OPRD Public Comment And Hearing On Proposed Procurement And Contracting Rules - 08/05/26

(SALEM, Ore.) –The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) is seeking public comment and will hold a hearing on proposed updates to procurement and contracting rules.

OPRD was exempted from procurement and printing requirements during the 2025 legislative session (SB 838). OPRD adopted initial rules implementing this change in September 2025. The agency adopted additional temporary rules in April 2026 to ensure clarity on construction contracts for public improvement projects and architectural and engineering agreements.

The proposed rules make permanent previously adopted temporary rules and add additional clarity around construction contracting requirements included in Oregon Department of Justice model rules for procurement.

How to submit comments

Public comments on the proposed rule changes will be accepted until Aug. 31, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. You can submit written comments on the rulemaking web page, by email to public.comment@oprd.oregon.gov or by mail to:

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
Attn: Katie Gauthier
725 Summer St. NE, Suite C
Salem, OR 97301

A virtual public hearing will be held on Aug. 24, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. to allow members of the public to provide testimony. Join the hearing via Zoom.

What’s next

Once the public comment period closes, OPRD staff will review all comments, revise the draft rules as appropriate, and present a final proposal to the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission for consideration.

For more information, visit the Procurement and Public Contracting rulemaking website.

OPRD Extends Public Comment Period On Proposed Updates To Archaeological Permit Rules - 07/31/26

SALEM, Ore. – The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) is extending its public comment period for proposed updates to the archaeological permit rules until Friday, Aug. 14 at 5 p.m.

The extension is in response to a request from a tribal government, due to the current impacts of wildfires across the state. OPRD first announced the rulemaking on July 1.

How to submit comments

Public comments on the proposed rule changes will be accepted from July 1, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. through Aug. 14, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. You can submit written comments on the rulemaking web page, by email to public.comment@oprd.oregon.gov or by mail to:

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
Attn: Helena Kesch
725 Summer St. NE, Suite C
Salem, OR 97301

What’s next

Once the public comment period closes, OPRD staff will review all comments, revise the draft rules as appropriate, and present a final proposal to the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission for consideration.

For more information, visit the rulemaking web page.

Whale Watching Center Prepares To Close For Repairs Beginning As Soon As Aug. 1 (Photo) - 07/27/26

Depot Bay, Ore. — The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department’s Whale Watching Center and viewing area around the building will close for repairs this summer. There are still plenty of places along the Oregon Coast to see whales from Astoria to Brookings.

“This has been an ongoing need for the building and we’ve just recently been able to secure funding,” said Park Manager Burke Martin. “We appreciate the community’s patience and support as we work to protect and preserve this unique coastal facility.”

The postwar-era building was built in 1956 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. This temporary closure will allow the contractors to complete essential roof replacement work. Construction will repair leaks from the promenade deck, replace the original roofing membrane and drains.

Construction can begin as early as Aug. 1 depending on the contractor’s schedule and mobilization plans. Because this is a roofing project on the Oregon coast, construction during the summer months will allow work crews to take advantage of typically drier weather. This timing helps reduce the risk of weather-related delays and protects both the structure and contractor safety.

The Whale Watching Center will remain open until construction officially begins. OPRD anticipates completing repairs by the end of October – well ahead of the annual gray whale migration in the winter.

We acknowledge that this temporary closure may be inconvenient for visitors and the Depoe Bay community, and we appreciate everyone’s understanding as we complete these essential improvements.

The turn out about a block north of the Whale Watching Center will remain open. Nearby parks such as Boiler Bay, Rocky Creek and Cape Foulweather also offer fantastic views for whale watching. 

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National Park Service Lists Ursula K. Le Guin House In The National Register Of Historic Places (Photo) - 07/23/26

Portland - The Ursula K. Le Guin House in Portland’s Willamette Heights neighborhood is among Oregon’s newest entries in the National Register of Historic Places. Oregon’s State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation (SACHP) recommended the nomination at its February 2026 meeting for the property’s national significance in the areas of literature and women’s social history for its direct association with acclaimed author Ursula K. Le Guin. The National Park Service, which maintains the National Register, accepted the nomination in late June 2026.
 

