Public lands take many different forms, ranging to large tracts of wilderness own and managed by the federal government to small parcels of lands used as city parks. One interesting city park is the Regatta Grounds in Lincoln City, Oregon. Located on the bank of Devils Lake, this park includes a beach, a marvelous playground, picnic areas, and a nature trail.
Devils Lake in Lincoln City, Oregon was formed about 14,000 BCE when sand dunes and beach blocked the lower end of the valley drained by the D River. The lake is 1/3 of a mile wide and 3 miles long. The D River, claimed by some to be the world’s shortest river connects the lake to the Pacific Ocean.
There is a local legend about the lake which falls into the genre of “as told to an Anglo setter by an old Indian” and sounds like the kinds of stories recorded by the Brothers Grimm in the nineteenth century.
Unhampered by any of the “job-killing” environmental regulations that today’s Republicans love to hate, human activity resulted in a degradation of water quality in the lake by the beginning of the twentieth century. Lincoln City was incorporated in 1965 and in 1980 the city took a first step toward lake restoration by qualifying for an Environmental Protection Agency Diagnostic and Feasibility Study. This study was completed in 1983 and the following year the people voted to form the Devils Lake Water Improvement District. In 1985, the District qualified for an EPA Clean Lakes Grant.
Sparky the Wish Guardian
Overlooking the park is a fantastic dragon who watches over Regatta Grounds. The sculpture was created by Heidi Erickson and Doug Kroger from mostly recycled material. Elementary school children named the dragon.
The Beach
The Playground
Picnic Areas
The Nature Trail
The nature trail wanders into a mature forest area, which includes a 400-year-old tree which is more than 200 feet tall and measures 35 feet around at the base.
More Public Lands
Public Lands: A Garden in the Arboretum (Photo Diary)
Public Lands: A Small Urban Park (Photo Diary)
Public Lands: The Columbia Riverfront Trail (Photo Diary)
Manchester State Park: A Photo Diary
A City Park (Photo Diary)
Public Lands: Newberry National Volcanic Monument (Photo Diary)
Ona Beach State Park (photo diary)
Fort Stevens State Park (Photo Diary)