EcOzone

About the Program

Category: Parks and Recreation (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

When hot summer weather in 2007 brought massive numbers of rafters, campers, swimmers and general tourists into finite public spaces, Clackamas County commissioners made a request to parks staff to solicit input and devise a plan that would ease negative media attention and criminal activity in the parks. Commissioners had initially called for an immediate temporary ban on alcohol, but sought additional input to ensure that the right course of action would be taken. As a result, commissioners devised ecOzone, a summertime volunteer and education campaign linking the public with parks and law enforcement efforts to bring families and outdoor enthusiasts of all ages and stages into the parks for safe, healthy recreation. Following a series of public forums, a neighborhood open house at a partnering riverfront restaurant and a crucial meeting with the Clackamas River Issues Consortium, the campaign was created with signage for parks and river are residents, rules to be circulated and encouraged neighbor to neighbor and an educational environment which supports law enforcement within the park properties and along the river. The ecOzone, developed with community outreach to solve some critical problems, is entering its third year of making a difference in riverfront parks in Clackamas County Oregon.