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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Mt. Ashland Ski Area to open Sunday ... Flood watch issued for Sunday in Jackson County ... Boys want to cook for mom and her friend ... Mt. Ashland Ski Area to open Sunday ... Flood watch issued for Sunday in Jackson County ... Boys want to cook for mom and her friend ... ENVIRONMENT Chetco stretch slated to be added to scenic waterways list Comment By Jane Stebbins Curry Coastal Pilot MailTribune.com By Jane Stebbins Curry Coastal Pilot Posted Dec. 5, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Jane Stebbins Curry Coastal Pilot Posted Dec. 5, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News A section of the Chetco River — and a stretch of the Molalla River in Clackamas County — await the swipe of the governor’s pen before being added to the state’s Scenic Waterways list. The designation of those two portions of rivers was recommended by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission, which would protect them and their banks from damage that can occur with development. The state Water Resources Commission agreed. It would affect a 14-mile portion of the Chetco River from Loeb State Park to the Steel Bridge. The river is unique in that it is the only river in the state that begins and ends in the same county. Local rivers with Scenic Waterways status include the Elk, Illinois and sections of the Rogue. Property owners along the banks of that section of the Chetco River would have to abide by only a few of the rules for such rivers, and proponents of the designation have said they wouldn’t be affected much, if at all, said Steve Kay, the state parks recreation grants division manager. Kay spoke with residents in September about the possible restrictions. About 80 properties line the 14 river-miles of the Chetco River proposed for the designation. It is unknown how many parcels have been developed. All existing uses, including recreation, residences and businesses, will remain, Kay said. Future uses within a quarter-mile of both sides of the river might be required to screen their uses from view corridors in the river. “It does not regulate recreational activities — that’d be against the state parks goals,” Kay said. “And existing development and grazing is exempt. Tree removal is OK.” If a new house were to be built along the river’s edge, the county’s planning department would be required to notify the state agency, which in turn would determine whether the proposal abides with the new management plan. And even then, the odds of denial are low, said Calem Stevenson, an ocean shore specialist with the state agency who worked with the Scenic River program in the past. He said Oregon State Parks receives about 60 requests a year to develop something along a designated river and, in the five years he’s been involved, he’s only ever denied one, and it was a cell tower. The owner realized the importance of the scenic waterway and willingly relocated it. “It’s a denial if an owner says he wants to build a pink, marble mansion, no matter what,” Stevenson said. “People along these rivers want to see rivers. They don’t want to see pink marble mansions.” Their goal, he said in September, is to work with homeowners to achieve their goals while protecting the scenic values of the river. The news of the pending inclusion of a portion of the Chetco as a Scenic Waterway makes League of Women Voters President Lucie La Bonté grin. The local League of Women Voters was instrumental in getting legislation passed that created the program in the 1970s, she said. Immediately following the implementation of the program, 20 stretches of Oregon rivers in Oregon were designated as scenic. But the last river designated, La Bonté noted, was in 1988. With pressure from the league and environmental groups, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department restarted the program. Last year, then-Gov. John Kitzhaber sent a letter to the agency recommending that three river sections be added every two years. Last year, the Chetco, Molalla and Grande Ronde made the cut. The Curry County League of Women Voters supported the Chetco designation, and the league in Clackamas threw its support behind the Molalla River. But the West Umatilla River LWV chose not to participate as the Grand Ronde is a fair distance from its area of interest, La Bonté said. “It was helpful for them to hear that the public process was extensive and inclusive,” La Bonté said of the process to get the proposal to the state level. “These are upper reaches of streams where little private property exists, and where protecting the flows means the lower reaches might well benefit from any water ‘set aside’ for natural and recreational uses.” By Jane Stebbins Curry Coastal Pilot MailTribune.com By Jane Stebbins Curry Coastal Pilot Posted Dec. 5, 2015 at 12:01 AM » 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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