Cascade Head Open House

Cascade Head trail. | Photo by Dennis White

The Cascade Head Scenic Research Area Coordination Team invites the public to help develop a proposal for a sustainable trails plan for the Cascade Head Scenic Research Area. Community members are invited to attend a public meeting to learn about and share thoughts on recreational access and to complete an online survey. 

The public open house will be held Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Lincoln City Community Center (2150 NE Oar Place). This open house is the first of multiple opportunities people will have to learn about and provide input on the project from proposal development through any possible decisions.

Recreational use at Cascade Head has increased as more and more people recognize the beauty of this special place. With the increase in use, some new challenges and opportunities have emerged with the trail system, trailheads, and parking areas. “In order to develop a proposal that meets the needs of visitors, landowners, and land managers, we’d like to hear from our neighbors and other interested citizens early in the process,” said Deb Wilkins, Hebo District Ranger.

A brief survey has also been developed for the public to provide feedback regarding trail use, how people access the trails, improvements that could be made, and how the trail system can be best designed to allow for recreational use and still protect the incredible natural resources of this special area. The survey can be found at www.surveymonkey.com/r/CHSRA.

The Coordination Team is a group of land managers, which includes the Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy, Westwind Stewardship Group, Lincoln City Parks & Recreation, and Cascade Head Ranch. The team is receiving technical assistance and facilitation throughout this planning process thanks to a grant from the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program.

The 9,670 acre Cascade Head Scenic-Research Area was established by President Ford on December 22, 1974 “to provide present and future generations with the use and enjoyment of certain ocean headlands, rivers, streams, estuaries, and forested areas, to insure the protection and encourage the study of significant areas for research and scientific purposes, and to promote a more sensitive relationship between man and his adjacent environment."

This spectacular coastal headland provides critical habitat for native prairie grasses, rare wildflowers and the Oregon silverspot butterfly and provides recreational, research, educational, scenic, and estuarine resources, which have national significance.