Prospectus Q and A.pdf

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Original Published Date: April 15, 2026

Version: 1 - June 3, 2026

Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Campground Prospectus

Questions and Answers

Thursday April 30th, 2026 prospectus site tour questions

1. Is Natural Bridge Interpretive, part of Natural Bridge Campground?

No, they are separate sites but there are trails that connect them together. These sites can be opened at different times. The public has asked about opening Natural Bridge Interpretive in early April.

2. What are the amenities at Natural Bridge Host Site?

There are no amenities other than a picnic table and fire ring. Site 18 is the traditional host site, and it is near the entrance of the campground.

3. What are the access points for the Rogue River Trail?

There are many, but the main points are just south of Prospect, at River Bridge, Woodruff, Natural Bridge Interpretive, Big Bend, Foster Bar, County Line, Hamaker, and Crater Rim

Viewpoint. The trail is approximately 43 miles long and can be used for day hikes or backpacking.

4. What caused the trees in Natural Bridge Campground to fall over?

It is a mix of root rots such as Heterobasidian, and Armillaria. However, a large number of trees have just come down from snow loading and/or windstorms. Winters can be very harsh in this area. Storm damage is very common Fall/Winter in campground when they are generally closed.

5. Who is the incumbent operator?

None, the Forest Service has operated these sites since 2022. Rogue Recreation – Outdoors in

Oregon, LLC held the Prospectus Permit until it’s expiration date in 2021.

6. Is this site stocked with Fish (Natural Bridge Campground)?

Yes, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has a stocking schedule which can be found on their website.

7. Is Rogue Gorge Interpretive Site plowed?

No, there is no gate for the site, so it generally closes once there is sufficient snow. The concessionaire, however, would only be responsible for operations within the Minimum

Operation Season. Union Creek Wayside is plowed by ODOT and remains open all winter.

8. How does the Union Creek/Farewell Bend Water system work?

Please See Appendix 20. All water is provided by a single pump house that services Union Creek

Resort, Recreation Residences, Union Creek Campground, and Farewell Bend Campground. It is currently considered a non-transient water system and has additional testing requirements. At

Farewell Bend there is a booster pump that raises the water pressure to the proper PSI to meet

State regulations. The booster pump and heater were replaced in the last two years. The large tank inside the Farewell Bend building is no longer used to treat water.

9. Are any water systems Chlorinated?

No, none of the water systems in the offering are currently chlorinated. It is possible that chlorinating systems may be required in the future, but it is not an anticipated need at this time.

10. Is the road between Whiskey Springs and Fourbit Ford Campground a concessionaire responsibility?

No, the 3065 road is a Forest Service System Road.

11. Who is responsible for operating the Union Creek Water system after a permit is issued?

The Forest Service would assume responsibility for systemic water system operations and testing outside of the permit area since Union Creek Resort, government owned housing, and Private

Recreation Residence owners are tied into the system. The Concessionaire would be responsible for water system operations and testing within the permits areas shown in Appendix 2.

12. Do you winterize the water system at Union Creek and Farewell Bend Campgrounds?

Yes, and most of the lines can be winterized by opening values at the end. Flush facilities require using RV antifreeze in P-traps, toilet bowls/water tanks.

13. How do you access the amphitheater at Union Creek?

You can access either by parking at the Wayside and crossing the foot bridge, or you can take the road that goes around the Union Creek Resort just past their ice cream spot and the entrance for

Rogue Gorge Interpretative Day Use Area.

14. Was the red building near the amphitheater in the prospectus in the accountable property list? Can it be used for storage?

The red building is not included in Appendix 3 and could not be used for storage.

15. What public restrooms are available in the Union Creek Area?

Aramark, who operates Union Creek Resort, provides portable toilets near the highway 62 bridge and Becky’s restaurant for the public. Otherwise, folks use the restrooms at the Union Creek

Wayside (donation based) or the Rogue Gorge Interpretative Day Use restrooms (donation based) which are Forest Service owned.

16. Who pays for the toilet paper at Union Creek Wayside?

During the minimum operating season or if the shoulder season is elected, the concessionaire would. Union Creek Wayside is intended to become a Day Use fee site, and yes, Union Creek

Resort occasionally directs the public to use the bathrooms there. This nuance is something to address in the Operating Plan.

