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I know that I posted something recently about the last meeting...I think people are still not clear on the process, and understandably are getting fatigued with the wait. Maybe the details below will help. 1) At the last public meeting on 10/29, a proposed hybrid of concepts plans #2 & #3 was shown. These should be able to be viewed at www.madronewall.com This plan would have gravel parking (20 spaces) in the "meadow area," bike parking, bathroom, moderate trail development and an established trail up to the top and a network of trails at the top of the cliff. What happens next is in January, the plan above will get proposed to the PAB ( volunteer led parks board), and from there it will go the the Commissioners. It is unlikely that they will deviate from the proposed concept since there was so much public input, and a great deal of work done by Alta Planning and Design, Clack. Co., and an environmental agency. In Feb/March of 2009, Clackamas County ( Katie Dunham) will be applying for grants from OR State Parks local parks grant program. These are matching grants based on the proposed amount (200K) that has been budgeted for the 2009-2010 Fiscal Year. I've been asked if it will open early at all. The short answer is NO. The long answer is because there is no money in the " bank" yet for this site. They have proposed the 200K that will be set aside from revenues and fees collected from their other parks. An important thing to remember with the County Parks budget.... They can operate their parks based on revenues from fees collected at their other park sites ( Barton, Park, Carver Boat Ramp, a public golf course). No significant amount of money goes towards supporting their parks. 2.6% of Clackamas County's property tax dollars goes into a Miscellaneous Fund for parks, but this also includes Trimet, soil conservation, water, Cemetery, lighting, etc. I just paid my Washington Co Taxes, and 7% went to Tualatin Hills Parks. Clackamas County does not support their parks much through taxes. So they anticipate to be able to set aside this 200k based on previous annual estimates of revenues. This 200K will be the base amount for matching grants from Oregon Parks program, Access Fund, REI, Federal Appropriations Grants, and others... The County and many other businesses operate on Fiscal Years for budgets. The Master Plan was completed recently and money was allotted during the 2007-08 FY. The next round of funding will be during the 2009-10 FY. By this time, they hope to have been awarded various grants to begin Phase 1 of construction. Phase 1 is a bulldozer plowing up the road to widen the current trail (old logging road) that's already there. The meadow area will be opened up for the 20 parking spaces. The ground will be leveled and considered for erosion and drainage before the gravel is put down. A bathroom, and trail improvements ( done by volunteers) will be established or improved up to the rock. Other trails will be completed at a later date, but these can be done by volunteers ( trail up to the top, ADA interpretive trail, various nature trails) In January, we plan to do another snail mailing and put out a "Call to Action." We are going to ask that the county set a goal date. Many new parks, programs or services have had goal dates and projected completion. Since they are using public funds for this project ( revenues collected from existing park fees and some tax dollars) then they owe the public a goal date. I plan to state this at the PAB meeting in January. New MAX light rail projects, and Stub Stewart State Park had goal dates. It makes total sense and is a necessity for them to have a goal date. Hopefully this clears things up so that people better understand the process. It's not good or bad, but it is important for people to not sit aside and wait. We all need to be involved and to let the County know that there needs to be a goal set for an opening date. Kellie

Thank you, Wayne, for once again donating your time to the Madrone cause. As one of the route developers, I know what a special place it is to you. Someday soon, thousands of others will also be able to enjoy it, too. Thanks to Tom, Karen, Forest, Graham, and James for volunteering. Cilo Gear recently relocated to PDX and they donated one of their packs for a raffle prize! Thank you! We had a great turn out, and raised a decent amount of dough for the MWPC. Thanks to the 130 plus peeps who came! More updates will be posted in the Access Forum in the next couple of months with the County's progress. Kellie

Thanks, Wayne. We have a few CC.com folks that will be volunteering that night! If anyone has little munchkins ( kids) that they planned to bring, a sliding scale donation will work just fine. See you all there!! We're going to try and start this show at 7pm sharp!! You can pay your donation as early as 6:00 and receive a raffle ticket as your receipt if anyone decides to pay early and grab a bite to eat nearby. kellie

For those that planned on attending the Wayne Wallace event at the Hollywood next Monday, November 10th at the Hollywood Theater in Portland...... We are looking for 2-3 volunteers to help us take the donation money, and pass out raffle tickets. Keith and I will be there as early as 6:00 to get things set up. If you are interested and can be there at 6:00 to start admitting people that would be great. We will be using one of the upstairs theaters. Send me a PM if you can help out!

