Future of “Forks“ park pondered
From our weekly issue dated July 28, 2010
A family enjoys a popular swimming hole. (IVN photo)
Located a short distance south of Cave Junction, Illinois River Forks State Park has a reputation as one of the area“s best swimming holes.
But a lack of regular law enforcement has tainted that reputation somewhat, as drug use, abuse of alcohol, vandalism and general rowdiness could prompt state parks officials to ultimately abandon the site.
That possible scenario was discussed by the Josephine County Board of Commissioners during its Friday, July 23 administrative meeting at the courthouse in Grants Pass.
Commission Chairman Dwight Ellis said that the state parks department might not renew its lease for the park. Sections of it are owned by the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which leases it to the state agency.
Ellis stated that BLM also lacks the law enforcement capability to adequately monitor activities at the park.
Dave Toler, a commissioner and Illinois Valley resident, said that the development is “very upsetting.“
He related that at one time, the state parks department had jurisdiction over the Forks and another parcel in Illinois Valley adjacent to the California border.
However, Toler said, the state traded the second parcel of land. He stated that he helped lead the protest against that action.
In exchange for trading that piece of land, Toler said, the state parks department agreed to make improvements to Forks Park. Those improvements never were made, he added.
He suggested that the county could ask the state parks agency to operate the Forks property. He added that he planned to talk to county Parks Supervisor Doreen Ferguson about the possibility of the county taking it over.
No final decision regarding Forks Park has been reached by his agency, Tim Wood, director of the Oregon State Parks & Recreation Dept., said in a Friday, July 23 telephone interview.
“We have had issues down there, in terms of management,“ Wood said. “There have been issues of law enforcement and vandalism. It“s kind of far away from our other locations.“
Wood verified that the state owns some acreage near Forks Park, but leases its day-use area from BLM. He said that the lease has expired, and that abandoning the facility is the “least-preferred alternative, but we haven“t come up with other alternatives yet.
“We are trying to discuss ways to do a better job of providing recreational opportunities for the public,“ Wood added. “We plan to meet with community leaders and leadership from the city, county, BLM — even the sheriff“s office — to come up with a community approach to improving recreational opportunities.“
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