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kingsmm
Sep 29, 2003, 3:51 AM
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Registered: Jun 7, 2003
Posts: 25
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Dose anyone know anything more about madrone being closed. Is it going to reopen? Just wondering.
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diverclimber
Oct 28, 2003, 4:07 AM
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Registered: May 30, 2003
Posts: 44
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Just wondering where madrone is?
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stormannorman
Oct 28, 2003, 4:35 AM
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Registered: Nov 21, 2001
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Madrone Wall Background:
The 44-acre Clackamas County-owned Madrone Wall site and scenic bluff, located 2.2 miles east of Carver adjacent to County Scenic Road Highway 224, was closed to public access and posted with "No Trespassing" signs in the fall of 1997. At that time, the nearby Barton Pit was scheduled for near-term closure and reclamation. The County embarked on a plan to finalize a conditional land use permit application which would have allowed a zoning variance to open an aggregate quarry of the basalt cliff faces of the Madrone Wall. Hundreds of local recreational enthusiasts banded together and an all-volunteer Oregon 501(c)(3) public charitable foundation was formed to advocate protection of this unique and irreplaceable natural
treasure from an irreversible demise as a rock quarry or other development. The Madrone Wall Preservation Committee (MWPC) has worked tirelessly with local citizens and property owners, including helping direct the steering committee of the local citizen's grassroots Clackamas River Basin Conservation Alliance (CRBCA) which also formed to prevent the site's destruction. We encourage the preservation this vital part of the County's natural heritage, including its rare and naturally-occurring columnar basalt cliff faces which form the remarkable Madrone Wall site on the lower Clackamas River, a National Wild and Scenic River. While the MWPC has promoted environmental stewardship and low impact multiple use recreational activities at the site including hiking on established trails, wildlife
viewing, and rock climbing, we have steadfastly encouraged recreationalists to respect the County's postings as the site's future was being resolved.
County Aggregate Needs:
From the beginning, the MWPC has worked not as an "opposition" group but one that seeks to a achieve responsible and civic-minded solutions to the challenges of preserving this amazing civic treasure while acknowledging the County's needs to maintain its nearly 1500 road mile system. Recognizing the County need to find a solution to an impending aggregate shortage as well as the County's recognition of local citizen's concerns for mining the Madrone Wall, BCC-directed County Aggregate Task Force meeting were held in 1999 and 2000 to consider alternative aggregate quarrying resources. The MWPC attended these meetings and even helped co-finance, partnering with the CRBCA and Clackamas County, an independent economic geologist consultant's
report which studied the matter. In September 2000, the BCC accepted the findings of this ECONorthwest report which concluded that quarrying the Madrone Wall was uneconomical even under the most favorable conditions and recommended other more promising aggregate resource options. Since that time, the County has pursued the more cost-effective strategy of acquiring aggregate using a contract bidding process with local private quarries. The County has even effectively contracted transportation agencies to deliver the aggregate directly to the road work sites.
Recreational Use of Public Property in Oregon:
While activities leading to active quarrying of the Madrone Wall have ceased, the County has continued to maintain the site posted "No Trespassing" ostensibly over of concerns of potential liability issues related to recreational use. This site, zoned as timber, is a portion of 2600 County acres of timber holdings. This is all public land, owned by the citizens of Clackamas County, and in only a limited number of cases, such as during active timber harvesting, is timber land posted to prevent public access; in fact, part of the defined purpose of this zoning district is to
encourage recreational opportunities. The MWPC believes that with the resolution of County's mining interest now concluded that the Madrone Wall site too should be open to public access. The County is clearly protected from frivolous lawsuits by the strong backing of the Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) public use of lands section.
Current Proposal to Clackamas County:
The MWPC has proposed Clackamas County adopt a self-regulating recreational use policy at the Madrone Wall to include outdoor recreation, hiking, and rock climbing. This policy, similar to that adopted by many sites throughout Oregon as well as nationally, would advocate that climbers and other outdoor recreators recognize that their activities possess a level of risk with outcomes that are unpredictable. Climbers would be encouraged to practice safe use of climbing gear and adopt standard safe climbing practices as well as to use low-impact climbing techniques that will not deface or scar the rock. The MWPC would offer to help fund new signage at the site that the County may deem necessary.
What You Can Do to Help:
Right now, not much. The MWPC continues to recommend that climbers not disregard the "No Tresspassing" posting at the site, as poaching the site for climbing has only led to negative feedback from both Clackamas County and local citizens; it simply doesn't help our overall cause to regain access to the site. Our proposal has been discussed at several levels within the County during the course of this year, including with the BCC. While a final decision on how to respond to the proposal is still pending from the County, our expectation is that this process might continue to take many more months to be worked out, so stay tuned.
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kingsmm
Dec 6, 2003, 9:22 PM
Post #4 of 4
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Registered: Jun 7, 2003
Posts: 25
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Thanks for the info. :)
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