New Building at Schink Forest Receives Approval!
In early November, Forests Forever, Inc. received a conditional use permit approval from Clackamas County for the construction of a pole building at its Schink Demonstration Forest, southeast of Molalla. The 21-acre property is located in the Dickey Prairie area with frontage on the Molalla River. Currently, the only structures at the forest are a picnic shelter and pit toilet.
The new pole building will be 36’ wide and 72’ long and will include a storage and shop area plus a classroom/meeting space. The classroom will be available to school groups visiting the property for outdoor education. Local community groups needing a meeting space will have access, too. The pole building design will be similar to Everett Hall at Hopkins.
Forests Forever, Inc. Board Member, Bob Oblack hopes to house his extensive geology and rock and fossil collections in the classroom area. Oblack is well-known in the Molalla area as an amateur rockhound and is a relative of the Schink Family who donated their property to Forests Forever to be used for outdoor education. Oblack, also, lived next door to the Schink property for many years.
Funding for the new building will be provided by the Walker Family Foundation. Engineering design work and building permitting are the next steps in the project process. Construction could begin in the first quarter of 2026. Keep watching for updates.
