BEND, OR -- More than 50 people attended a town hall-style meeting with State Parks officials Thursday, to discuss concerns with Pilot Butte. One attendee called it "unprecedented" when the State Parks District Manager called the meeting and invited frequent users and local Pilot Butte State Park advocacy groups.

Ron Kihs told the group the park was originally designed in the 1920s as only a scenic viewpoint, and noted the growth of Bend has made more demands on the cinder cone. "How many people believe it to be a scenic viewpoint? How many people view it to be a fitness park? How many people believe it to be a natural resource wonder that you want to keep that way? Everyone has a different opinion," Kihs said. "What if you think it's all three? That's what we have - and we have to manage it for all three."

Kihs says the department plans to increase the presence of rangers at the state park. "I commit to you today, after talking to Jerry Winnger, our Regional Manager, Jerry has asked us to go ahead and boost up the presence along the trails. When you see a ranger who should be walking the trails at least two to three times a week for two to three hours, that's a good time to talk to the ranger about individuals that you might have seen that are not complying with the rules."

Other topics discussed at Thursday's meeting include adding speed bumps to the road up the butte, preventing and fixing erosion, stopping people from running up the butte off the trails, and how volunteers can work on butte improvements.