Disc golf advocates push for new parks as maintenance lacking
From our weekly issue dated July 07, 2010
James Jorgensen, 2, during a recent outing at Indian Mary Park near Galice. (Photo by Scott Jorgensen, I.V. News)
Visitors to Wolf Creek Park are greeted these days by a closed gate and knee-high weeds, much to the dismay of Doreen Ferguson, supervisor of Josephine County Parks.
The inability to maintain the park, located in the small community 20 miles north of Grants Pass, comes as advocates of disc golf seek to expand their playing options at facilities throughout the county.
Currently, there are five public disc golf courses in Josephine County. Many are in county parks, such as Wolf Creek, and one is located at Riverside Park in Grants Pass city limits.
Tom Pearce Park, around 3 miles outside of Grants Pass near Interstate 5, was the first in the county to add a disc golf course. It has since evolved into a professional, 18-hole course with tournaments held there “quite often,“ Ferguson said.
Lake Selmac hosts the county“s only other 18-hole course, and the 72-acre Indian Mary Park near Galice has a nine-hole course.
But disc golf aficionados have been circulating a petition to add another course to Fish Hatchery Park. That 177-acre facility is located near New Hope Road and consists of three separate parcels, and includes the popular Turtle Lane swimming hole.
A committee has been working reauthorize the county“s master parks plan, Ferguson said, and is set to vote on it during a July 20 Park Advisory Committee meeting.
Ferguson said that as part of the process, a study was conducted to determine how many disc golf facilities Josephine County has per capita compared to other counties.
“We have far more than anybody in the entire state,“ she said. “The problem we have, and the difficulty for us, is not being able to maintain the ones we have.“
Regional flooding on New Year“s Eve 2005 took out a foot bridge at Wolf Creek Park, which has yet to be replaced.
“We have not had the funds to replace it,“ Ferguson said. “With all the other projects and needs we have, we haven“t been able to touch it.“
The 80-acre Wolf Creek Park currently is closed to driving; does not have a host;and is not being maintained. Ferguson said that her department is in “hot pursuit“ of a host, and will reopen the park once that happens.
But because of that, she said that she is pessimistic about the possibility of adding another disc golf course to the Fish Hatchery property.
“In our budget, we“re supposedly trying to operate like a business, and you don“t build something that you can“t take care of,“ she said. “It doesn“t make sense.“
Fish Hatchery Park was designated in 1997 as a Nature park in the county“s master plan, Ferguson said. She addedthat it“s one of only two county facilities with Nature trails. One trail recently was restored as part of a Job Council project, and a multi-use horse trail is being developed to connect the park with adjacent Bureau of Land Management land, she said.
“I have a desire to see kids back on that trail. I would like to see schools back out there taking kids,“ Ferguson said. “It“s not that far from town, and it“s not a difficult trail to maneuver.“
At this time, Ferguson said, putting a disc golf course at Fish Hatchery Park is “just not feasible.“
“We don“t have the staff or the money,“ she said. “I“d like to put more work into Tom Pearce.“
Despite that seeming setback, efforts are under way to establish an 18-hole disc golf course at Illinois River Forks State Park on the south side of Cave Junction.
Oley Crocker said that he is trying to circulate a petition through the state park office and BLM. Part of the park property is owned by BLM and has been leased to the state, Crocker said. That agreement has expired, he added, providing the perfect opportunity to push for the disc golf course.
“BLM is looking for a lot of opportunities to increase recreation in this area, and this seems to align with their goals,“ Crocker said. “There“s a lot of saturation going on in the Grants Pass area, and that“s spilling out to Selma. But if they put a course here, it will spill out into here and bring more tourism here.“
In the meantime, anyone interested in playing on the county“s disc golf courses can purchase a $2 day pass on-site. Season passes are available for $25 at the parks office in Grants Pass, and can be purchased through park hosts. Free passes are provided for service-related disabled veterans.
For more information, visit co.josephine.or.us/SectionIndex.asp“SectionID=132.
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