The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department will solicit proposals from concessionaires interested in conducting recreational bungee jumping from a decommissioned highway bridge over the Crooked River at Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint north of Terrebonne. Responses to the solicitation will be accepted starting sometime the week of March 27 through late April or early May. Exact dates will be available through the official state procurement website, http://orpin.oregon.gov/. A summertime pilot project was conducted in 2015-2016, then ended. A visitor survey conducted in 2016 showed the activity did not detract from the overall park experience (http://bit.ly/peterskeneogdensurvey), and highway safety appeared unaffected. The effects on raptors nesting and flying below the canyon rim were inconclusive and require study over a longer period, so the project includes ongoing monitoring and a readiness to change schedules or operations as needed to protect birds. The contract will have a short initial period–as few as 2 years–with renewal options that extend to 10 years, giving the park manager flexibility to modify the project more extensively if additional information becomes available. The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department will continue to consult with both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. “Protecting wildlife passing through the park is important, and while there are no raptor nests nearby, we’ll need to monitor this carefully so we can make adjustments as we go,” says OPRD Stewardship Manager Trevor Taylor. “The department’s mission includes outdoor recreation, and adapts to offer new opportunities where they are compatible with a state park landscape,” says OPRD Mountains Region Manager Jerry Winegar. “Climbing and mountain biking were both new to state parks at one time, but now help introduce new people to Oregon’s outdoors.” Businesses interested in submitting proposals for the operation must register with the State of Oregon Procurement Information Network — https://orpin.oregon.gov/open.dll/welcome.
