Press Release - Campground Openings Delayed, Bathrooms Closed

TEMPORARY CAMPING CLOSURES ANNOUNCED FOR OREGON STATE PARKS, STATE FORESTS, AND WILDLIFE AREAS

SALEM, Oregon –Three Oregon state agencies will suspend camping to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department will accommodate current overnight guests through April 2. Reservations for all state park stays from April 3 to and including May 8 will be canceled and site fees refunded. Before May 8, the department will review the state park campground closure to decide whether it should be extended. The decision affects all individual and group overnight facilities: campsites, yurts, cabins, tepees, and services operated by concessionaires. The suspended service also affects reservations for group day-use areas.

The Oregon Department of Forestry maintains campgrounds in the Clatsop, Santiam, and Tillamook State Forests. Most campgrounds are currently closed for the season, and will not reopen for individual or group use. Year-round campgrounds will close starting on Monday, March 23. All day-use and campground restrooms are temporarily closed due to limited janitorial services. A reopening date for all restrooms and state forest campgrounds has not yet been determined. During this time, trails, forest roads and trailheads on state forestlands will remain open to the public.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is closing its Wildlife Areas to overnight camping effective Sunday, March 22. The closure affects both dispersed camping and established campgrounds. Several wildlife areas are also currently fully or partially closed to all visitors as part of annual seasonal closures to protect wintering wildlife. While camping will be prohibited, wildlife areas that are currently open remain open to visitors for day-use activities including wildlife viewing, fishing, hunting and other outdoor recreation. See the ODFW Wildlife Area Visitor Guide for more information (link at bottom).

State park, forest, and wildlife area camping areas are built into relatively small areas by design. Maintaining social distance is difficult. Working with fewer staff and volunteers is becoming a reality, making it difficult to maintain proper cleaning procedures. To support the state goal of reducing transmission of COVID-19, temporary campground closures are necessary. The details of these actions—such as dates and affected programs—are under constant review and will change as new information develops.

This will reduce long-distance travel for many people, but all state natural resource agencies remind Oregonians that a local outdoor experience can improve our mental and physical health, especially now. Daytime activities are still widely available and encouraged. The usual reminders, plus the new COVID-19 guidelines, apply:

• Prepare for your visit with the clothing, supplies, and knowledge you need to have a safe visit.
• If you're ill, stay home.
• Cover sneezes and coughs with a tissue (then throw it away) or inside of your elbow.
• Avoid touching your face.
• Wash regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. It's up to you to practice good personal hygiene, and not every place at every park can be kept clean all the time.
• If place is so crowded you can't maintain a healthy social distance—at least six feet—find a different place to go.

Know before you go:

• Travel Oregon travel alerts: https://traveloregon.com/travel-alerts/.
• State park service reductions and closures: https://bit.ly/OPRD-covid.
• Oregon Department of Forestry: https://www.oregon.gov/ODF/
• Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife: https://myodfw.com/visit-odfw-wildlife-areas

By Appointment Only

Hello All,

In an effort to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in Oregon and to protect employees and the public, effective Monday, March 23, 2020, the Oregon Department of Forestry will be changing the way it provides services at its main office in Salem and field offices statewide.

Our ODF offices will remain open, but starting March 23, in-person interactions between staff and the public will be by appointment only. This approach will allow the department to continue providing important services—including fire protection, timber sales, and forest practices operations—and avoid impacts to local economies while protecting employees and communities.”

We do offer a number of online services, including electronic filing for notifications of operations. For those who need additional assistance, please call the local ODF office. We will try to help by phone. If in-person discussion or assistance is necessary for service provision, we will set up an appointment.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact your local Oregon Department of Forestry Office.

Thanks for your help and understanding! 

Archers Road Weekday Closure

Archers Road will be closed at milepost 3.25 Monday-Friday, 5:00am-3:00pm, due to active logging operations. The road will be open on Saturday and Sunday. The closure will last until approximately April 3, 2020.

CANCELED - April 18th Tillamook State Forest SOLVE Clean-Up

Hi Everyone,

We just received word from our partners at SOLVE – they will not be hosting the April SOLVE IT! project this year.

In that light – the Tillamook State Forest April 18^th SOLVE Forest Clean-up is CANCELLED.

Please help us get the word out.

We know a lot of you have questions about other dates on the 2020 recreation calendar.  Right now, we do not have any answers about other events or dates currently scheduled for the 2020 recreation season.  When we do have answers, we will get those out to you as soon as possible.

Thanks for your understanding and support!

CLOSED - Tillamook Forest Center

For the health of our staff, volunteers and visitors, the Tillamook Forest Center is CLOSED to the public effective Monday, March 16, 2020.   This closure will last through at least March 31, 2020.  We will re-evaluate and update our schedule at that time.

We hope you make plans to visit us again once we re-open.

Sincerely,
The Tillamook Forest Center Team

POSTPONED: March 28 Trail Mix Work Party

Hi Everyone,

The Trail Mix Volunteer Work Party scheduled for March 28, 2020 is being postponed in the interest of volunteer health and safety.

The Oregon Department of Forestry recreation team will be working with the work party organizers to reschedule this great day of trail maintenance and teamwork for later in the spring or summer.

Thanks to all who helped organize and to all who signed up ready to spruce up the Tillamook State Forest non-motorized trail network.

Stay tuned for updates about the status of April volunteer opportunities.  We plan on making a "Go / No Go" decision no later than Monday, March 30, 2020.