Advisory Committee on Proposed Chetco River Scenic Waterway, Aug. 17

The potential designation of a portion of the Chetco River as a State Scenic Waterway is the topic of an Aug. 17 advisory committee meeting hosted by Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD). The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. via conference call or in person in room 124 at OPRD’s Salem office, 725 Summer St. NE. The advisory committee will review public comments received at the July 14 public meeting and during the public comment period relating to the nonbinding final draft management plan for the Chetco. Members of the public are welcome to attend in person or call in and listen to the meeting. The public will not have an opportunity to comment at the meeting; however, comments are being accepted by email and mail through Aug. 13. To join the meeting by teleconference, contact Sara Griffith at 503-986-0737 or by email at sara.griffith@oregon.gov for the phone number and access code. Scenic waterways staff will incorporate public comments into a report for OPRD Commissioners to review. The governor will make the final decision on designation in December. If the river is designated, OPRD will host additional meetings to gather public comments before finalizing a management plan and initiating rule-making. The State Scenic Waterways Program seeks to balance protection of natural resources, scenic value and recreation. Scenic waterway designations do not affect existing water rights. Comments can be submitted through Aug. 13 by email to scenic.waterways@oregon.gov or mailed to OPRD Scenic Waterways Program, 725 Summer St. Suite C, Salem, OR 97301. The draft plan, meeting materials and other information are available at http://bit.ly/scenicwaterways. For more information, contact Laurel Hillmann at 503-986-0700 or laurel.hillmann@oregon.gov or Rocky Houston at 503-986-0750 or rocky.houston@oregon.gov.