BEND, OR -- Oregon Parks and Recreation is looking for public input on Pilot Butte state scenic viewpoint. The Department updates state park master plans every 20 years or so, and it's time for an overhaul of Pilot Butte's plan. "It's really looking to preservation, restoration, thinking about how we can focus on improving, but not necessarily developing," Park Planner Rachel Hill tells KBND News, "It's really looking to focus on what we value and what the community and the state thinks is really important about the Butte."

She says it's important for visitors to have a say in future plans for Bend's only state park, "Bend, in particular, with Pilot Butte, has changed so much in the last 20 years, I think 1995 was the last time we did a master plan for Pilot Butte." She adds, "Trying to project out, 10-20 years in the future, master plans help us guide development decisions or management decisions as things change and grow around it." 

Hill hopes the public will get involved, "We want to make sure that this resonates with both things that they value about the Butte in general, but also how they recreate, how they use the park, and how that can be improved upon." There are two opportunities, this month, to provide feedback. A public forum in Springfield is scheduled for November 14, followed by a meeting at the Bend Parks and Rec office on November 29, from 6-8 p.m. Comments can also be submitted online and via email. More meetings will be scheduled once a draft plan is ready for review.