damascus along the Clackamas River Bluffs resides an amazing civic treasure. You may have heard of it: MADRONE WALL. This publicly owned 44-acre Clackamas County sit e has been closed to public access since 1997 when the County closed it and pursued an ill-conceived rock quarry which would have forever destroyed these splendid bluffs. Over a quarter million dollars were wasted studying how to blow up the cliffs. The County eventually dropped plans in 2000 to quarry the site with “County forces” when the study the Madrone Wall Preservation Committee and the County co-funded determined it was uneconomical, even under the most favorable circumstances, to reduce these beautiful cliffs to aggregate thus destroying their unique watershed, natural habitat, and recreational and educational resource. Finally, in January 2006, the Board of County Commissioners took the step of unanimously agreeing the County would not sell the site for a private quarry or trophy-home housing development and would establish the site as a high priority for parks master planning and park creation. Timely execution of the Board’s agreement is needed for now, more than two years later, the County is only now just sending out the requests for proposals to start the parks master planning (expected completion: summer). Next, according to current County Park plans, the public is expected to wait a minimum of three to four more years while NOTHING is actually done with the parks master plan – no funding to create this primitive park, no implementation of park master plan – NO PARK. This countermands the massive public support where over 500 citizen letters (in 2005 alone), over 30 organizations (see ledger at left) – including the City of Damascus Council – advocated for park creation and re-establish access to this public site. We ask you to, once again, make your advocacy known to the County and request necessary capital improvement funding for the 2008-2009 fiscal year so a park can finally be opened in a timely fashion.
The County’s current five-year parks plan (February 2007) shows no allocation, not even a provisional one, ignoring funding it until at least 2011-2012. Almost no other parks master plan is followed by even a one-year gap and no other park creation effort has been in the queue longer. By the County’s own measure, ZERO acres of County parks exist in this burgeoning Damascus-Boring subarea even though it has a minimum park standard of 131 acres in 1990 and 259 acres by 2015. Implementation of capital improvements, namely on-site parking, will be of short duration once the master plan is finished and further delay is unwarranted. The cost for establishing the park range from one to three hundred thousand dollars, well below other park projects like the $1.5 million allocated for Barton Park improvements next year! Note this single County investment is taking up the lion’s share of Metro’s $1.9 million local share greenspace allocation. The payback at Barton, not considering time value of money, operational costs, and lost opportunity costs, is estimated to be over eight years! How is this nearly complete monopoly of unique taxpayer largess, which is a Metro gift over and above the existing County Park’s multi-million dollar five-year budget, justified when s o many other worthwhile projects, including Madrone Wall, are being sidelined, delayed, or shelved outright?
Make no mistake, this primitive park will be one of the County’s finest. This month, we need YOU to join us advocating an end to this decade-long, stop-and-start effort and create the park citizens demand. No public funds are needed for property acquisition for it is already public property. Matching grants may possibly be available from sources like the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department which funds capital improvements on fast-implementation projects ready to go just like this one, however, the County needs to ta ke the first step, allocate its own capital funding, and apply for grants. We will help: our 501©3, non-profit, all-volunteer organization offers a built-in, long-term “Friends of” park's advocate. We committed 1,000 hours of volunteer work to remove the illegally dumped rubbish and rock graffiti desecrating the site since County closure, pull invasive plants, build hiking trails, and erect educational signage. No other County park has this level of support.
HERE’S HOW TO HELP – ATTEND MEETINGS & CONTACT OFFICIALS: The County’s Parks Advisory Board (PAB) will be reviewing the County Parks Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan at its monthly third Tuesday meeting on 18 March and 15 April in Conference Room 406 of the County’s Sunnybrook Service Center (9101 S.E. Sunnybrook Blvd., Clackamas – near I-205) at 7:00 p.m.; PLEASE ATTEND. While these PAB meetings are open to the public, they are working meetings and public input is only allowed when requested by the PAB. Additionally, PLEASE CONTACT the following County officials. Request they allocate necessary capital improvement funding for the COMING FISCAL YEAR, rather than unnecessarily forfeiting an unknown number of many more additional years with no progress. We need a park created at the Madrone Wall in a timely fashion.
1.) Clackamas Board of County Commissioners: 2051 Kaen Road, Oregon City, Oregon 97045, 503/655-8581; Lynn Peterson, Chair (lynnpet@co.clackamas.or.us), Bill Kennemer (billken@co.clackamas.or.us), Martha Schrader (marthasch@co.clackamas.or.us)
2.) Dan Zinzer: Director, Department of Business and Community Services (Parks Dept.), Clackamas
County, 9101 S.E. Sunnybrook Blvd., Clackamas, OR 97015, 503/353-4661, danz@co.clackamas.or.us
3.) Rob Smoot: Chair, Clackamas County Parks Advisory Board, c/o Dan Zinzer
Other Upcoming Events:
- 20 April 2008 (Sunday) – Public Wildflower Tour at Madrone Wall: We received County permission to provide a public tour in April. Meet at 2:00 p.m. at Still Meadow Community (16561 S.E. Marna Road, Damascus, www.stillmeadowcommunity.com) for an introductory discussion about the Madrone Wall and then carpool a half mile to the site to witness one of the finest displays of wildflowers anywhere in the northern Willamette Valley. This public t our is open to all and you are encouraged to attend. Bring hiking boots and raingear (if necessary).
- Spring 2008: Provide feedback to the parks master planning process which will solicit public input; stay tuned for more information.
Keith K. Daellenbach (kdaellenbach@att.net, 503/249-1618)
Secretary/Treasurer, Director
Madrone Wall Preservation Committee
5815 N.E. 31st Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97211
www.savemadrone.org
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I'm sure we'll be there til 5:00, but if we have 10 or more folks show up, we might be done before 5:00. All kinda depends on how silly Bill Coe gets with his beer, stamps and mailing labels......
Fatal Fall on Dragontail
in Climber's Board
Posted
Andie and her husband were climbing the route about a week earlier before this accident.
This just sucks!