I've seen lots of places where people cross Squaw Creek, but I've only seen one place where people "creek ride". It was under the 4606 footbridge and was shut down by last years emergency log placing project that I instigated by reporting problems to the Forest Service. It took many calls, but something was finally done thanks to Scott Cotter's hard work.

I think the Squaw Creek boulder placing project is being used to close problem partying/camping spots. This is outside the purpose and need for the project. To me, the solution to the party problem is to encourage responsible use of those areas, not to close them. Bringing the salmon and steelhead back to Squaw Creek above Sisters will take a lot more than just closing a few creek crossings. The real problem is the irrigation diversions. The more people are encouraged to visit the creek, the better chance the salmon have.

My problems with the project are all on Three Creek Road.

At 4 mile. 390 Road needs the last fifty feet closed. The project closes more than that. There are two spider roads that should be closed instead of the whole thing. This is a party spot. There are really neat overhangs that I encourage everyone to explore. I think that the previous road closures in this area are sufficient.

At 3 mile. 220 Road needs some work. The project will block the middle of the road. There is one creek crossing that should be closed instead of blocking the road. This is a major rodeo camp. The closure wouldn't effect them, but would eliminate other use at rodeo time. Not fair for the locals. This is also a major illegal residing site in late summer. Reducing the allowed length of stay from the default 30 days to 10 days would help the problem while allowing hunters two weekends there. This is the only site for a possible footbridge across the creek that I have found. Having a major trailhead here would reduce the desirablilty for the illegal residers.

At 2.5 mile. 097 Road has a broken green gate and a breached boulder closure. This is the legal way to view the old irrigation dam without crossing the current headgate. The old dam is the biggest impediment to fish passage above Sisters. The new dam is the next biggest problem. Getting salmon past these dams is at least a ten year project, so we are already three years behind schedule. The riparian damage here was caused by construction of the dams over the last hundred years, so no amount of casual abuse will increase the damage. A culvert needs to be installed on the re-reg ditch to make this site more accessable instead of reclosing the road. The spider road here has no effect on fish habitat and provides a pressure relief for locals who have no other place on the creek to go to get away from the tourists. If the Three Sisters Irrigation District wants to close the canal crossings in this area, they should pay for it. They shouldn't be part of the project as the canal is not fish habitat.

At 1 - 1.5 mile. The 090 Road is mostly user created. The City of Sisters is one of those users for their water line. This road has no effect on stream quality except for the crossing at Turtle Beach. Since the Turtle Beach crossing will be closed on the west side, it would be better to leave 090 open so that anyone breaching the closure can get out without causing more resource damage. The Sokol diversion is upstream from Turtle Beach. It is the third largest impediment to fish. It is probably the easiest to fix. Removing the Sokol diversion would create a chance to allow the stream to go back to being a braided stream. This would raise the water table, reduce flood surges, and increase summer flows. The damage that the Army Corp of Engineers did in 1964 would need to be reversed leading to a world class example of restoration work. Leaving the road open would encourage more to people explore this fascinating area.

I think the Forest Service is approaching this project from the wrong persective. With the increasing population and tourism, they should be looking to improve the recreation experience for the whole area instead of reducing access to the areas next to the creek.