Union County Commissioner’s sign letter of support for Jubilee Lake revitalization project
By Garrett Christensen on Friday, April 3rd, 2026 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
UNION COUNTY – During a recent meeting on Wednesday, April 1, the Union County Board of commissioners officially signed a letter of support for a pilot project to support the revitalization of the Jubilee Lake Trail System. Helmed by the Brent Oliver 541 Foundation, the project aims to restore, and create sustainable upkeep of, the lake’s hard surface path system, boat dock, and other decaying public infrastructure.
As written in a letter from the County:
“Jubilee Lake has been identified by Umatilla National Forest Leadership as the highest-use Forest Service recreation site in Northeast Oregon. The failures are in the trail system, boat dock, and long-term maintenance. The hard -surfaced path constructed in 1992 to provide meaningful access has not been maintained since original installation and as a result, the functionality of the infrastructure to provide meaningful access has been greatly reduced over time.”
Jubilee Lake, located in Northern Union County and under the jurisdiction of the Umatilla National Forest, is one of many areas experiencing a backlog of deferred maintenance from the U.S. Forest Service, totaling $10 billion dollars across the country. according to the Meaningful Access Coalition. With the lake being identified as the region’s highest recreational use area, and Union County’s population constituting 22% seniors and 12% residents with disabilities, an overhaul of the lake’s public infrastructure is needed.
Identified solutions include correcting trail rehabilitation, dock evaluation and gate adjustments. The letter further states that the project will ensure “the managing agency maintains improvements to the same standards required under federal law so as not to fall back into disrepair.”
