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New State Park Coming to Oregon Coast: Name Determined Published 02/13/2013 (Newport, Oregon) – Two state parks near Waldport will become one on the central coast sometime in the near future. While that combination is still in the planning process, it now officially has a name. Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission has decided the new coastal park will be called Brian Booth State Park, after the first chair of the Commission who passed away in March 2012. Ona Beach State Park and Beaver Creek State Natural Area, 10 miles south of Newport, are being melded into Booth State Park, although both sections of the park will retain their names. The Commission decided on honoring Booth this way at its January 30 meeting. The vote was unanimous. Brian Booth became the first chairman of the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission in 1990. It was the first time Oregon's state parks were under the control of a committee charged solely with setting park policy and direction, having been part of the Oregon Department of Transportation from the early 20th century until then. "At its inaugural meeting, Mr. Booth expressed the modest hope that by the end of the Commission's first term, Oregonians would say they had made a difference," said John Potter, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Assistant Director. "Mr. Booth served three governors and took state parks through a period of considerable hardship and a crucible of hard times and funding challenges. He committed thousands of hours to his belief in state parks and the State of Oregon." Beaver Creek (photo courtesy Oregon State Parks and Recreation) Ona Beach is known for its broad, sandy beach, interesting rock structures that often get uncovered beneath its sands, abundance of agates, and a large, grassy picnic area beneath a forested canopy. Practically across the highway sits Beaver Creek Natural Area, with its paddling and kayaking amenities, abundance of wildlife in a massive wetland, and pristine upland habitats. "This park is a great place, and now it's named after a great man," Potter said. More Ona Beach below, as well as Newport/Waldport lodging info. Waldport, Seal Rock Virtual Tour
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