(Barnes Butte Elementary School | Photo Courtesy of City of Prineville)
In 2017, the City of Prineville purchased the 460 acres now known as the Barnes Butte Recreation Area, and the site has provided a wonderful place of respite for locals over the past year and a half. The City purchased the property to acquire much-needed water rights associated with the property, to secure the land needed for a vital road connection and to preserve the wetlands and butte as open space.
“We acquired it in 2017. Part of the reason for it was water rights; those rights were worth more than we paid for the entire site,” says Eric Klann, Prineville city engineer and public works director. “Having that 620 acres of open space within our city limits during COVID was wonderful; it was heavily used. People could go outside and have access to open space.”
The water rights from the acquisition provide water for more than 4,000 homes, and the recreation area includes the 460 Barnes Butte acres along with an adjacent 160 acres of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The site is located within the Prineville city limits and the urban growth boundary, and is adjacent to several residential subdivisions (five to six single-family residences per acre) and the recently constructed Barnes Butte Elementary School, which serves 700 students. The goal is to establish a nature preserve and develop active recreation opportunities for the local community and the entire region.
A conceptual plan for Barnes Butte Recreation Area was created by the City of Prineville and the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program. The foundation for the plan’s design process was feedback gathered from the community through the Barnes Butte Focus Committee and a community survey. The online survey was distributed to the community in November 2018, and the 323 responses helped identify what type of activities and facilities the community wanted to see in the area. The top three choices identified by the survey were running/hiking trails, biking trails and barbecue/picnic areas.
“We are just starting to implement the plan,” says Klann. “The area is open, but we want to make it more accessible, and we are working diligently on the weeds to bring it back to its natural state.” This summer, an 80-foot bridge will be put in near the adjacent Pahlisch community, and two grants have been submitted. “If they come in, we will be able to pave approximately four miles of trails. COVID slowed down progress, because the majority of recreation grant money comes from lottery money, and with everything being closed, very few lottery dollars were acquired last year,” he says. The City is continuing to apply for grants, and will “pick away” at the design and implement the plan as funding becomes available, he says.
Staff from the City of Prineville and the National Park Service have been working with students from Barnes Butte Elementary School in the planning and weeding processes. First-grade junior planners helped compile design considerations and worked with professional designers to develop interpretive panels for the site. “We are working with the school district as we develop concept plans for the site,” explains Klann, adding that the city is working with the school to try to reestablish native grasses around the butte. “It was once farmland, but it was allowed to go dry, and noxious weeds came in. We have done soil samples, and students were able to use their math and other skills to help assess the land and help us treat the noxious weeds.” He continues, “They tried different methods of treating different plots; one plot they hand weeded, and they had really good success. But when I asked them to do 200 acres of hand weeding, they thought that might be too much,” he says with a laugh. “They brought some goats out to eat the weeds.” During grand opening festivities for the recreation area, Klann says the entire school was in attendance. “We took all 700 kids, and took fun photos. The students have been able to go on walking field trips up there. That’s been wonderful that they can take walking field trips and get out.”
Barnes Butte juts up from the valley on the north side of Prineville, and, according to the comprehensive plan report, is a rhyolite dome of volcanic rock, part of the Crooked River caldera. “The butte is named after Elisha Barnes, who was one of the first settlers in Central Oregon. The City sits on ceded land once belonging to members of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, displaced by the Treaty of 1855,” the report states. “Much of the land making up Barnes Butte Recreation Area was a part of the landholdings of the Hudspeth family. John Hudspeth built a logging empire that was responsible for building many of the homes in Prineville in the 1940s and 50s. At one time, he was one of the largest landowners in the United States.”
The location of Barnes Butte Recreation Area offers close-to-home and low-cost recreation possibilities, as well as safe routes to school, for Prineville residents. Among the area’s current and potential future offerings are:
- The Track and Loop Trail —A loop trail connects the parking lot to a track, overlook and fish pond, providing a shorter trail for those who aren’t interested in navigating the longer trails in the area or who have limited time or physical ability. A historic racetrack will be utilized as an accessible running and walking track.
- Fish Pond — The fish pond is cited in the historic accounts of the property and, though currently dry, provides opportunities for recreation, education about the hydrological cycle and watershed science and places for relaxation.
- The Corral and Visitor Center — The existing corrals will be re-purposed, serving as a legacy piece and creating a contained area for educational sessions, picnics and events. The visitor center structure is a simple, versatile space that can open into the corral area to host larger events and make amenities such as bathrooms more accessible to a larger group.
- Wildlife Underpass — In designing trails for multiple uses, wildlife movement throughout the area was considered. Barnes Butte is home to deer and other animals that may find themselves at risk with the introduction of a new road near their food and water source. A potential solution for this is the creation of a wildlife underpass, which acts like a bridge to elevate road traffic, and opens passages underneath for animals to cross under.
- Trail System —A variety of trails are proposed with different levels of difficulty and trail options to encourage users to come back and explore more of the highlands. The trails will allow users to explore the peaks within the highlands in addition to the summit. Trails will pass the natural rock features and have rest areas. The trails will be designed to offer variation in difficulty, with steeper, challenging options for the more experienced hiker and milder grade options for families, younger hikers or those looking for a more leisurely route to the summits.
- Rest Area and Gathering Node — A shelter will be centrally located on the property to provide a direct link between the highlands and the proposed central recreation area and parking facilities. A gathering node is positioned at the base of the butte, where people can transition from easy to more difficult trails and gather, take photos and read information about the trails.
- Existing Conditions in the Highlands — The Barnes Butte highlands have three high points with scenic views over the Prineville area. The main peak is known as the butte or summit. In addition to its peaks, the highlands have beautiful natural rock features, and the vegetation primarily consists of low shrub and juniper trees. A dirt road currently runs from the base of the butte to the base of the summit, which creates a visual scar along the side of the highlands. This road passes bat caves, a favorite destination for visitors. The highland slopes are steep, creating difficult to extremely difficult hiking.
Management of the Barnes Butte Recreation Area will be through a partnership between the City of Prineville, Crook County Parks & Recreation District (CCPRD) and community volunteers. According to the conceptual plan report, community volunteers will play an important role in the long-term management and maintenance of the area. “The Barnes Butte Focus Committee will evolve into a volunteer group focused on stewardship of the park,” the report states. “While initially the Barnes Butte Focus Committee was focused on developing the priorities for uses and facilities to be developed at BBRA, many in the group are interested in being a part of the longer-term management of the area. After the completion of their initial role in the conceptual design process, interested volunteers will focus on the maintenance and management of the park. The volunteer group will organize and participate in recreation programs and cleanup projects, installing and updating signage, trail maintenance and other minor construction and maintenance projects.”
