Oregon State Parks and Douglas County are in the process of drafting the Umpqua Light House State Park Master Plan. Which if adopted would close off the north end of the dunes from a point approx. 1500 feet south of the light house.

This is because of noise complaints from a few local citizens

In the DRAFT of the master plan they state that

"Between 1987 and 2002 ATV riding increased 144.6% "and yet they want to close down more of our riding area, using money from the state ATV fund!

This would close the existing dune access and the "bunny slopes" (where the younger riders enjoy themselves) and make us ride on an enclosed speed regulated trail west towards the beach and then south to an access point at the second parking lot.

Doing this would put the younger and the inexperienced riders in a confined space with 2 wheelers, dune buggies, jeeps, and pickups creating a very hazardous situation.

If you wish to help, let your voice be heard.

Please include all viable information and any comments you may have such as name address e-mail and years riding in the area.

You can view the plan at http://www.prd.state.or.us/masterplans_umpqua.php

(you may have to cut and paste this address) go to the bottom of the page and click on Ron Campbell.

send comments to:

This is the most important contact

Ron Campbell
OPRD
1115 Commercial Street NE
Suite 1
Salem, OR 97301-1002

(503) 378-4168 ext.326
e-mail ron.campbell@state.or.us

Douglas County Planning Dept.

Douglas County Planning Department
Room 106, Justice Building
Douglas County Courthouse
Roseburg, Oregon 97470
Phone: (541) 440-4289
(800) 224-1619 (within Douglas County)
Fax: (541) 440-6266

planning@co.douglas.or.us

Time is of the essence, they will review the plan on June 8th and make a decision on Aug 8th

Thanks,

Greg and Simi Hoover - cando@harborside.com
Discovery Point Resort & RV Park/Dune Country ATV

 

Isn't it ironic that we are losing land to NOISE; yet no national organization concerned with atving issues is out there campaigning HARD towards shutting down those who are causing it?

Ever read anything in their newsletters about working with local clubs to legislate double up or helmet laws in states like Tennessee?

Or would telling people that they have to quit acting like they bumped their head or that they need to junk their loud aftermarket pipes; be a threat to signing them up for a membership?

Hey, if these people aren't willing to stick their necks out...........who will?

 

Westerner, Michimaniac, Blackballed, how many names you got man? I see they gave you the boot at ATV Time, way to go!

 

It's amazing, 'moto'; how you always manage to come in and disrupt conversations with your attacks; but consistently never have anything constructive to add to the topic itself!

I'm sure you'd be a tough one to debate if you ever took the time to put more than a couple of sentances together.................then again, you've pretty much perfected this style of playground antics for going on quite a few years now. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

I'm always waiting to be corrected 'factually'........it just seems that some of the facts themselves are a little hard for folks like yourself to swallow without acting out.

I do understand that it's pretty frustrating when you have trouble 'expressing yourself'; so simply 'go with what you know' and we'll always understand that it's just....... 'you'! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

He He He! I think you're the one that has trouble 'expressing yourself'. Maybe that's why you keep getting booted out of all the forums?

 

Well....after reading all 73 pages of that proposal, there are some good things...and a some bad things. I am personally glad to see them proposing putting in a new state campground that is designed specifically to address the needs of atv riders (pull through sites, back in sites, sites with direct access to the dunes, etc...). That is a great idea. It's also a good idea to get the ATV's off of the shoulder of the road. That is a complete nightmare on busy weekends when there are a bunch of RV's going in both directions (at much higher than the posted speed limit) right past families with small kids on quads...and some them riding without any helmets. And, having emergency response close to the dunes is smart. Alot of people get hurt, and it would be good to have these guys out there with a rig equiped to access any point out in the dunes. Getting a ride out in a helicopter shouldn't be the only answer.

The bad things are: decreasing the size of the riding area. I never personally ride down by the lighthouse, so I'm not sure, but are there any posted boundaries on that end of the dunes?? If not, we were probably all riding on land that we shouldn't have been on. Lets face it, there are alot more riders out there now with aftermarket pipes making a ton of noise (which I'm guilty of). If we lose 1500 feet of dunes as a noise buffer (and idiot buffer.... to keep the guys riding 2-up or without helmets out of public sight), it sucks....but, it's much better than them making the noise regulations even more restrictive, or taking away the entire riding area. The SPEED ENFORCED ACCESS TRAIL is a "good idea".....IF (and that's a big IF) they build it right and maintain it. The trail would have to be as wide as 2 highway lanes (they are 12 feet wide, so 24 feet) with a median between the two (fence...trees, whatever). It would also have to be "groomed" on a regular basis to keep the size of the whoops down. No one wants to make their kids or wives ride down a whooped out or rutted trail for a mile just to access the real riding area. This access road could be good...if it is done correctly.

I have sent a copy of this letter to Ron Campbell. People please take time to write out a "carefully" thought out letter before sending something to him to complain. Writing a quick email and saying "Your proposal sucks" isn't going to help us out. But, please do send a letter with both good and bad comments. Spend some time, read the whole proposal, and then give him a response.