Ursula K. Le Guin (1929–2018) is recognized as one of the most influential American literary figures of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Widely regarded for her transformative contributions to science fiction and fantasy, she explored questions of gender, identity, power, and community in her work. Her home at 3321 NW Thurman Street served as her primary residence and creative environment for nearly six decades, from 1960 through her death in 2018. Within these rooms she authored many of her most celebrated works, including A Wizard of Earthsea (1968), The Left Hand of Darkness (1969), and The Dispossessed (1974), as well as poetry, essays, translations, and children’s literature. Her works played a defining role in the New Wave literary movement and helped shape modern speculative fiction, earning her numerous awards including five Hugo Awards, five Nebula Awards, and the National Book Award.
 

The house on NW Thurman Street retains the key interior spaces where Le Guin worked, including her second-floor writing room with its built-in desk and views of Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams. The surrounding gardens, established and maintained by Le Guin’s husband Charles Le Guin, form a significant component of the property’s setting and remain central to its historic character. Together, these spaces preserve the feeling and association of the home as both a family residence and a creative environment that shaped one of the nation’s most influential literary voices.
 

The home was recently donated to Literary Arts, a Portland, Ore. based nonprofit, by the Le Guin family to establish the Ursula K. Le Guin Writers Residency. Once established, the residency will welcome writers to live and work in the home, with a focus on supporting historically underrepresented voices in literature.
 

The National Register of Historic Places

The National Register is maintained by the National Park Service under the authority of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Properties listed in the National Register are:

• Recognized as significant to the nation, state, or community;
• Considered in the planning of federal or federally assisted projects;
• Eligible for certain federal and state tax benefits;
• Qualified for historic preservation grants when funds are available;
• Eligible for leniency in meeting certain building code requirements;
• Subject to local laws pertaining to the conservation and protection of historic resources.

State law in Oregon requires local governments to offer a minimal level of protection for properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places; decisions about how to accomplish that goal reside with local governments, which also have the authority to create and regulate local historic districts and landmarks.
 

Interested in learning more about the National Register of Historic Places? Visit the National Register program webpage at https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/OH/pages/national-register.aspx to explore listed properties, review eligibility criteria and the nomination timeline, access research tools, and—if you are curious whether your property might qualify—submit a Historic Resource Record (HRR) form to receive preliminary feedback from State Historic Preservation Office staff.

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Public Invited To Comment On A Federal Grant Awards In Baker City - 07/14/26

The City of Baker has received a grant through the federal Historic Preservation Fund, administered by Oregon State Historic Preservation Office to fund the following local preservation projects.
 

2116 Resort Street
$8,000
Restoration of exterior door, siding, breezeway, entry stairs and landing and replacement of roof on maids’ quarters apartment
 

2008 Broadway
$8,000
Repointing on all 4 elevations and repainting the already painted brick masonry
 

910 S Bridge Street
$16,000
Stone rehabilitation and roof replacement of the Mt. Hope Abbey Mausoleum
 

This notice serves to make the public aware of the projects and solicits comments pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. The comment period is open for 30 days from the date of this announcement. To provide comments or learn more information about this project visit the federal grant public comment section of our website or contact Kuri Gill at Kuri.Gill@oprd.oregon.gov or 503-383-6787.
 

The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 authorizes a program of federal matching grants, known as the Historic Preservation Fund, to assist the various states in carrying out historic preservation activities. The Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, and in Oregon, is administered through the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office. For information about the grants contact Kuri Gill at 503-383-6787 or by e-mail: Kuri.Gill@oprd.oregon.gov.

Oregon Heritage Commission To Meet July 26-27 In McMinnville And Online - 07/13/26

McMinnville - The Oregon Heritage Commission will have tours of local heritage preservation efforts in the areas surrounding McMinnville on July 26 and will meet for the business meeting on July 27 at 9am at the Yamhill County History Museum in McMinnville and online via zoom.
 

