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OUTDOORS Forest Service eyes booze ban on Illinois River Comment By Shaun Hall Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Shaun Hall Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted May. 14, 2016 at 2:00 AM Updated May 14, 2016 at 1:43 PM By Shaun Hall Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted May. 14, 2016 at 2:00 AM Updated May 14, 2016 at 1:43 PM » Social News SELMA — The Illinois River is being loved to death. Or, maybe, it's not being loved enough. In an effort to curb trash and unruly behavior, the U.S. Forest Service is set to ban alcohol this summer along the popular Illinois River corridor west of Selma. Sandy beaches, warm water and pretty scenery draw crowds during the summer to this recreation section of the federally designated Wild and Scenic River. But parking problems, broken bottles and disrespectful behavior are taking their toll, officials say. "People are not respecting the area — with trash, bottles and unruly behavior driving out the family atmosphere, to create a party-like atmosphere," said Matt Paciorek of the U.S. Forest Service. "We've had lots of traffic issues." The ban is not yet in effect, and a final order has not yet been signed, but the plan is to have the ban in place roughly from Memorial Day to Labor Day, according to Paciorek, who was contacted after word of the action leaked out. He said a news release would be issued at a later date announcing the ban. "The idea is to get it into effect this summer," said Paciorek, the district ranger for the area. "At the end of that time, we'll evaluate whether it was effective." The ban would outlaw alcohol even in vehicles, from the Forest Service boundary about two miles west of Selma to approximately McCaleb Ranch, about six more miles in. Marijuana is banned on federal land, too. The area — referred to by Forest Service personnel as "the Illinois River corridor" — is reached from the Redwood Highway via Illinois River Road. Paciorek said he'll often ask people if they use the corridor. "Not in the summertime, not with my family," comes back the response, he said. "People are trashing the place," he said. "There's resource problems, law enforcement problems. We want to try to make a dent in that." The Forest Service also is looking for a good place to put a large trash bin, in an effort to encourage people to haul their trash away from the river and at least leave it in the bin, if not take it home with them. "The amount of trash that gets pulled out of there is astounding," he said. Broken bottles are common, especially at popular Store Gulch. Forest Service district recreation manager Brian Long said he remembers looking down one time to see a broken whiskey bottle. "There's people who want to have a good time," he said. "Follow the rules. Pack it in, pack it out." Traffic problems include cars parked on the pavement of the lone narrow road. Vehicles should park outside the white lines. Safety along the winding road is a concern, too. In parts, the road is unpaved. Jayson Bayless of the Illinois Valley Fire District said four or five vehicles have gone down embankments along the road in just the last two years, although he didn't recall whether any of the incidents involved alcohol. "It's fairly dangerous," he said. "It mainly happens during the summertime." As for the trash problem, Bayless said he's seen that elsewhere on federal land. "I think it's everywhere," he said. "It's not specific to that area." Greg Walter, a Cave Junction resident who sometimes leads hikes into the area, is dismayed by what he sees there and elsewhere on forest land. "It's happened to so many places on Forest Service land," Walter said. "They get inundated with too many people. The area gets loved to death. "There's so many abuses," he continued. "It's not family-friendly anymore." The Forest Service has been known to close areas altogether because of abuses, but Paciorek said that option has not been discussed regarding the Illinois River corridor. "If it continues on a downward trend, we'd possibly have that conversation," he said. "We'd really like to get people to step up. I'd like to see a place where folks take their family." The Forest Service this year has a little more bite to its bark, with the addition of a full-time law enforcement officer assigned to Josephine County. Plus, the agency has contracted for six months to have a Josephine County sheriff's deputy patrol its roads to enforce state and local laws. That hasn't happened in years. Sheriff Dave Daniel said the Illinois River corridor has seen "a lot" of vehicle break-ins, but that he didn't readily have statistics on the level of crime there. He said he personally went there last year with state and federal officers to make an arrest on an outstanding warrant. Also, police went to the area Feb. 27, when the body of a man was found in the river at Store Gulch. Authorities have not released a name or cause of death, and at last word were treating the case as a possible crime. "That area of our county, due to lack of staffing, has been a little bit, maybe, not as patrolled as much as it should have been," Daniel said. "The goal is to start to bring the families back." Paciorek says the area is worth protecting. "It's a really beautiful spot," he said. "There's a reason it was designated a Wild and Scenic River." Reach reporter Shaun Hall at 541-474-3722 or [email protected] By Shaun Hall Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Shaun Hall Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted May. 14, 2016 at 2:00 AM Updated May 14, 2016 at 1:43 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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