Oregon Hikers

https://katu.com/news/local/all-dispers ... ing-monday

LANE COUNTY, Ore. — The state of Oregon has temporarily closed all dispersed camping on Oregon state forests managed by the ODF starting on Monday, May 11, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

(More at link)

From what I've read, this is not directly due to COVID-19, but indirectly related. People have been disperse camping and dumping trash and garbage and other gross stuff which state employees now have to go in and clean up. Another case of a few spoiling something for the rest of us.

KATU's headline is a tad misleading. "Oregon forests" sounds like all public forest land in the state of Oregon. The part XRP quoted clarifies that it is state-managed forest, so this does not apply to BLM or USFS.

Problems with trash and human waste accumulation in these areas have become insurmountable and hazardous for the public and ODF employees.

Yuck. What is wrong with people?

pcg wrote: ↑

May 11th, 2020, 8:46 am

From what I've read, this is not directly due to COVID-19, but indirectly related. People have been disperse camping and dumping trash and garbage and other gross stuff which state employees now have to go in and clean up. Another case of a few spoiling something for the rest of us.

Correct. There are many articles on this. The one I linked was just the first one I saw this morning.

Summary is that closing of improved campgrounds has resulted in more people doing dispersed camping and trashing places. Now, dispersed camping is shut down, too.

Not that this is really enforceable, but there we go.

justpeachy wrote: ↑

May 11th, 2020, 11:26 am

KATU's headline is a tad misleading.

It's certainly misleading, but don't tell!
If it can get fewer people to venture out into (any) forests, that's great! Especially if those people are not practicing leave-no-trace.
Dispersed camping is not suitable to weekend warriors who are acclimated to developed campground life. "Wait, we actually have to take our trash home with us?" "I thought the campground pit toilets were primitive but now you're asking me to go WHERE?"
It's a smart move to close it all down. And that'll leave us (who know a thing or two about environmental stewardship and leave-no-trace) to continue to enjoy dispersed camping in the National Forest (until they ruin that for us, too).

teachpdx wrote: ↑

May 11th, 2020, 11:42 am

... that'll leave us (who know a thing or two about environmental stewardship and leave-no-trace) to continue to enjoy dispersed camping in the National Forest (until they ruin that for us, too).

We almost always take a garbage bag with us to collect cans, shotgun shells, plastic bottles, diapers, odd articles of clothing, etc. What I hate is when hunters disperse camp and then leave broken chairs, old tables, couches, blue tarps, toilet seats, and other large pieces of crap behind.

pcg wrote: ↑

May 11th, 2020, 2:15 pm

We almost always take a garbage bag with us to collect cans, shotgun shells, plastic bottles, diapers, odd articles of clothing, etc. What I hate is when hunters disperse camp and then leave broken chairs, old tables, couches, blue tarps, toilet seats, and other large pieces of crap behind.

Sadly, the entire Mt. Hood National Forest is trashed, but the Clackamas River Ranger District is an absolute dump, with all the things you described and more. It doesn't help that OHVs regularly drive over the berms on closed roads in addition to creating their own illegal muddy tracks. Just adds to the general air of neglect the entire district has.