Today I continue to inform locals about the Dungeness Recreation Area (DRA) Master Plan update. One key proposal in the DRA Master Plan is to add 45 campsites with electrical service for recreational vehicles. This new camping area would be constructed in a forested area across the road from the existing camping loops. The trail above is next to the proposed area.
County parks staff emailed Master Plan Update questionnaire links to campground users who thus far have provided a majority of the responses to the proposed plan. Campers who come and go from one to several nights, primarily in summer, generally favor expansion of campsites though not universally. Many locals, including residents adjacent to the park, have been unaware of the process and thus have not provided opinions.
There are currently 66 campsites without electrical service. Many are large enough to accommodate recreational vehicles. About a dozen sites closely parallel the bluffs and because of continual bluff erosion Parks staff foresees their eventual closure. Bluff trails are already closing because of this and the Master Plan foresees moving all adjacent trails back from the bluffs.
Campers pay up to $25 per night and during summer months the campground is frequently full. New sites are proposed to allow more overnight visitors.
Here is one of the issues that generated concern at the last Master Plan meeting: The proposed campground will remove over 2 acres of forest habitat (2.4 acres by my calculations) in an area that is surrounded by increasing development. Other habitat at the south end of the park has been degraded over the years by a variety of activities from farming to hunting. The forest area is one of few untouched areas in the park. While the campground is popular during the summer months, there is little to no competition for sites the rest of the year.
The Master Plan does not exist in a vacuum. Running a park, any park, costs money. DRA has a full time resident manager. Summer staff is hired during the busy season. There’s always maintenance, plus water, electricity, trash removal. And the current manager and volunteers have worked hard to improve and upgrade trails and keeps the campsites looking nice. All this comes with a price tag.
The comment period on the Master Plan Update has been extended to March 23. Click here to see a map showing the location of the new campsites. Click here for information on how to comment.
Tomorrow I’ll show you the access road to the park and describe plans for it.
To my blog followers from out of the area, please bear with me. I’ll be back to my briefer posts in about a week.
We have a lot of bears here. Some wander into downtown Ocala on occasion, so I have no problem bearing with you. And it’s most interesting. I would vote no on the RVs. They take up too much room, and they require too much money for upkeep, and my take on this is that the forest needs to be kept as a forest with as little human destruction as possible. One of the great experiences in my life has been to wander about the forests of northern Minnesota where it is unusual to meet another human animal.
You can’t be happy about the removal of any of the remaining forest I’m sure Kay? The bird and animal life should surely be more important than extra camping space. Following with interest 😊
Those are problematic issues to resolve.
I think there is going to be lots to discuss before it is acceptable.