17. Are the Union Creek RV sites on septic tank or leech field?

The Union Creek RV sites are tanks that are tied to a leech field. Each site has 30 AMP full hook-ups. RV sites #1 & #2 are on one septic tank and leech field, and RV site #3 is by itself. These three RV sites are part of Union Creek Campground on Rec.gov. There are only three RV full hook-up sites. These sites connect to the powerline road, which is part of the larger

OHV trail system, and leads to Natural Bridge Campground.

18. Are there any campgrounds that allow OHV/ATVs inside the campground?

There are no OHV campgrounds. Vehicles inside campgrounds need to be road legal and follow state regulations for motor vehicles. Trailers can be parked inside campgrounds, but equipment must stay on trailer at all times.

19. How large is the water tank for the Union Creek Area?

The tank holds 30,000 gallons of water, which can last anywhere between 24-48 hours depending on usage.

20. What is the utility pricing for these sites?

Historical utility data is not readily available at this time.

21. How does Rogue Gorge operate in a low snow year?

The concessionaires operating season would dictate if things were used in the shoulder season or winter months. Refer to minimal operating season in prospectus. In low snow years, we keep

Rogue Gorge open year-round because there is no gate to block the public from entering, we wait for ODOT to make a berm of snow which then prompts us to lock the bathrooms. They do not plow the Rogue Gorge Day Use parking area. If we simply lock the bathrooms, the public

“uses” the surrounding area to relieve themselves. Within the highway corridor, ODOT informs the public that sites that are plowed during the winter months require their Sno-Park Permit for parking (only applicable at the Union Creek Wayside and Fish Lake Day Use/Boat Launch area from November 1st - April 30th when it is also plowed by ODOT and requires a Sno-Park Permit for parking.).

22. What is the hook-up situation like at Farewell Bend Campground?

The host site at Farewell Bend Campground is just a holding tank with no leech field, which would require yearly pumping.

23. What’s the fencing and grazing like in the area of Whiskey Springs Campground?

Whiskey Springs has extensive fencing due to active cattle allotments with range permittees. The fencing is to keep cattle out of the campground itself and the watershed with the help of the

Medford Water Commission. Concessionaire is responsible for repairing Recreation fences once the Forest Service repairs or replaces fences to a functional standard.

24. What trails are in the Whiskey Spring area?

There is a roughly 1-mile-long interpretative loop that connects the Whiskey Springs Day use parking area to the campground which provides some interpretative signage.

25. What is the water system situation at Whiskey Springs?

A ram pump was used in the past which was very spring dependent. We haven’t had operational in the last couple of years due to low water levels in the spring. Campground has been operational as a dry campground. Access to the water tank is up-hill from the spring, which is fed by the ram pump. There is road access by UTV/ATV trail/road but would need to log out road for access.

26. Can we clean up the down wood in Whiskey Springs?

In general, there are options to do this. Barrier logs should be retained and there are some requirements to leave downed/woody debris. However, there is a lot of need to reduce fuels, so this work could be done under an approved treatment prescription. The Forest Service has been doing a lot of saw and chipping work to clean up damage from winter storms for several years.

27. Is Whiskey Springs under snow during the winter?

Generally, snow comes and goes. Some winters this campground can be under snow for most of the winter. Doe Point and Fish Lake commonly hold snow and restrict vehicle access until early to mid-May, which can present challenges with getting those sites open on time.

28. Where can I get cell phone service near Whiskey Springs campground?

You can get cell phone service 15 minutes away at Fisk Lake/Doe Point campgrounds, or 15 minutes away in the town of Butte Falls. It also depends on the provider as some carriers have good reception in this general area.

29. Would it be possible to add designated # signs for the parking lot spots for walk-in tent campers at Doe Point Campground.

The tent sites themselves have numbers, but not for the car parking lot. This could be a possible project for a concessionaire to implement.

30. How does the water system work at Fish Lake/Doe Point?

Please see Appendix 20: Fish Lake Recreation Area under “Area Water System Information.”

31. Have there been issues with bears in the Fish Lake/Doe Point Area?

In the past few years there have been no issues with bears besides being curious. A couple years ago there was one bear that got a little too curious at one of the recreational cabins West of Fish

Lake, and ODFW unfortunately had to euthanize the bear as it no longer responded to hazing efforts. Trash cans with Southern Oregon Sanitation (SOS) across the district, some have locking chains and metal loops that could be locked up, if necessary, but we haven’t had the need.