The business meeting agenda includes a Commission discussion on the museum grant and heritage grant program, review of recommendations for the Commission’s FY27 Oregon Cultural Trust Statewide Partner Grant, annual report of the Oregon Heritage MentorCorps, an update on the Community Disaster Resilience Planning for Heritage Resources project, and more.
 

This meeting is open to the public and there is an opportunity at the beginning of the meeting for public comment. Public comment can be made online or by written submission. For online attendance, registration is required. To view the full agenda, register for the virtual meeting, or learn more about public comment options, visit here.
 

The Heritage Commission’s nine Governor appointed members represent a diversity of cultural, geographic, and institutional interests. The Commission’s nine advisory members include representatives from the Oregon State Library, Oregon State Archives, State Historical Records Advisory Board, Higher Education Coordinating Committee, Travel Oregon, Oregon Historical Society, Department of Education, State Historic Preservation Office, and the Department of Land Conservation and Development.
 

The Commission is the primary agency for coordination of heritage activities in the state. This includes carrying out the Oregon Heritage Plan, increasing efficiency and avoiding duplication among interest groups, developing plans for coordination among agencies and organizations, encouraging tourism related to heritage resources, and coordinating statewide anniversary commemorations.
 

More information about the Oregon Heritage Commission is available online at www.oregonheritage.org and from Commission coordinator Katie Henry at 503-877-8834 or katie.henry@oprd.oregon.gov. 

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L. L. Stub Stewart And Rooster Rock State Parks Will Host OMSI Star Parties This Summer (Photo) - 07/13/26

PORTLAND, Ore— L.L. Stub Stewart and Rooster Rock State Parks will celebrate the night sky with free stargazing parties in July, August and September.

The parks are partnering with OMSI and Rose City Astronomers to host an OMSI Star Party 2026, which includes a presentation at dusk and stargazing from 9 to 11 p.m. Telescopes will be provided by volunteers, and visitors are welcome to bring their own. Depending on the weather, stargazers will search out stars, the moon, and planets.

“We love helping people experience the park in a different way. After dark, everything feels calmer, quieter, and a little more magical,” shared Park Ranger Jeremy Williams at L. L. Stub Stewart State Park.

These events are free. Parking in the day-use areas requires a $10 parking permit per vehicle or you can use an annual parking pass if you have one.

Visitors are encouraged to bring their own chairs, blankets, warm clothing, snacks and water. Bug repellent is always a good idea. Please use red flashlights to avoid interfering with the dark sky viewing. You can also cover your flashlight or smartphone with red electrical tape.

Star maps will be provided along with recommended astronomy apps that visitors can load on their phones if interested.

Visitors should arrive early to familiarize themselves with the area and park only in designated spaces. Overnight camping is not permitted in day-use areas, though campground reservations are available at stateparks.oregon.gov.

On the scheduled day for OMSI Star Parties, visitors should visit the OMSI website for possible weather-related cancellations. The long-range forecast looks promising for excellent viewing.

“Whether you come to Rooster Rock to count Perseids or simply to spend a peaceful evening under the stars, the meteor shower is a wonderful excuse to slow down, look up, and experience the Gorge in a whole new light”, said Park Ranger Elika Paki at Rooster Rock. “And if you lose track of how many shooting stars you’ve seen, don’t worry, that just means you’re doing it right.”

All events begin at dusk. We recommend arriving early to accommodate parking. Parks will close at 11:45 p.m.

Summer Night Sky | Saturday, July 18

• L. L. Stub Stewart State Park

Perseid Meteor Shower Watch | Wednesday, August 12

• L. L. Stub Stewart State Park
• Rooster Rock State Park

Equinox Celebration | Saturday, September 12

• L. L. Stub Stewart State Park

You can find additional details about the event, parking logistics, whether pets are allowed, and how to request accessibility accommodations on the L.L. Stub Stewart State Park and Rooster Rock State Park event pages, and the OMSI event page.

Oregon State Parks often hosts stargazing events across the state. More opportunities can be found on Oregon State Parks’ event page.

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