By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com
Oregon State Parks will begin reopening day-use areas Friday along U.S. Highway 101 in Lincoln County after the county got state approval Thursday of its reopening plan for many businesses.
Gov. Kate Brown and the Oregon Health Authority approved Lincoln County’s plan on Thursday. Hours later county commissioners gave the go-ahead for restaurants, personal services, gyms and other businesses to reopen Friday.
Once the county announced the approval and Friday’s reopening date, state parks managers said workers would begin removing barriers to day use areas and unlocking bathrooms.
“We want to be good partners with the county,” said Dylan Anderson, who oversees state park management from Newport to Yachats..
There are 12 day-use areas in Anderson’s jurisdiction. The state started reopening day-use areas south of Reedsport on Thursday.
Oregon State Parks and Recreation closed all its facilities throughout Oregon on March 23 as part of the governor’s executive order in response to the coronavirus pandemic to help encourage social distancing and discourage travel. Anderson said when coastal day use areas reopen the agency will step up efforts to remind people that the governor’s stay-home order is still in effect. The order asks people to limit travel to essential trips within 50 miles of their home.
The Siuslaw National Forest said on its website that is has opened some day-use access to dunes in Coos and Douglas counties and is preparing more extensive reopening plans for its facilities as counties receive approval of their reopening proposals.
Campgrounds are a whole different issue.
While Oregon State Parks and Recreation is reopening some state parks in more rural areas of Oregon, campgrounds along the coast are closed through at least June 8 and likely longer, Anderson said.
Reopening campgrounds along the coast would occur during Phase Two of the county’s reopening plan, but that phase can’t begin until at least 21 days after the start of Phase One.
“Once we get day use areas open then we can see what reopening campgrounds will look like,” Anderson said.
Anderson said park rangers will more closely monitor day use areas after reopening. If they get too busy they could install traffic cones to keep cars from parking too close to each other.
But in the end, he said, “It’s going to be up to our visitors to maintain their own personal distance with others.”
Lincoln County residents and visitors will also see a dramatic difference in campground operations this year. The state parks agency is primarily funded by user fees, not state general funds. So with campgrounds closed it is operating on reserves.
“Our budgets were deeply affected by closing parks,” Anderson said.
During the summer there are usually 19 seasonal state parks employees working in Anderson’s district. There will be none this year, he said, leaving operations to 14 regular, year-round staff.
“That’s where service will really be affected,” he said.
Day-use areas and campgrounds will see only basic maintenance, Anderson said. Service centers in the larger campgrounds won’t open and there will be no education programs or evening presentations.
“Camping will not look the same as people are used to this summer,” he said.