Hello! Thanks again for joining me on this exciting journey through Central Oregon. This month's question was sent anonymously, and what an interesting inquiry it is.
Q: "What's the deal with China Hat?"
A: Very broad indeed, but significant and a question I was eager to explore. Because the reader did not go into specifics, let's begin with fun facts about the area.
For those unaware, China Hat is a volcanic butte located on the southeastern flank of the Newberry Volcano. At one point, the butte was thought to be a side vent of Newberry. However, China Hat is believed to be more than 200,000 years older than Newberry at around 780,000 years old, give or take a few years.
Apparently, the people who named the butte claimed it had a similar appearance to the conical hat worn by Chinese laborers at the time. From the mid to late 1800s, Chinese immigrants worked in mines across Oregon. Cities such as Portland, Pendleton and Baker City had a significant immigrant population. Chinese people also contributed to building the railroads and began other enterprising endeavors. Readers may be aware of the Kam Wah Chung Museum in the town of John Day. It's a significant piece of Oregon's history and well worth a visit.
The infamous China Hat Road is named after the butte, and vehicles can drive it from Knott Road all the way to Fort Rock! The pavement becomes gravel not far south and makes for quite a bumpy ride, eventually becoming National Forest Road 18 and then Cabin Lake Road. Exploring the terrain leads to multiple hiking and biking adventures, exploring Boyd and Arnold Ice Caves, OHV riding and more. Cabin Lake Bird Blinds is a great birdwatching spot.
Now we know a bit about the history; yet the inquirer might be questioning the present status of the area, which makes the news frequently.
The past few years, especially since Covid, the campgrounds have increasingly become long-term living spaces for those without homes, or those wanting to live off the grid. Nearby residents often voice concerns about fire hazards, crime, trash and other issues related to this influx. Most camping is located on federal land and jurisdiction falls to the U.S. Forest Service, though Deschutes County and the City of Bend usually get blamed for not taking action.
An interesting dynamic exists between the federal and local agencies, and it would seem they could pool their resources to create a better solution. In truth, it's easier said than done, especially when opinions and policies differ among them.
For example, the Forest Service doesn't have the authority to remove people. Instead, its law enforcement officers can write citations for sanitation and exceeding the camping limit, but that's as far as their authority extends unless a federal magistrate gets involved through a long and tedious process. The sheriff's department cannot remove campers unless they are committing a crime. Is camping a crime after a certain number of days? I guess it's all about the semantics!
Varying policies, regulations, laws and opinions on enforcement create a convoluted conundrum. Groups including the Public Land Stewards have huge cleanups once or twice a year and target areas like China Hat. My daughters and I participated in one of these and all I can honestly say is, "Wow, we humans sure can create a lot of trash!" It gave me a deep appreciation for services like Cascade Disposal.
A column like mine can barely scratch the surface of the multifaceted issues of homelessness. In fact, researching this article and being referred from person to person gave me quite the perspective on how sensitive the issue of China Hat really is.
Question for Savage?
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