32. What can you tell us about the fish cleaning station at Fish Lake day use/boat ramp?

The fish cleaning station building has not been operational for many years now. Due to the sensitive water system and piping it was put out of commission. The building contains a sink and countertop with a few windows that can be boarded up/covered for the winter season. It may be possible to get the station running again but the cost is unknown.

33. Does Fish Lake hold water most of the summer?

The dam is managed by Medford Irrigation District. Water levels generally stay fairly high through June into the middle of July but can get fairly low by August. The boat ramp dock needs to be moved with the changing water levels. This has been accomplished with a pickup truck or heavy equipment in the past. A winch could also be sufficient to move the dock up and down the ramp.

Additional questions submitted during the advertisement period:

1. Will the FS please provide its own historical expenses for the following for the years since it took over operations of the sites assigned under this permit for the following?

• Electricity

• Garbage/Waste Removal, including any separate expenses for Recycling

• Vault toilet pumping

Historical utility data is not readily available at this time.

2. What is the size and scope of the current recycling program provided by the FS at the sites on this permit? With whom does the FS contract for this service?

Only can and bottle recycling with a deposit has been provided in past years. Cans and bottles were collected and recycled by Volunteer Camp Hosts.

3. Will the FS provide historical revenue data for the Whiskey Springs CG during the years when the water system was last operational? Also, how have the fees changed with respect to water availability?

Historical revenue and utility data are not readily available at this time.

4. How much cow fencing (linear feet) is the concessionaire responsible for at Whiskey

Springs CG?

Please see Appendix 3. However, in summary there are 9419 linear feet of fence around

Whiskey Springs and 4400 linear feet of fence around Fourbit Ford Campgrounds.

5. Regarding the Day Use Area at Whiskey Springs – would the FS prefer that the four-day use sites remain as-is? Or would the FS prefer the concessionaire convert these to a group camp site, as mentioned in Appendix 20?

Please refer to Section IV, D: Evaluation of Applications, located in the Prospectus. The Forest

Service has no preference, but this would be part of the proposed annual operating plan. Whether the offeror proposes turning the Whiskey Springs Day Use into a Group Camp or keeping it as a

Day Use will not be a factor in the selection process as the intent is to allow the offeror to build a business plan that is the most feasible for their operations on this topic.

6. Will the FS be willing to coordinate with the new concessionaire to determine which downed trees may be removed across the various sites?

Yes, strategic removal of fuels and overstocked vegetation is important, and something the

Forest Service is interested in pursuing. Some logs will need to be retained for wildlife habitat and/or parking barriers. The Forest Service also has some Timber Sales planned under the

Snowy Buttes Project for Fish Lake and Doe Point Campgrounds, and this will take additional coordination during those timeframes.

7. Regarding the Natural Bridge, Rogue Gorge, and Union Creek Wayside Interpretive

Sites: does the FS have any site-specific estimates or data regarding the number of vehicles that visit each of these sites annually? Also, what is the current availability of electric power to each of these three sites?

There is no quantitative data available since vehicles were never counted. The only data point is donations, and those data are too random to make quantitative estimates. As a general observation during peak Season (Memorial Day through Labor Day) use Friday-Sunday at each

Day Use site can fluctuate between 10 to 80% parking capacity, occasionally hitting 100% in rare circumstances. The use at Union Creek Wayside sees the highest transitional use, with the majority of visitors stopping to use the restroom during travel or walking over from Union Creek

Resort, rather than stopping for more than 5-10 minutes. Monday through Thursday sees lower use with parking capacity fluctuating between 0 to 50% capacity, occasionally hitting 90% in rare circumstances.

8. During the site visit, we were not clear on the delineation between concessionaire versus

FS responsibility for road maintenance. Will the FS please provide this information for each of the assigned areas under the permit?

Please see Appendix 9, section 5c6. With the exception of Fourbit Ford Campground and the

Union Creek RV site roads, all sites are paved. All roads shown on the Appendix 2 maps are accurately shown as within the permit area except those listed below:

• Union Creek: Road 400 from Highway 62 to Union Creek Campground and Road 390 from road 400 to RV Site #3.

