State land closed overnight E. of Bend due to campers

Effective Monday, the public is restricted from entering or otherwise using the state-owned Stevens Road Tract, southeast of Bend, between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. daily, and from using firearms or driving vehicles on the 640-acre property.

Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) Director Mary Abrams signed the emergency closure notice Monday .

Exceptions to the closures will be made for people conducting official government business, and other authorized vehicles.

According to Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office reports, approximately 20 to 30 individuals are camped on the property, with tents, building-like structures and vehicles in various locations. Recent photos show that litter is rampant, said DSL’s Eastern Region Manager Lanny Quackenbush.

“We’re concerned that state property is being used without appropriate authorization for make-shift housing and other activities, and it has gotten to the point where we need to enact an emergency closure,” said Quackenbush.

Quackenbush said the agency has been conducting rulemaking hearings in the region regarding permanent restrictions for the Stevens Road Tract, and two other parcels in the Central Oregon region.

More information on the rulemaking and proposed closures is available on the State Lands website at http://www.oregon.gov/dsl/LW/Pages/stevensroad.aspx or by calling the agency’s Eastern Region Office in Bend: 541-388-6112 .