People planning to park at three popular Sauvie Island beaches this summer during weekends and holidays will soon need a new permit.
Starting on June 15 through Labor Day, vehicles will be required to have a $10 daily parking permit to park at Walton, Collins and North Unit beaches on weekends and holidays.
On weekdays, visitors will still only need the regular Oregon Wildlife Area parking pass.
FILE- The Sauvie Island bridge, now named the Wapato Bridge, connects Northwest Portland to Sauvie Island.
Photo courtesy of Multnomah County
During the hot summer months, a lot of people head over to these Sauvie Island beaches to swim and cool off in the Columbia River. So many that on busy weekends cars outnumber available parking spots, causing traffic jams and safety issues, said Beth Quillian, a public information officer at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“With that amount of cars, in an unmanaged parking situation, you’ve got people double parking, triple parking, parking along the roadways and in areas that aren’t official parking areas,” Quillian said. “That can lead to emergency vehicles not being able to get through to the wildlife area when they really need to get through.”
The high traffic also poses a risk to the riparian wildlife habitat along the beaches of the Sauvie Island Wildlife Area.
“Really, first and foremost, Sauvie Island is a wildlife management area and it supports a lot of different species: migratory birds, fish and mammals. And that is the primary purpose of this wildlife area,” Quillian said. “And so managing vehicles and protecting public safety is part of protecting those resources and the people who enjoy those resources.”
To be clear, Quillian said, the permit does not limit the number of people at the beaches, it only limits the number of cars to keep Reeder Road open.
If a visitor purchases a Sauvie Island Beach Parking Permit for a weekend or holiday, they will not need an Oregon Wildlife Area parking pass — unless they visit on a regular weekday.
Permits will go on sale online or can be bought through a licensed vendor, usually a local grocery store or local tackle and outdoor stores, on June 1. ODFW will also release a limited number of $30 seasonal parking permits.
Visitors driving and planning to park at Walton, Collins or North Unit beaches will be required to go through a check station at Reeder and Rentenaar Road to confirm they have a daily permit.
If someone does not have a permit, they can purchase one on the spot if there are still daily permits available for that day.