The 3rd meeting was held last night. Thanks to those who came! I asked for a timeline so that the public can better understand this process. 1) The hybrid plan was approved with climbing, on-site parking, some moderate trail development, restroom, kiosks, bike parking, and an established trail to the top. Riding a bike along 224 along the Carver Curves is rather scary, but I wasn't going to argue bike parking. 2) This hybrid plan ( which should be viewed at www.madronewall.com), will go to the PAB ( Parks Board) in January. This is also a public meeting, and they will have this concept plan and the all of the public comment info on their agenda. The PAB typically meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. The PAB will then review and make any other suggestions or rec's, but it's unlikely that they would make any significant changes to what the public voted on. After the PAB reviews and approves, it will go the the BCC ( Commissioners) in January. These meetings are also open to the public and personal comments at these meetings can hold a lot of weight. Keith and I will likely be at this BCC meeting as well. The BCC typically agrees with the public. 3) In March/April 2009, the County will then begin to apply for matching grants through Oregon State Parks, and other resources. They will also begin the conditional use application with the state to officially allow recreation on an "Zoned Timber" site. 4) The PAB has included $200K in funding in fiscal year 2009-10 to help being Phase 1. $200k is not enough to create the road up from HWY 224 into the parking area in the meadow. Therefore, the County is applying for various matching grants. When will it be open? A date has not been set yet, but it will not be open until Phase 1 is complete ( with parking, bathrooms, and improved trail access to the rock. The "bat guy" was back and there are bats in the cliffs, but none that are endangered. He plans to go back to the site in winter to look in the caves for a particular "Townsend Bat(?)" which is a rare species. These bats apparently seek cave habitat in the winter, which might mean some seasonal closures.....We have not found the bats yet, so it's not an issue right now. Funny that 11 years ago they planned to blow up the place as a quarry and the County could have cared less about the bats then! At the end, I asked the County to make a commitment to this site and to follow through with the publics' wishes. The County has never received so much public feedback and interest about one of their future parks. The County has also never seen such a turnout for our clean up back in September. They are impressed with the level of interest and the work that was done. Matt from Mountain Soles came and spoke. He shared a similar view as another meeting participant who had come to the clean up. One of Matt's customers said he had been climbing out at the site, and when Matt spoke with him about what's been happening with the park development process and the MWPC, the customer said he was "fatigued" with the County's pace and the process. There isn't anything that we can really do to expedite the process any faster. We wish we could. Keith, myself, and many of you continue to be the squeaky wheel. We just need to make sure that the County keeps their promise of the $200K in funding currently in the '09-10 budget as well as a timely application for matching grants. I plan to continue to ask for a timeline about this process and when Phase 1 is about to begin. Thanks for the support! See you at Wayne's event on November 10th!!

A good article. The Oregonian is also supposed to be writing one. http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=122461365918719500

Otto, Wayne, and Porter- Thanks for putting up the info on the site and sorry about not including all of the info about the event. I goofed!! Yup, it's at the Hollywood Theater in PDX! Admission is at the door. There are no tickets that you can buy in advance. We'll be showing

Join Keith and I at the Lucky Lab on SE Hawthorne for another round of licking, stamping, folding, and so we can put out another 1000 or so mailings to all of those folks on our snail mail list. This can usually get done in about 2 hours if we have a few folks show up. I don't drink, but I'll still buy the first two pitchers. Yes, I know it is the night of the last debate. I also know it might be really difficult for some of you to break away from the jabs and mudslinging. I'm SO bored with watching Mr McSame. We'll meet at about 6:00. Look for me and the guy with all of the Kinko's boxes.

You are right, Wayne, that the first of 3 proposals did not allow for any climbing, limited site access, and no on-site parking. No one in the meeting ( except for one guy who liked bats), supported option #1. If you cannot attend the meeting on 10/29, please go to the www.madronewall.com and write your comments to Katie and Chris who are working on this Master Plan. Thanks!

When? Wednesday October 29 6pm-8pm Where? 9101 SE Sunnybrook Blvd Clackamas OR 97015 at the Sunnybrook Service Center 1/4 mile West of 205 It is at this meeting that Alta Planning and Design and Clackamas County will present the hybrid concept plan that participants voted on at the 2nd meeting. You can view the concept map at www.madronewall.com. This is the website that Alta and the County have created. Come to the meeting and give your feedback about their plans for the site, and hopefully we'll hear more from the County about funding so that it can actually become an official park! Thanks! Kellie

(Edited post since I screwed up the first time...More info included) Monday November 10th Hollywood Theater, Portland Oregon 4122 NE Sandy Blvd Wayne Wallace will be showing some more amazing Pickets slides to benefit the Madrone Wall Preservation Committee. The fun gets started at 7:00 pm- SHARP!!! There are no tickets ( the Hollywood isn't generating any for us) , but there is a $10.00 donation at the door. Check or cash accepted. We have one of the upstairs theaters that seats about 170 peeps! We'll certainly have some raffle prizes, too. We'll have a "tip jar" for Wayne since he's donating his time again to the Madrone cause. Bring your $1.00 bills and spare change Hope to see you there!! Thanks! Kellie

Kevin and crew- A great turn out last night. I did not stay long, but I picked up 4 books ( 3 for people who could not make it) and they look awesome. To all involved in the event, you did a great job!

