Comments Sought on Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan Draft, Jan. 10

The public is invited to comment on the state’s plan for outdoor recreation drafted by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD). Outdoor Recreation in Oregon: Responding to Demographical and Societal Change is posted for public review and comment at  https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/PLANS/Pages/201923SCORP.aspx. Comments will be accepted through Feb. 7, 2019. The plan closely examines the effects of important demographic and societal changes facing outdoor recreation providers in the state, including: An aging population; An increasingly diverse population; Lack of youth engagement in outdoor recreation; An underserved low-income population;   Increasing levels of physical inactivity within the population. OPRD planners developed the report using a series of carefully designed statewide research studies including a statistically reliable survey of Oregon residents. Staff gathered feedback from 3,550 randomly selected residents. States are required to develop a Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan to be eligible to receive matching grants from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant program. The five-year plan guides the use of those funds and other OPRD-administered grant programs including the Local Government Grant Program.  It also provides recommendations to all levels of recreation providers on how they can better serve Oregonians. OPRD will accept comments through Feb. 7, 2019. Responses can be made via: Email to terry.bergerson@oregon.gov  A comment feature at https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/PLANS/Pages/201923SCORP.aspx  Mail to Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, 725 Summer Street NE, Suite C, Salem, OR 97301-1271-1271, Attn: Terry Bergerson. The recreation plan is also available in a CD format by contacting Terry Bergerson at 503-986-0747 or terry.bergerson@oregon.gov.