The Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold its final meeting of the year November 18-19 in Astoria, OR and address a proposed beach smoking rule and other topics. On November 18, Commissioners will tour area state parks and the Columbia River Maritime Museum starting at 8 a.m., then attend workshops starting at 2 p.m. at the Loft at the Red Building, 20 Basin Street Suite F, Astoria, OR 97103. On November 19, Commissioners will convene an 8 a.m. executive session at the Loft at the Red Building to discuss real estate and legal issues. Executive sessions are closed to the public. A public business meeting will begin at 9:15 a.m. at the same location. The agenda includes requests for action on state park contracts, grants to Oregon communities for recreation trails, a proposed beach smoking restriction, and state scenic waterway candidates. Oregon Parks and Recreation Department staff will ask the Commission to sideline a proposed rule restricting smoking on Oregon’s 362 mile public ocean shore. Instead, staff will ask the Commission to direct the department to spend two years focusing on education and a broader campaign to reduce beach litter. The public comment period for the proposed rule closed in August, and a summary is online at http://tinyurl.com/oregonbeachsmoke. The Commission will also receive three studies on rivers that are candidates for designation under the state scenic waterway program. Department staff studied short sections of the Grande Ronde in Union County, Molalla in Clackamas County, and Chetco in Curry County. After visiting the rivers and holding public meetings, staff will recommend dropping the Grande Ronde segment from consideration. For the portions of the Chetco and Molalla Rivers included in the study, staff will ask the Commission to accept the reports, but wait to make a recommendation for up to a year. The time will be used to allow local proponents to organize and develop management plans that address waterway and adjacent landowner needs. Commission scenic waterway recommendations are made to the governor jointly with the Oregon Water Resources Department, who will also be asked to concur with the reports. More information about the ongoing review of scenic waterways is online at http://tinyurl.com/scenicwaterwaysreview. The full November meeting agenda is available online at www.oregon.gov/oprd/Pages/commission.aspx, and the meeting packet with information on each agenda item will be posted online by 3 p.m. Friday, November 7. People who plan to present testimony are requested to provide 12 copies of their statement to Commission Assistant Sarah Emery at sarah.emery@oregon.gov for distribution to the Commissioners before the meeting. Those needing special accommodations to attend should contact OPRD at 503-986-0719 to make arrangements at least three days in advance. The Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission (www.oregon.gov/oprd/Pages/commission.aspx) promotes outdoor recreation and heritage by establishing policies, adopting rules, and setting the budget for the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. The seven members are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Oregon Senate. They serve four-year terms and meet several times a year at locations across the state.
