Sean C. Morgan
The Linn County Parks and Recreation Department is opening parts of the system that had been closed this week.
Some of the closures were seasonal, but some of the parks system had been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and related closures aimed at reducing the spread of the disease.
“What we’re trying to do is staart to get things open,” said Director Brian Carroll Friday, May 8. “What we’re trying to do is get some of our stuff open on Monday. On the 15th, we’ll open some more.”
While county properties are opening this week, Carroll said, his department is still working with the U.S. Forest Service to open Forest Service campgrounds along Highway 20 and Clear Lake Resort, which are all managed by Linn County.
In response to state-mandated closures, Linn County has had to close camping at year-round campgrounds, like Waterloo and River Bend; and while reopening for camping, the county will keep some spaces that are too close to each other closed.
“To a certain extent, some of this isn’t unusual,” Carroll said. Lewis Creek, a day-use park, is closed as normal at this point. Some seasonal camping usually begins opening prior to Spring Break, and all camping is usually open by Memorial Day weekend.
“The toughest part of this is we had furloughed part-time staff,” Carroll said. Without that staff, the county has no way to keep restrooms clean, and bringing on staff to take care of cleaning is one possible delay facing parks officials.
As the weather has changed, Carroll said that day-use parks, like McDowell Creek, have been getting busier.
He has seen clusters of people outside of cars, he said, “but they seem to be dispersing pretty well.”
“We’re glad they’re back,” Carroll said, but the county wants to keep welcoming people back to its parks. As a result, he is asking that people respect the physical distancing recommendations to ensure the state does not close them down again.
He asked that folks avoid gathering 20 at a time around a campfire and to spread out.
“We’re close to Salem,” Carroll said. “I am concerned we could have people looking over our shoulder,” ready to say that opening the parks isn’t working.
“The use of the parks has been high for this time of year,” he said. That’s probably because people are out of work, tired of being home and taking advantage of the weather to get out.
With the sunshine coming out, “we’re probably going to see a pretty high use of our campgrounds once they are open,” Carroll said. The county has canceled reservations week by week instead of officially closing the parks. That will allow those who have reservations to move forward with their camping plans.
Reservations may be made at linnparks.com/parks/find-a-location, by emailing [email protected] or calling (541) 967-3917.
Around the parks system, Edgewater RV, located on 60th Avenue off Highway 20 at Foster Lake, has been open to camp hosts and long-term stays. It opened this week to short-term use. The marina is scheduled to open May 15.
As lake levels have increased, the county has opened boat ramps. At Foster, Gedney, Calkins and Sunnyside boat ramps are all open. Green Peter is near full pool, and both Whitcomb Creek and Thistle Creek boat ramps are open.
Carroll warned that while the lakes are full and the weather has been warm, it’s still spring; and the lakes remain colder than similar days in the summer and still have winter debris floating in them.
It might be 85 degrees out, he said, “but it’s not July conditions.”
It hasn’t been a bad year for debris, Carroll said, “but it’s still spring out there.”
He noted that Green Peter still has quite a bit of debris.
Sunnyside has been open open for day use and for the boat ramp. The A Loop is open for reservations. B Loop and group camping is closed. C Loop is open first-come, first-served. Playgrounds remain closed because staff cannot keep them sanitized.
Whitcomb Creek will open to online reservation camping on May 22. Group camping remains closed.
At River Bend, G Loop is open. Group shelters are closed. Waterloo opened this week, and the boat ramp is open.
John Neal Memorial, located outside of Lyons, remains closed.
Cascadia State Park, managed by Linn County, remains closed until the state gives permission to open it.
In all cases, the county is restricting all campsites to eight persons. Everyone is asked to stay 6 feet apart and to wear face masks when interacting with others.
Carroll advises campers to bring their own soap and sanitizer, which tend to disappear quickly in county restrooms. Restrooms are cleaned and disinfected twice daily. Showers remain closed. Firewood and ice sales will remain limited. Playgrounds are closed in general because staff cannot keep them sanitized.
Carroll said things keep changing rapidly. As they change, the county will continue to update its parks website, linnparks.com.