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Friday, August 12, 2016
CLACKAMAS, Ore. – With more warm weather in the forecast for the upcoming weekend, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife reminds recreationists who want to use beaches within the Sauvie Island Wildlife Area to plan ahead to avoid parking problems.
Parking at SIWA beaches is extremely limited and is restricted to a first-come, first-served basis for those with wildlife area parking permits. Though permits are required to park on the wildlife area it doesn’t guarantee a place to park. During the last hot weather event, for example, wildlife area staff counted more than 5,000 vehicles on the wildlife area, which only has parking spaces for nearly 1,000 cars.
“Keeping the roads open and parking in an orderly fashion is critical to protecting the health and safety of beach visitors and the residents of Sauvie Island,” said SIWA Manager Mark Nebeker. “We want people to come out and enjoy the wildlife area but we want them to do so safely and in a manner that respects wildlife and the residents living on the island.”
ODFW encourages people who want to drink alcohol on the wildlife area to do so responsibly, and bring plenty of water. Nebeker noted that state police are planning increased enforcement this weekend to deal with illegal parking, intoxicated drivers, and other illegal activities. Reeder Road is the primary access to Sauvie Island beaches and must remain open at all times for large emergency vehicles in the case of fire or medical emergencies. During the last period of hot weather EMTs had to transport several people by ambulance, and police cited several individuals for illegal parking, DUII and other offenses.
Nebeker recommends that before people head to the beach they obtain a SIWA parking permit, familiarize themselves with the locations of the beaches and parking areas, and locate alternative parking areas ahead of time. Parking permits can be purchased from any ODFW field office or license vendor. Daily passes are $10. Annual passes are $30.
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