Pilot Butte at sunrise in Bend on Saturday.A sand lily in bloom near the hiking trail on Pilot Butte on Friday.

The population and urban growth around Bend’s Pilot Butte State Scenic Viewpoint has drastically increased in recent years. But the management plan for the state park has not been updated in more than two decades.

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is working to create a new master plan for the first time since 1995, when Bend’s population was about 30,000. State park officials expect to have a draft of the plan finished by the fall.

To help form the plan, the state parks department continues to gather public comment.

A public meeting is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. May 20 at the Pilot Butte Middle School cafeteria for people to share their input on proposed recommendations for the draft plan.

A focus of the new master plan is on how Pilot Butte should be used and serve the community for years to come, said Rachel Hill, a park planner for the state parks department who is tasked with overseeing the new master plan process.

“Bend and the region have changed and are expected to continue to change,” Hill said. “We have now taken a more projection view.”

The upcoming public meeting is the second one held since last fall. In November, the state parks department hosted an open house and heard from the public about what they value in Pilot Butte and what issues matter most to them.

Many people said they visit for Pilot Butte’s trails and scenic views of the surrounding area. What they worry about most is erosion of the butte amplified by the creation of social trails, unofficial trails that hikers create by walking off the established routes.

The master plan will determine which routes should be designated trails and what social trails need to be repaired, said Hill.

“It’s important for us to figure out which trails make sense and put effort into maintaining those,” she said.

Another issue at the forefront of the new master plan is how to mitigate fires on the butte and how to restore the butte after the Fourth of July fire last year that burned about 10 acres around the base.

Bend resident Alan Joseph Stout sparked the Fourth of July fire, which caused U.S. Highway 20 to close, prompted evacuations of nearby apartments and shut down power. The fire scorched dozens of junipers, destroyed an informational kiosk and damaged an irrigation line.

Hill said it will take quite a few years for the butte to recover from the fire. In the meantime, the new plan will address how to restore the burned portion of the butte, she said.

“We will figure out how to route trails around those areas so vegetation restoration can take place,” she said.

State park officials are looking forward to hearing the public’s thoughts on the issues of erosion and fire mitigation at the upcoming meeting, Hill said.

So far, the public input has been similar to the results of a 2016 survey of day-use visitors at Pilot Butte. The survey was conducted between July 1 and July 24, 2016.

It found that visitors considered hiking, sightseeing and outdoor photography the most popular activities on the butte. The least popular activities were picnicking, bicycling on local roads and using the children’s playground.

The survey also determined the vast majority of visitors, 69%, were local residents who drove 30 miles or less to reach the butte. In addition, 75% of visitors said they drove their own cars to the butte.

The largest proportion of visitors to the butte — 42% — were people 50 to 69 years old, according to the survey.

Hill said state park officials have noticed a growing population of retired-aged people visiting the butte. Many in the aging population have appointments at the nearby medical centers, and doctors often prescribe them to go take a hike at the butte, Hill said.

“It’s a pretty important public health component,” she said.

In conjunction with public input, a group of local and state stakeholders are creating recommendations for the new plan. Local stakeholders include Bend-La Pine Schools, Bend Park & Recreation District, Bend Fire Department and nearby neighborhood associations.

Once the draft plan is released this fall, the public will have 30 days to comment. The final draft will then be sent to the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission for final approval.

— Reporter: 541-617-7820, kspurr@bendbulletin.com