Development at the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wildwood Recreation Site began in 1963 and was to originally go throughthree phases, according to Dan Davis, Outdoor Recreation Planner for BLM’s
Salem District, with the first two resulting in the layout the mountain
community is now familiar with. The third phase would have added a
campground in 1971, but because of an inadequate water system, it never
happened.

Since then, development at the area has been limited, but has included
upgrading the water system and adding the salmon viewing window, the most
recent new feature which was added approximately 20 years ago.

That may change soon, as the BLM looks to possibly develop the area further,
including the addition of campsites, yurts, cabins and RV sites. That could help
the site increase the number of visitors utilizing the area each year, currently
at approximately 50,000, a fraction of the 375,000 it was built to
accommodate.

“The site definitely offers the capacity to have it,” said Jennifer Velez, Public
Affairs Officer for BLM’s Eugene and Salem Districts, about the potential
development. “We feel it would be a value added thing to have here at this
site.”

The BLM will host a public meeting at 5:45 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 11, at the
Mountain View Shelter in the site, 65670 E. Hwy. 26 in Welches, starting with
a 30-minute presentation and also featuring up to four proposed plans for
Wildwood, including a “no development option,” a tour of the site and an
opportunity to ask questions as share feedback. The meeting also marks the
beginning of a formal 30-day scoping comment period, offering the
opportunity for the public to provide comments.

Development proposals will include an official entrance with new office and
visitor contact that is closer to the entrance than the current office, a new
loop for RVs, with campsites, yurts and cabins. Davis noted that yurts and
cabins could be clustered, offering the opportunity for guides, outfitters or
families to reserve a group of them for a specific outing.

The yurts, at a size good for a small family, would likely be placed on pads
that already exist, with perhaps four surrounding a central kitchen area and a
small barbeque for each yurt. Cabins, meanwhile, would include a bed, table
and chairs and also feature electricity. Both yurts and cabins could possibly be
utilized year-round, while building characteristics would reflect the current
construction, including large wood and stonework.

“We just want to offer people a little bit higher level of camping experience,”
Davis said.

He added that the lower section of the park, including the salmon viewing
window, could see the addition of popular day use activities, including a
playground and swings.

“We don’t want to displace the current use, we want to enhance it,” Davis
said. “We understand that people like to use this as a community park.”
The park could also see three stops a day on weekends by the Mountain
Express bus service. No timeline is in place for when work could begin, if
development is the chosen path, but Davis noted that a new management
plan for Wildwood will hopefully be completed by next spring or summer.
Any development that would take place would be done in phases, with
portions of the park potentially closed off, but no closure of the entire park.
“It’s too large of a park to consider that,” Davis said.

Davis also noted that similar development at the BLM’s Molalla River
Recreation Area helped make that park safer while reducing problems and
disruptions during the night.

“If you bring people in there that are doing responsible use (it will) displace
irresponsible use,” he said.

Some members of the community have formed a group, “Friends of Wildwood
Hood,” in opposition to the potential development of the park.

The BLM is also finishing the design for the Sandy Ridge Trail System and
starting to consider development options for the site of the old Marmot Dam,
which was removed in July 2007. The Marmot site would likely be designed for
fishing and mountain biking experiences, including camping, RV and yurt
sites, and potentially a boat ramp.

“We’re looking at doing a lot smaller scale than Wildwood, for sure,” Davis
said, adding it is “really early” in the process for planning on the Marmot site.
The BLM will combine two districts, Salem and Eugene, into one, the
Northwest Oregon District, on Saturday, Oct. 1, which will offer 11 total sites.
Davis noted that the district offers a year pass, good at 21 fee sites, for $30.