Thistle Creek boat ramp closed for the season

SWEET HOME — Effective immediately, Linn County Parks’ Thistle Creek boat ramp on Green Peter Reservoir is closed to the public, according to Parks Director Stacey Whaley.

The closure is due to the rapid lowering of Green Peter Reservoir’s water level in keeping with a fish passage program initiated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“We would hate to see someone launch their fishing boat in the morning and when they come back that afternoon, find they can’t use the ramp,” Whaley said.

The ramp will remain closed until next year, Whaley said.

Linn County Parks staff have put out closure signs and by Friday, the gate to the boat ramp access road will be closed to the general public.

Whaley said that on Friday the Corps of Engineers will also close Billings Park, which is on the south shore of the reservoir and accessed by the road over the top of the dam. Billings Park is a Corps of Engineers property.

In coming weeks, Green Peter Reservoir’s winter water level will drop by more than 200 feet, which Corps of Engineers officials hope will assist in fish passage into the Santiam River.