The Oxbow Trail is the home of Hermiston Desert Disc Golf. The first phase of the course is set to open Sept. 20.

Four and a half years after the Oxbow Trail was dedicated, several sets of eyes are working to keep the area friendly to both humans and wildlife.

The land is owned by the Bureau of Reclamation, which allowed the city of Hermiston to build the paved trail that stretches from 11th Street to Riverfront Park.

Sean Kimbrel, field office manager of the bureau’s Umatilla office, said the bureau is working to maintain the Oxbow property’s primary intent to protect fish habitat along the Umatilla River. After a July 2017 fire burned through a dry field along the trail and spread to a nearby duplex, the bureau has also started working with the city and the property’s neighbors to manage vegetation and mow a fire buffer near residences.

The property, like many areas along the Umatilla River, has drawn some homeless camps. Kimbrel said the Bureau of Reclamation works with law enforcement when that happens to enforce the camping ban and ask people to move along.

Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston said the department gets “sporadic” complaints about transient activity in the Oxbow area. He said occasional meetings with the bureau have proved productive, and the department does what it can to keep an eye on the area.

“It’s a unique situation, because the city has a vested interest with the trail, but it’s federal land,” he said.

Edmiston said the Oxbow Trail, which is inaccessible to patrol cars, is one of the reasons Hermiston Police Department bought a side-by-side ATV. The smaller vehicle can provide quick access if there is an emergency call half a mile down the trail, or allow officers more of a presence along the trail. The department even used it last winter to clear snow off the trail, which gets used year-round.

Edmiston said dealing with homelessness issues, such as panhandling and illegal encampment, is always a balance between being compassionate while also promoting public health, safety and livability. Helping maintain Hermiston’s livability is one of the department’s goals, he said.

There is also a balance that must be struck between maintaining habitat areas while also making problem areas more visible from the trail.

From a safety standpoint, Edmiston encouraged anyone walking the Oxbow Trail or other similar trails to take a cellphone with them in case of emergencies, and to avoid walking at night where there is poor lighting.

Private citizens have also worked to help maintain the Oxbow area’s usability. Eileen Laramore has partnered with SOLVE and Columbia Riverkeeper to adopt that area and often brings groups of volunteers down to pull out invasive weeds like garlic mustard.

Laramore said she has been troubled by garbage she sees left behind sometimes in homeless camps, and tries to alert the Bureau of Reclamation when she sees problems on the property.

“I spend a lot of time down there,” she said.