A nonprofit raising funds to enhance and preserve special places and experiences in Oregon’s parks.

July Featured Park: Cottonwood Canyon

Cottonwood Canyon State Park is located in the Northeastern part of Oregon, a little way east of Mount Hood and just a half hour drive south of Biggs Junction along the Columbia River. It is the newest, and the second largest, State Park in Oregon.

Yet this park just three hours from Portland feels remote and wild.  Local wildlife includes rattlesnakes, cougars, and bighorn sheep. While the amenities here are lacking – there are no electrical or sewer hookups for RV’s and cell service is spotty, if available at all – the experience is unforgettable. We all look forward to getting away from it all when we go camping, and at Cottonwood Canyon, you really can. The campground includes 4 rustic cabins, 14 walk-up tent sites, and 21 drive-in primitive sites (including one ADA site), plus a group camp for up to 25 people. An ADA restroom with flush toilets and showers is centrally located.

Reservations can be made up to 6 months in advance online or over the phone (1-800-452-5687). The campground is open year-round but the 21 primitive sites become first-come, first served from November to March (no reservations needed).

There are plenty of uncrowded hiking trails, the views are awesome, and the night skies are unspoiled by city lights. And while the park is more primitive than some, it offers some nice features, including solar-powered charging stations, and free-to-use bicycles.

Oregon Parks Forever raised more than half a million dollars in donations for the construction of the Experience Center at Cottonwood Canyon, which opened in 2018. When not in use for the Cottonwood Crossing Summer Institute, the center is available by reservation through Oregon State Parks.

Action Trackchair® All-Terrain Wheelchair Now Available in Tigard

Oregon Parks Forever, David’s Chair, and the American Legion Post 158 in Tigard are working together to increase park accessibility for people with mobility challenges.

Oregon Parks Forever and David’s Chair secured funding for the wheelchair and the American Legion Post in Tigard agreed to host it. The chair will be available for free use by reservation through the David’s Chair website – Just in time for Disability Pride Month! It can then be picked up by anyone with a trailer hitch-enabled vehicle at the American Legion Post 158 in Tigard to take to area parks.

The chair is the first of 10 planned for being made available throughout the state at various locations. David’s chair has already loaned chairs for use from their home city of Medford, and also holds group events. Over the 4th of July weekend, the organization was in Seaside and helped over 60 people enjoy the beach using Action Trackchairs®.

If you want to see the chair in action, the Newburg American Legion Post 57 will be demonstrating it at the Newberg Old Fashioned Festival, Friday and Saturday, July 29-30.

View the chairs in action in this youtube video and consider donating today to Oregon Park Forever.

Try Out Paddleboarding at These Oregon Lakes

The Stand-Up Paddle (SUP) Board has gained in popularity recently, with more and more people enjoying this inexpensive and low-tech sport at local lakes and rivers. If you have been out to any body of water recently, you might have seen people standing or sitting on what look like wide surfboards as they glide along the water. SUP boards are either solid, with a foam core, or inflatable. Inflatable boards are easier to store and transport, and a rigid board is more stable and offers better performance on the water.

Stand-up paddleboarding is a bit more of a full-body workout than canoeing and kayaking and does require some balance. You can also sit down if you want a more relaxing paddle or need to give your core muscles a break.

It is easy to try out paddleboarding because you don’t need a lot of gear, and there are plenty of places to go and rent one by the hour, or for the day. Read the full article>

Cottonwood Crossing Summer Institute Concludes for 2022

Oregon Parks Forever was pleased to once again be able to provide scholarship support for students to attend this year’s Cottonwood Crossing Summer Institute. This is a week-long residential field studies program for high school students in grades 9-12. Students studied Macroinvertebrates in the River, learned about Visual Storytelling, some learned how to design and build solar solutions to charge personal devices or collect data with electronics off the grid,  and a fourth group learned about Fisheries and Riparian Habitats.  In this picture, students from the “fish heads team” are shown presenting a model of how different riparian habitats affect fish life in a river. 

Craft Oregon Beverage Makers Partner with Oregon Parks Forever for Second Year

The “You Buy One, We Plant One” campaign will donate $1 from select 6-pack cans of Sunriver Brewing and Fort George beers, Portland Cider Company cider, and Oregon wine by Stoller Wine Group to Oregon Parks Forever’s Wildfire Tree Replanting Fund.

Last year’s campaign raised funds to plant 25,000 trees in Oregon.

Between record breaking fires caused by a freak windstorm to an extreme heat event and another bad fire year, Oregon has seen unusually severe tree damage the past two years.

Fire officials are warning that we are heading for another challenging fire season this summer.

So, once again, Sustainability-minded craft beverage producersare collaborating to help Oregon Parks Forever’s effort to replant One Million Trees so that Oregon’s forests will once again be green and lush for future generations. Look for displays in local grocery stores throughout the months of July and August, and know that your next refreshing beverage will plant a tree here in Oregon!

With Sincere Gratitude,

Oregon Parks Forever is a statewide, member-supported nonprofit dedicated to raising funds to enhance and preserve special places and experiences in Oregon's parks.

www.orparksforever.org
We do not own or manage any public lands.  We raise funds for programs and projects to enhance the experience of using federal, state, local, and tribal parks.  Comments regarding individual parks or park issues should be directed to the respective public land manager.

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