Resident urges Myrtle Creek to bar overnight camping at disc golf course

Steven Wright, a Myrtle Creek resident who said he helped build the local disc golf course, urged the council to designate the course as an excluded area where overnight camping is prohibited.

"I would just like to request that maybe we have our disc golf course in that group of areas that are excluded for these people to spend the night," Wright told the council, adding that he has photographs showing people leaving human waste and other debris on the course.

The request came during the meeting's public-comment period. Wright said the course has been in place for more than a decade and that, over recent years, an influx of overnight campers has created safety and sanitation concerns for disc golfers and families who use the park. "We've got kids that come out, get a brand new disc ... and they go out and they throw their first disc and land in human poop," he said.

Council members and staff described the city's current enforcement approach as complaint-driven. "I think it's complaint based," one official said, and staff representatives confirmed officers respond when complaints are received and that times for restricted use can vary with daylight hours.

Wright asked the council to add the course to the list of excluded areas where camping and overnight sleeping are not permitted. No formal motion on changing the ordinance was introduced during the meeting; councilors and staff said they would note the complaint and monitor the park, and that enforcement had occurred most recently when officers were called to remove people from the park.

Next steps: staff will continue to monitor complaints and enforcement; councilors did not adopt a new ordinance or direct immediate regulatory change during the session.