Oregon
Oregon State Parks seeks approval for new, improved campsite reservation system
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department wants to create a new website where visitors reserve state park campsites. The cost? $13.35 million for five years.
If approved, the website could go live as early as late 2024 or early 2025, officials said.
“Visitors (would) notice a new website specific to Oregon State Parks with a new look, improved search functions, more visuals, greater accessibility and improved mobile compatibility,” OPRD spokeswoman Stefanie Knowlton said.
The state agency’s contract with website vendor ReserveAmerica.com expires in 2025 and could not be renewed. That opened up a competitive bidding process in 2023.
For the next website, parks officials decided on a platform called Recreation Hub, designed to “modernize and simplify campground management,” according to the department.
The platform is owned and run by Conduent and Booz Allen Hamilton, a multinational corporation that also runs Recreation.gov, the federal government’s website for booking campsites and permits across the nation’s public lands.
OPRD will ask the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission for approval of the contract at a meeting April 23-24 in Cannon Beach. Public comments are open for the decision.
Knowlton said parks officials and visitors tested different platforms over a 10 month period and decided Recreation Hub “was the most intuitive and accessible option.”
“Beyond improving tools available for visitors to make state park reservations, it will also offer agency staff reservation management, volunteer management, website content management, retail operations and visitor support features,” Knowlton said in an email.
Knowlton said the fee for booking a campsite — which currently sits at $8 per transaction — would not change in the short term.
However, she laid out that could be a possibility in the future.
“The $8 reservation fee has not changed in 15 years,” she said. “There is not a specific plan to change the fee, but leadership is discussing what amount makes sense for the future.”
The new website would cost $2.67 million per year. OPRD will ask to sign a five-year contract for $13.35 million.
The previous website, ReserveAmerica, cost $2.1 million per year, Knowlton said, “but it did not include all the functions that the new site will.”
Knowlton said the cost of the website would be paid by reservation fees. If the reservation fees don’t cover the full cost of the website, additional funds would come from the agency’s budget.
Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 15 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. Urness is the author of “Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon” and “Hiking Southern Oregon.” He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on X at @ZachsORoutdoors.
Oregon
July 18 Morning Media Release-Akawa Butte, Brewer, and Pilot Fires | Central Oregon Fire Information
Firefighters hold the line through the night on Akawa Butte, Brewer and Pilot Fires in Central Oregon
(Sisters, OR) – Crews worked through the night on the Akawa Butte, Brewer and Pilot Fires. Crews were able to hold all the lines that were built during the day shift. Reconnaissance and scouting operations identified additional access points for more direct access to the fire line and will continue through today.
Numerous resources are in transit and are expected to arrive beginning later today. A full suppression effort is underway and the number one priority is ensuring firefighters and public safety and protecting resources while utilizing tactics to reach the highest probability of success. All fires remain 0% contained.
Akawa Butte Fire
There were some slop overs on the north and northeast edge of the fire later in the day yesterday. Night shift crews worked to reinforce the established dozer line around the slop overs and along the north and northwest parts of the fire. Night crews worked to identify access points along the east and southeast parts of the fire. This will make accessing the fire line for crews and heavy equipment easier. The fire is burning into the Flat Fire burn scar in the southeast which is slowing progression in that area. All fire lines held overnight.
Brewer Fire
There was significant growth on the fire yesterday as a result of hot, dry weather and gusty winds. Overnight, firefighters worked to identify additional access points to the northeast points of the fire. They also worked to strengthen dozer lines to provide a more direct line on the fire. There was slop over on the north edge of the fire but all fire lines held overnight. The heel of the fire is in the northeast corner of the fire with the main growth of the fire to the southeast due to the wind direction in the afternoons.
Pilot Fire
One engine patrolled the fire lines overnight, looking for any spot fires or slop over around the fire lines. The fire is dozer lined on three sides, with natural barriers lining the north.
Weather and Fire Behavior
Conditions will continue to be hot and dry. Wind will be light this morning but are expected to increase this afternoon and will predominantly come from the north and northwest. Fire managers expect challenging, wind‑driven fire activity later in the day.
Evacuations
Akawa Butte Fire is in Jefferson and Deschutes County.
The Brewer Fire is in Crook and Jefferson Counties.
The Pilot Fire is in Crook County.
County sheriff’s offices issue evacuation orders. The most current evacuation information is available at:
Crook County: https://www.facebook.com/CrookCountySheriff
Deschutes County: https://www.facebook.com/DeschutesCountySheriff/
Jefferson County: https://www.facebook.com/JeffersonCountyORSheriff/
Closures
BLM has issued closures for lands in and near the fires. See below for current information:
BLM Closures and Restrictions: https://www.blm.gov/programs/fire/regional-info/oregon-washington/fire-restrictions
Air Quality Information
Air quality updates: https://fire.airnow.gov/
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As thousands of fans pack Chris Stapleton’s concert at Providence Park on Friday night, businesses in Goose Hollow are hoping the excitement continues long after the music ends.
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UMATILLA COUNTY, Ore. — A rollover crash on Interstate 84 in Umatilla County sent four people to the hospital Thursday morning, including three passengers who were later transferred for advanced medical care, according to Oregon State Police.
OSP said troopers responded at 8:27 a.m. Thursday, July 16, to a single-vehicle serious injury crash on I-84 eastbound near milepost 207.
Investigators said a gray Dodge Durango driven by Cullen Michael Derr, 38, of Battle Ground, Wash., was eastbound while towing a custom-built utility trailer when, for an unknown reason, it left the roadway. The vehicle rolled multiple times and caught fire, OSP said.
Police said three occupants were ejected during the crash: a 24-year-old woman, a 15-year-old male and a 9-month-old male infant. OSP said all four occupants, including Derr, were taken to a local hospital, and the three passengers were later transferred to hospitals in Oregon and Washington because of the severity of their injuries.
Derr was arrested for DUII, reckless driving, reckless endangering another person (three counts) and third-degree assault (three counts), and was lodged at the Umatilla County Jail, OSP said.
Interstate 84 was impacted for about one hour during the on-scene investigation. OSP said it was assisted by the Pendleton Police Department, Pendleton Fire & Ambulance Department, and the Oregon Department of Transportation.
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