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A compromise for Sand Lake

Ken O"Toole
Headlight-Herald Staff

Few would describe the Sand Lake Recreation Area as a haven of tranquilty. Then again, it wasn't intended to be.

But the large number of alcohol-related incidents and ATV accidents at the South County dune site have been the cause of concern and consternation among law enforcement, park staff and emergency medical agencies.

So, last week, county commissioners were asked to approve an ordinance that would limit the number of hours during which ATVs could be operated at the U.S. Forest Service operated Sand Lake Recreation Area. The reasoning was that by banning the operation of ATV between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., the number of alcohol-related accidents would be reduced, and it would also provide some "quiet time" for campers.

Opinions on the issue ranged from "it could be helpful" to "it will cut down on business, and people will just go somewhere else." Somewhere in the middle were those who didn't like the curfew, but figured they could live with a compromise of a few more hours of night ATV riding before the curfew kicked in.

These were the ones who helped change the mind of Commissioner Tim Josi, who said he had originally favored the 10 p.m. shutdown. He proposed the compromise of from midnight to 6 a.m., and fellow Commissioner Mark Labhart concurred. (Commissioner Charles Hurliman was absent).

So the ATV riders got two more hours of night riding and those wary of nightime, alcohol-fueled havoc got six hours of relative calm.

As Labhart summed it up, "I know that won't satisfy everyone, but life is compromise, folks."

At the heart of the matter, though, is that the curfew won't cause all of the behavioral problems that are bound to result when the population of the recreation area swells to somewhere between 5,000 and 7,000 on peak weekends.

Tillamook County Undersheriff Terry Huntsman acknowledged to commissioners, "The proposed ordinance is actually just a piece of the puzzle."

In other words, it's not going to eliminate all of those ATV accidents caused by overconfidence or overconsumption of alcohol. It may not even cut down on the assaults and other behavioral problems.

But it may at least restrict many of these incidents to a time that will make it easier for law enforcement and emergency medical crews to respond.

As Justice of the Peace Neal Lemery pointed out, it's difficult enough to get emergency vehicles out onto the sand during daylight hours. At night, it's even more challenging for an officer and EMTs to locate an injured person.

Meanwhile, as Labhart said, the county and law enforcement will "monitor the situation and see if we have continuing issues."

So the curfew compromise is not everything, and it's not so much. But it is a start.

Like you can't get pretty dang drunk until after midnight? I have been to and ridden at Sand Lake and yes, it is a very popular, well known zoo on the weekend for the crazies who wildly ride the dunes. I just think that if you don't like it go somewhere else. You can't force common sense on anyone and no law will cover it.

We arrived there on a Tuesday. It was very quiet. On Friday the dune riders started pouring in and by Saturday it was a zoo. We did hear the roar of the bikes all night, non stop, Friday and Saturday night. When we got tired of it we simply moved on. It was really different and I enjoyed the experience.