Save
Madrone
Status 2005
The 44 acre site, located two miles east of Carver along County Scenic Road Highway 224, is zoned as timber and has been owned by Clackamas County since 1937. It is surrounded by other equally pristine large blocks of privately-held historical farm and timber land that form valuable contiguous linkages of wildlife habitat. Until it was closed to public access by the County in 1997 as an ill-conceived quarry plan was pursued, the Madrone Wall was for decades a favorite area for low-impact outdoor recreation. A well-maintained trail system provides for hiking, wildlife and wildflower viewing, rock climbing, and picnicking at a site easily accessible to one-half of the state's population.
In addition to the organization of Carver residents concerned about Madrone's future, the
Grant Park, PDF file
Rock Creek, PDF file and the
South Clackamas PDF file
Community Planning Organizations, have expressed their support for the preservation of Madrone Wall to the County Board of Commissioners.
Plans to demolish the bluff
In 1997 Clackamas County Commissioners closed the Madrone Wall site, also known as Hardscrabble Quarry, to all public access to prepare plans to quarry rock from the site. Climbers who regularly used the site were concerned and began efforts to preserve the site. Since the site is zoned as Timber the county was required to file a conditional use permit to use rock from timber land to be used to maintain public roads. Upon notifying neighboring landowners, concerns of the quarrying began to heat up. A group called the Clackamas River Basin Conservation Alliance (CRBCA), a local grassroots citizen’s group, worked closely with the Madrone Wall Preservation Committee (MWPC) and deflected the quarrying efforts.
Due to a huge public outcry the county commissioners agreed to take another in-depth look at the economics of the site and alternatives for other sources of rock. A task force was assembled to search for other sources of rock that the county could plan on using for long term use. Additionally an economic study co-funded with Clackamas County determined that it would be “unwise and uneconomical even if long-term economics looked better” to quarry the site. Their recommendation was, that selling the site to help the County offset future purchases of aggregate costs is economically sound.
While protecting it from becoming a County-operated quarry, the future of this treasure is still threatened by destruction either as a commercial quarry or other development. It is the desire of the Madrone Wall Preservation Committee to see the land preserved as green space. The County’s own plan calls for a minimum of 131 acres of park space in this sub-area of the County between Damascus and Boring on the north bank of the Clackamas River. In this area there are currently NO county parks.
contact information@savemadrone.org
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