• Rogue Gorge: All of Road 470

• Natural Bridge: Road 300 including the Natural Bridge Day Use Parking north to Road

305.

9. Regarding the “Optional shoulder season areas with fee for Winter Recreation Areas” listed in Appendix 9, Section 1. Will the FS please provide more details about exactly what it is looking for in terms of concessionaire operations? Is the “option” only for

“shoulder seasons,” which we interpret to be 10/15 to 11/1 or 11/15 and 4/15 to 5/1? Or is the FS looking for the concessionaire to operate these sites year-round, including winter? If the latter, please provide details about shared responsibilities between the concessionaire, ODOT, and the FS.

Offerors are only required to operate during the Minimum Operating season. If offerors propose to operate in the shoulder seasons the offeror may propose any timelines in their operating plan.

However, proposing to operate in any shoulder season should be seen by the offeror as an additional business opportunity, and not as a decision that will be factored into the selection criteria explained in Section IV, D: Evaluation of Applications, located in the Prospectus. If offerors do elect to operate outside of the minimum season, they will assume the same responsibilities during those times as they have during the minimum operating season. Fish Lake

Boat Launch and Union Creek Campgrounds are the only sites plowed by ODOT. With a

SnoPark Pass fee already being in place, it would be complicated for an offeror to operate these sites between November 1st through April 30th each winter.

10. Regarding the Optional Consolidated Land Use Fee Payment – the prospectus states

“The consolidated land use fee payment will be determined by multiplying the average annual gross revenue of the offering for the past 3 years (adjusted, if applicable, based on expansion or contraction of the concession) by the number of years the land use fee payments will be consolidated, and multiplying the product by the percentage of gross revenue proposed by the applicant.” We are not clear on the “adjustment” mentioned in parentheses. Does this mean the applicant is to adjust the average annual gross revenue for the past 3 years as part of their calculation? Or will the FS be providing an adjusted number based on expansion or contraction?

The applicant is not required to adjust the average annual gross revenue. If an adjustment is necessary due to expansion or contraction of the concession (such as the addition or removal of sites or other structural changes), the Forest Service will make that determination and provide the adjusted 3-year average gross revenue. Applicants should use the Forest Service provided revenue figure when calculating the optional consolidated land use fee payment.

Applicants may propose a Consolidated Land Use Fee for a period of 2–5 years. This option must be used to finance the cost of a GT fee offset project when the project cost exceeds the land use fee amount for a single year, up to a maximum project cost of $250,000.

11. Will the FS please confirm that the consolidated land use fee payment will not be reconciled based on actual gross revenues, as stated in the prospectus? We note that other past FS campgrounds prospectuses have indicated that the Optional Consolidated

Land Use Fee Payment will be “reconciled” against actual concession revenues at the end of the consolidation period.

As stated on PG 21 of the Prospectus “The consolidated land use fee payment will not be reconciled based on actual gross revenues.”

12. When scoring the Fee to the Government portion of each application, will the FS give a higher score to applicants who propose the Optional Consolidated Land Use Fee

Payment, all else being equal? For example, if two applicants proposed the same fee percentage, one with consolidation and one with the normal annual fee, would they receive the same score?

The Forest Service evaluates proposals using a nonfixed weight method in which the criteria are considered in order of importance, with Fee to the Government ranked as Criterion #4. Under this evaluation structure, no preference is given to applicants who choose to propose an Optional

Consolidated Land Use Fee Payment versus those who propose a standard annual land use fee. The Authorized Officer will decide which applicant offers the best value to the government.

13. We understand that the FS is not required to provide a debriefing to applicants after the selection and award process. However, we are wondering if the FS is willing to commit to providing these debriefings for this particular solicitation? If not, why not?

No statutory debriefing is required prior to the issuance of a prospectus. The prospectus itself serves as the formal, legally binding document, eliminating the need for a separate debriefing process. Screening and competitive interest determinations are completed before the prospectus is developed and released. Applicants are encouraged to review the prospectus carefully and, if needed, request clarification directly from the Forest Service during the proposal or competitive phase. While we are not mandated to provide debriefings to applicants after the selection and award process, we may consider it if circumstances warrant.

Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Campground Prospectus

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