Interview with Mark Flint - A story of the cooperative efforts of the Molalla River Watch (MLW), the BLM and the residents of Oregon to maintain the natural resources of the Molalla River for recreational enjoyment and environmental sustainability. Mr. Flint worked with these groups to organize and carry out this endeavor.

Open Space Foundation (OSF): How did you obtain the land to make this recreation area? (I read somewhere that there was a "land swap")
If so, what was swapped?

Mark Flint (M):  Molalla RiverWatch was formed to protect and improve the quality of the Molalla River and its tributaries. One of the first things MRW did was convince the Bureau of Land Management to trade with private timber companies for a corridor of land on either side of the river. This was accomplished around 1990.
(OSF): How has the land been used in the past? How extensive was the logging?
(M):  The land around the river had been severely abused by logging in the 1960s. This was in the days before there was much awareness of the need to be better stewards of the land, kind of a carryover from when settlers first got there and assumed the supply of trees, salmon and game was inexhaustible. Operators would run bulldozers right up the river during spawning season; trees were felled into the river, sometimes creating log jams that had to be dynamited; clearcuts resulted in heavy sedimentation of the river; "splash dams" were used to transport logs from tributaries to the Molalla. (A splash dam is a dam made in the winter, behind which logs are stockpiled. When the spring freshets come, the damns are dynamited, releasing the logs and a rush of water, scouring everything in their path on the way to the river.) As you can see, the land is recovering nicely.
(OSF): How did people get involved in its preservation for recreation?
(M):  About the time I moved to the area, 1992, the land swaps had been completed. There had been talk about enhancing the recreational use, but no action. Because it had been so devastated, the area wasn't really attractive to the general public. It was a popular area for keggers, four-wheeling and dumping stolen cars. The clientele was not too concerned about their impact, and they discouraged less gentle folk from recreating there. I got involved in MRW and began, with a few other folks, seriously bugging the BLM about getting a trail system. For the first couple of years it was like pushing a ball uphill. We put in a lot of work with not much to show for it. But the BLM was really open and helpful, and once we got that ball over the top, it took on a momentum of its own. Support broadened, we got trailhead improvements and the number of volunteers kept growing, especially as people got out on the trails and realized what an asset they were.Because the trails were not accessible to motor vehicles, vandalism and trash were not a serious problem. As more equestrians and mountain bikers began using the system, more pressure was brought to bear on law enforcement, and the keggers, shooters and trashers found it a less comfortable environment.
(OSF): What have you done to ensure its continued protection?
(M):  MRW works with the BLM as a partner, commenting on management plans and providing volunteers to help with recreation, education and preservation programs.
(OSF): What restorative efforts have been undertaken or are planned?
(M):  In addition to recreation, water quality is a big issue. One long-term goal is to establish a formal campground upriver with toilet facilities. When that is done, camping can legally be abolished along the river.  Another effort has been to close off motor vehicle access to the river. MRW is developing a monitoring system for the river, testing for turbitity and contaminants. In addition, MRW is involving students from local schools in education and habitat/resource preservation. One area, called Aquila Vista, kind of at the south end of where you rode, is being developed as an interpretive area, and the focus of student projects to improve habitat and plant life.
(OSF): Was the river water ever contaminated?
(M):  The river has had motor vehicles dumped into it, and logging equipment and practices resulted in some fuel spillage. The Oregon Forest Practices Act protects streams from pesticides, and there are no sources of industrial pollution in or above the upper river corridor.
(OSF): What groups cooperate to make this public resource possible?
(M):  In addition to MRW, there has been a lot of support from user groups -- the Molalla Saddle Club, Claremont Riders, Oregon Equestrian Trails, Portland United Mountain Pedalers, Merry Cranksters Mountain Bike Club of Salem. The BLM, obviously, has been incredibly supportive. I can't say enough about how easy they were to work with. They'd come out on their days off and help us on projects, gave us more leeway than you would think possible for a government agency, and were a joy to be around -- positive, fun people.
(OSF): Are there other lands similar to Molalla that are being preserved for the public or that are ripe for preservation?
(M):  There are a lot of efforts going on elsewhere in Oregon. Tillamook State Forest has a lot of public/private work going on, and in the City of Portland you have good things happening in Forest Park and Powell Butte Park. But I would have to say Molalla is probably the most comprehensive partnership effort in the state, and one of the most comprehensive in the country. It's gotten national recognition and awards.

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