This story was originally published on LincolnChronicle.org and is used with permission.
Lincoln County has completed the purchase of Don Lindly Park from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife two months after the state agreed to sell the 10-acre former RV park after ending plans to make it a major boat launch on the Alsea River.
County commissioners on June 17 approved the purchase of $250,000, which also involved returning a $75,000 Oregon Marine Board grant. The purchase was only possible because of a $320,000 gift from an anonymous donor, the county said in a news release.
The county had been operating the 10-acre park eight miles east of Waldport under a 40-year lease with ODFW.
The purchase represents a change in direction for the property, which had previously been planned for development as a motorized boating facility with paved parking. Many residents and some users pushed back on those plans during public meetings in 2023, advocating that the park should be maintained in its more natural state and only developed with an eye toward non-motorized uses – such as swimming, bank fishing, kayaking, and paddleboarding.
But those change in plans meant the county would have to purchase the park in order to keep operating it, otherwise ODFW would have placed the property on the market to sell.
Lincoln County parks supervisor Kelly Perry said the public should not expect to see any changes to the property in the immediate future because there is no money available for improvements. She is seeking grants for native plant restoration.
“It is a mature, forested intertidal wetland,” Perry said. “There are approximately 12 Sitka spruces that have a circumference of over 160 inches – very large trees. So that’s the foundation, but we want to plant more spruce and more native wetland species, as well as remove invasive species.”
The park is a day-use-only facility, with no overnight parking allowed. The gates are locked from late fall to spring every year, as the property lies in a flood plain. There are no restrooms, electricity, or running water.