73 people was our count. Volunteers ranged in age from almost 3 ( Keith's son, Micah) to probably people in their late 60's. A group of almost 20 kids from West Linn High School, and a handful from Valley Catholic High showed up! Kudos to them!! We pulled lots of blackberry brambles, some ivy, clematis, and managed to haul all of the JUNK that's been dumped there. A couple of kids bikes, an old motor bike, a couple of cars in various parts, computer, tires, odd scraps of metal and at least 3 dishwasher/washing machines loaded with bullet holes. I really couldn't tell what they were anymore. About 2 hours into the event, a couple of climbers ( yes, people with packs and ropes) walked right passed our group to go climb. I did manage to give them the "what for." A couple of others chimed in their comments, too. I know there are a few people who continue to climb out there and ignore the "No Trespassing" signs, but the audacity ( and lack of common sense) to climb when there are 2 Clackamas County vehicles and about 30 cars parked in front of the site along 224 is just plain insulting. The Clackamas County staff person supervising the event called the Sheriff and alerted other parks staff that were working over the weekend about the climbers and their car that was left along the highway after we all departed. Many thanks to Josh at Climb Max for the BBQ, and Gavin Ferguson donated some swag for a prize raffle! More details soon on the next public meeting and Wayne Wallace's slideshow in November!!! Kellie Rice Madrone Wall Preservation Committee

Thanks to the climbers that did show up at Wednesday's meeting! See some of you tomorrow at the clean up? Please meet at the Carver School and carpool from there! Meeting #2 involved voting on one of three concept plans of what the park could look like. These concept plans have been drafted up by Alta Planning and Design and Clackamas County. You can view their plans at their website- www.madronewall.com The 40 some people that attended voted on a "hybrid" of concept 2 and 3. This plan, which was pretty much unanimously accepted, allowed for moderate trail development (beginner, intermediate, advanced trails, ADA accessible/interpretive) with an established trail up to the top, dispersed gravel parking in the "meadow" area (for those that have been there), and a restroom/port-o-potty. The one or two folks that wanted plan #1 ( which was minimal trail development, no parking on site, and NO climbing) were in support of "potential" bat habitat in the caves on the property. One of the supporters of climbing at the site had some interesting words for the County as to why they even proposed plan #1. Alta did state at the first meeting that SOME of the site has to be ADA accessible ( parking, picnic tables). The 3rd public meeting on October 29 from 6-8pm will again be at the Sunnybrook Service Center (9101 SE Sunnybrook Blvd, Clackamas, 97015). Please attend! It is at this 3rd meeting that they will show the hybrid plan that was voted on and take additional public input. Keith and I are hoping that they can finally put to rest any liability concerns....Somehow, the County and a few individuals at the meeting feel that there is some sort of greater liability to the County ( lawsuits with injury/death) with rock climbing as opposed to hiking, fishing, or other forms of recreation. Keith, Ian Caldwell and I provided the County and Alta with resources and contacts at Mt Hood National Forest, Smith Rock State Park, and Beacon Rock State Park, to get a land managers perspective on liability and also how they create management plans. We've cited the Oregon Statutes, too. We believe that the County will gain a better understanding on this issue if they have these conversations, but we think they are "getting it" with the liability issue. What's next? We hope to hear more about how this project will be funded by the County ( grants from Oregon State Parks, County Funds, etc) at the next meeting. The Madrone Wall will be applying for an Access Fund grant, and an REI grant. We are also applying for Federal Appropriation Funds from Senator Smith and Wyden's offces. Wayne Wallace will be helping us out, too, on November 10th at the Hollywood theater! Details to follow soon! We do anticipate that in November the Parks Board will review the recommendations made by the the info gathered at the public meetings, Alta, and the public-approved concept plan, and make their own recommendations. We anticipate to have the Board of County Commissioners vote on the plan that the Parks Board send them sometime in January. So, the public may vote on it and want it to look one way. The Parks Board can review and make revisions and recommendations before they send it on to the Commissioners. We would not expect it to deviate too much from what the public has voted on. Your continued input via e-mails, phone calls, and letter writing to the Commissioners is still important. Feel free to send your correspondence to: bcc@co.clackamas.or.us or contact them individually via: http://www.clackamas.us/bcc/ The site WILL NOT be open until some improvements have been made and parking is established. Some of the improvements can happen in phases as more funding gets secured, but the site can open without all of the proposed projects being completed. Thanks for the support! Kellie Rice Madrone Wall Preservation Committee

