OREGON STATE PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION NAMES COASTAL PARK AFTER BRIAN BOOTH

Ona Beach State Park

The Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission voted unanimously at its January 30 meeting to name a newly-combined coastal state park after Brian Booth, the late first chair of the Commission. Booth passed away in March 2012. Ona Beach State Park and Beaver Creek State Natural Area, 10 miles south of Newport, were being combined into a single park through a planning process that's still underway, and now they have a unified name.

Brian Booth became the first chairman of the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission in 1990. It was the first time Oregon's state parks were under the control of a committee charged solely with setting park policy and direction, having been part of the Oregon Department of Transportation from the early 20th century until then.

"At its inaugural meeting, Mr. Booth expressed the modest hope that by the end of the Commission's first term, Oregonians would say they had made a difference," said John Potter, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Assistant Director. "Mr. Booth served three governors and took state parks through a period of considerable hardship and a crucible of hard times and funding challenges. He committed thousands of hours to his belief in state parks and the State of Oregon."

Ona Beach has a large picnic area; a broad, sandy beach; and paddler access to Beaver Creek. Beaver Creek is notable for its high-quality wetlands, incredible upland habitat, and its abundant wildlife. Each part of the new park will retain its traditional local name, but the combined property will be known as Brian Booth State Park.

"This park is a great place, and now it's named after a great man," Potter said.