A group that hopes to save Bill Worrell Wayside park from being flattened to build a parking lot gathered at the downtown park on Saturday to encourage the county to reconsider its decision and preserve the park’s beauty for generations to come.

The date was deliberate: Saturday marked the 25th anniversary of Deschutes County’s decision to designate the land as a park. The event drew several dozen park supporters, who gathered for speeches and cupcakes.

“We have a lot of buildings, we have a lot of pavement, and we have a lot of parking lots, but we don’t have a lot of this anymore,” Donna Owens told the supporters, gesturing toward the lava rocks and mature ponderosas and junipers that give the park a truly High Desert feel.

In January, the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners voted 2-1 to flatten the 1.29-acre park, which sits outside of the Deschutes County administration building on NW Wall Street, to build 68 new parking spots. The project would cost $2.5 million.

Commissioners Tony DeBone and Phil Chang both voted in favor of flattening the park to marginally increase parking capacity. Commissioner Patti Adair was the only one who voted against the project, and spoke at the event on Saturday.

Adair said part of the reason she was at the event was to continue garnering support for the park with the hope that one of the two county commissioners who voted in favor of the parking lot project will reconsider.

The park is home to native animal and plant species, and serves as a respite for those working in the hustle and bustle of downtown. The park is a little slice of nature in the heart of Bend where people can take a break from time to time and destroying it would be out of line with what the people of Bend want for their town, Owens said.

“The more I get involved with it, the more I realize, we are talking about the cost of a parking lot, but we are not talking about the value of what this is,” she said.

Derek Loeb, a retired geophysicist, also spoke at the event. He explained that the park is in fact a unique geological feature that would be a shame to lose for a few parking spaces.

“It has been maligned as being a pile of construction debris, but nothing could be further from the truth. It is a bonafide geologic feature dating back about 75,000 years,” Loeb said of the park. “And you can see it on old topographical maps and aerial photographs. It had two companions. One was over by the courthouse and one was called old Hospital Hill, which is now where the DoubleTree Hotel is off of Franklin.”

Loeb said the other two features, which were partially leveled for construction purposes, are lava flows that once significantly covered all of east and central Bend, and actually pushed the Deschutes River from east of Pilot Butte to more or less its current location.

“So, it is very significant to the Bend we live in today, but also significant beyond that in that it is a reminder that we live in a volcanically active region,” Loeb said.

Olive Nye and Kate Koblegarde, two Bend High School seniors who are part of the Green Leadership Coalition, also spoke at the park on Saturday, appealing directly to the county commissioners who have the power to reverse their decision.

“County commissioners, I understand your decision. And there are many stakeholders to consider. But I ask that you consider one in particular. The future,” Nye said. “This decision not only affects our generation, but those to come. We want our children to find joy in the same places we did when we grew up. And flattening this park will take away another sacred place where kids can see marmots, watch butterflies pollinate, and learn about different native tree species.”

Pam and Dave McGurn were strolling through the park Saturday, taking in the beauty of the lava rocks, the towering trees, and the sweeping view of the cascades the park provides to those who venture to the top. The McGurns have lived in Bend since 1978 and said they envision a future where instead of destroying parks to build parking lots, people will take public transportation, ride bikes, and walk more often.

“I think all parks in Bend are important to preserve, and I think particularly there are a few older trees here,” Dave McGurn said. “I just think every opportunity to save a park like this is good in the long run for Bend.”