Event #1 A week from tomorrow (9/24) the 2nd public input meeting will take place at Sunnybrook Service Center from 6-8pm. See link: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/831035#Post831035 At the August meeting only about 40 people showed up, and maybe half were climbers. A 3rd and final meeting will be held on Oct 29th. Details to follow later. It is at these meetings that you get to see and understand the master planning process that Alta Planning and Design and Clackamas County are going through. Event #2 The 1st ( of several) Madrone Wall Restoration Event. Sat. 9/27 from 10a-1p. Be prepared to get dirty. Pull ivy, clematis, blackberry and scotch broom. BBQ by Climb Max afterwards. See link: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/831041#Post831041 Event #3 More details to follow in a couple of weeks...... Wayne Wallace will be doing another slideshow for us on November 10th at the Hollywood Theater!!! This will be a fundraiser for the Madrone Wall Preservation Committee. Wayne continuously offers to donate his own time to the Madrone cause, and is even doing a show for the PDX Ice Fest. Thank you, Wayne! The more that climbers are involved with the Madrone process, the better. You can always go to the www.savemadrone.org site for updates. Thanks to Richard Bence and the AAC for maintaining our site. Alta Planning and Design, the consultants hired to design the Madrone Wall master plan, have their own site at www.madronewall.com Many thanks for the support! Kellie Rice Madrone Wall Preservation Committee

I have a sunshower. I can bring it. Just a gentle reminder so that there is no confusion......YES we are doing a clean up, but the Madrone is NOT open for climbing. It is still posted no trespassing. This kind of TLC work that we are doing will be necessary anyways before the site actually opens.

Thanks, Bill for the question. That "list" on the postcard ( for those on our mailing list) is a similar list that Clackamas Co gave out at the last public meeting. Clackamas County collected that info after the attendees broke out into small discussion groups. That's the purpose of these meetings. For the County and Alta to gather information and public input to see what people want this site to be in terms of a park. There was a unanimous vote to NOT harvest the timber, NOT to quarry, NOT install a tram ( a Clack. Co staff idea), and other odd suggestions. I'm not sure who came up with some of those suggestions. Another was mountain biking, but many at the first meeting felt that there was not enough space on this 44 acre plot to make mountain biking trails. Only if there was adjoining property could this make sense. I guess people with similar questions about the "list" had to be there at the meeting to hear the context of how the info and the possible list of activities were presented. Be encouraged that the residents that did attend the meeting were also in favor of rock climbing as a primary use for the site. To get on our snail mail list, you'll need to get on the savemadrone.org site or contact Keith at kdaellenbach@att.net. He's the keeper of the mailing list.

I did post this earlier....... Be prepared to get dirty! -Saturday September 27, 2008....Yes it's the same day as the PDX Ice Fest! -10 am-1pm Meet at the Carver School for carpooling ( www.carverschool.org/Find-Us) Some tools will be provided from Metro, but please bring whatever you have for blackberry, ivy, and clematis removal. Loppers, hands saws, rakes, etc., and GLOVES! There might be some garbage to get rid of, as well. Wear long pants and shirts. Mr. Stinging Nettles and Mrs. Poison Oak are out there, and I think they've been breeding. Wear boots, too. We'll be out there rain or shine. Bring water and your own snacks if need be. I'll be bringing some cookies and banana bread for the morning. The kind folks from Climb Max will be hosting a BBQ at the Carver School after, and I've got some swag to raffle off from the Access Fund. Sorry, but no beer! Beer on school grounds isn't a good thing. You'll get plenty at the Ice Fest! Once at the site, we will likely use the meadow area as a staging area/base camp for tools, and directions/support from Clackamas County's Natural Resources Team. Bring the kids! There will be something for everyone to do! If anyone has a van of some sorts that can help transport folks to and from the site, send me a note! Thanks! Kellie

Wednesday Sept 24 6:00pm-8:00 pm Sunnybrook Service Center 9101 SE Sunnybrook Dr ( 1/4 mile WEST of I-205) Clackamas 97015 This is the 2nd public meeting as Clackamas County gathers info about this site and it develops it's master plan in conjunction with Alta Planning and Design. This is YOUR opportunity to come and participate and give your feedback about the site. A 3rd meeting will be held in October........... At the first meeting earlier this month, Alta, Metro, and Clackamas County officials gave various presentations and displayed maps of the surrounding area. Attendance at that meeting was maybe 40 folks with a few more residents than climbers. If you cannot attend, please send in your comments to: Katie Dunham at kdunham@co.clackamas.or.us OR Chris VanDuzer at chrisv@co.clackamas.or.us

Andie and her husband were climbing the route about a week earlier before this accident. This just sucks!

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.

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

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

See my posts under Access and the Climbers Board. Kellie

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?