I'm not usually impressed by Oregonlive content but that had some good info, anyone know who Jamie Hales is?
and another article:
http://www.oregonlive.com/travel/index. ... reope.html
"For the time being, hikers will have to re-route or do what most have been doing for the last six months - flout the closure and skip across the shallow Tish Creek.
The U.S. Forest Service sternly recommends against it, as a 20 to 30-foot waterfall awaits only 15 feet downstream, but neither the official closure nor the warnings have stopped swarms of hikers from fully enjoying one of the most popular hikes in Oregon."
"Six months ago, when the U.S. Forest Service closed the trail at Tish Creek - which is just beyond Punch Bowl Falls - Hinatsu said the process would take at least a year to complete. That time was necessary to find funding, hire a contractor and coordinate the actual bridge replacement project, which will require airlifting the old and new bridges by helicopter."
"During the evaluation process, forest officials learned that Eagle Creek might be a habitat for the endangered owls. Since it would take as long as two years of research to know for sure, they have to operate under the assumption that the owls are there, Hinatsu explained. That means crews can only work on the bridge replacement between October and March, outside of the owl's breeding season in the area."
on the first oregonlive link "That December, when a major bridge washed out on the Eagle Creek trail, it was tempting to use the carryover to cover the estimated $110,000 replacement cost. But instead of depleting the carryover fund near the start of the fiscal year, recreation staff officer Stan Hinatsu opted to apply for a grant that would pay for the project. That summer, he got one, and the carryover was spent on other projects at Eagle Creek."