Access closures enhance restoration

"It was a free-for-all out there."

That's how Maret Pajutee, U.S. Forest Service Ecologist for the Sisters Ranger District, described what was happening to the upper reaches of Whychus Creek south of Sisters.

Heavy use of the stream corridor was taking a toll on Whychus Creek, one of Sisters' most popular nearby natural attractions. Networks of informal user trails honeycombed some areas, and unmaintained dirt roads spawned garbage dumping, vandalism, graffiti, erosion, and illegal tree cutting. There were numerous cases of people found living along the creek for long periods of time and frequent parties with guns, fires and alcohol.

"It's a place that has been kind of a locals' secret," Pajutee said, "but it's just not very secret anymore."

As a result, the Forest Service has taken aggressive action to protect the area and manage access, but in a way that will accommodate continued responsible recreational use and, at the same time, minimize human impact on the environment.

Already, outdoor enthusiasts have noticed some of the changes. For example, last week, fishermen were parking along the shoulder of Three Creek Road. In the past, those vehicles would have driven across a network of poor quality dirt roads extending into the underbrush anywhere from a few yards to a half mile.

The changes are quite visible at the point where Three Creek Road (Forest Road 16) begins its steep climb up the grade to Peterson Ridge. Spur roads 370, 380, 390 and others have been "decommissioned," and the former roadbeds are blocked with rocks, stumps, logs and natural vegetation. The entire area was crisscrossed with user created side roads, vehicle turnarounds, and user created trails; now it is being restored.

The Forest Service's Environmental Assessment says that "reducing and managing access points to the river corridor," such as these road closures, will play a key role in their plan to "increase habitat effectiveness, speed vegetation recovery, and reduce impacts and vandalism."

By establishing defined trails and access points in the area, the goal is to concentrate recreational traffic into fixed and limited patterns that will have far less impact on the area as a whole. Some of the existing user trails were incorporated into the new trail system and others were decommissioned.

The upper 15.4 miles of Whychus Creek are protected under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1988. The 6.6 miles inside the Three Sisters Wilderness are considered "wild," and the 8.8 mile segment extending to four miles south of Sisters is classified as "scenic."

While acknowledging the importance of public access to the area, Pajutee stressed that this plan is "all about protecting the Wild and Scenic River, not creating a recreation mecca. A lot of this area has no trails," she said, "and we're not planning to put any in. We want to keep the wild in Whychus."

Parking areas will be small, maintained, and concentrated close to the main road, minimizing impact and making the areas more visible, more secure, and more accessible to law enforcement. The bottom line, however, is access control.

Another step in limiting impact, while still creating opportunities for people to learn about and enjoy the creek, is the planned addition of a 1.1-mile loop trail accessible near the top of the Peterson Ridge road grade. This trail will be designed for use by those with limited mobility. It will begin from a small parking lot at roadside and lead to a scenic canyon overlook above the creek. In the past, that area had been a notorious party spot with several illegally constructed trails.

Pajutee emphasized the important role being played by Forest Service partners in the project. The project is sponsored by the National Forest Foundation's "Treasured Landscapes Conservation Campaign" to protect special places on public lands while increasing communities' connection to nature. The Sisters Trails Alliance is a major partner, and other organizations working on the area's management and restoration include the Boy Scouts, Sisters High School, the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, and Central Oregon Rocks - a local climbing organization.

To foster low-impact recreation and reverse the trend toward overuse and partying in the area, dispersed camping and campfires in the lower Wild and Scenic River corridor between Roads 370 and 880 will no longer be allowed. An exception has been made for two dispersed camping sites at the end of Road 880. However, these sites are temporarily closed for rehabilitation. They are being groomed, replanted, and carefully defined. The campsites are to be reopened in 2014 and will be accessible by a quarter-mile trail from the end of Road 880. Vehicles will not be permitted direct access to those camping sites. Road 900 has also been decommissioned.

The centerpiece of the new "official" trail system is a three-mile creekside trail leading from the principal access point, four miles south of Sisters, upstream to the dispersed camping sites. Portions of existing user trails were incorporated into this trail, and the remainder was newly engineered and created specifically with the new low-impact recreational goal in mind.

As part of the low-impact plan for this trail, it has been designated for foot traffic only and was not designed for heavier use. Equestrians and cyclists must use other routes. Last week before the trail was even complete, a horse damaged a part of the new trail, punching holes and causing portions of the new trail bed to slough off down a slope.

According to Pajutee, community stewardship is the key to success of this program. She points out that recreational enjoyment can be compatible with protecting the Wild and Scenic River, but cooperation from everyone will be important in providing Sisters with access while keeping the area protected for generations to come.