Supported Projects

Travel Oregon and Sustainable Travel International  have created five project categories to help identify project beneficiaries that will appeal to visitors and have significant impacts on destination infrastructure.

• Environmental Stewardship: Habitat and watershed restoration, removal of invasive species, organization of cleanups and protection of green space
• Food and Culture: Production of local foods and native food culture, improved access to farmers’ markets and linkage of local farmers to local markets
• Sense of Place: Storytelling through interpretation, preservation of historic structures and restoration of cultural assets and youth engagement
• Infrastructure and Community Livability: Construction of new bike routes and trails, improved recycling and creation of better environments for community gatherings
• Carbon Footprint Reduction: Energy conservation and renewable energy projects

The fund includes projects from each of Oregon’s seven regions. Many of the projects selected touch on more than one of the above categories. Below are projects currently underway in each of the regions.

Oregon Coast Region

• Sustainable Seafood Initiative – The Sustainable Seafood Initiative will increase visitors’ awareness of their roles within the ocean food web, especially as it pertains to Haystack Rock. The project will empower visitors to make sustainable seafood choices and encourage patronage of local program partners, including restaurants and seafood vendors who promise to make sustainable seafood business choices.

Greater Portland Region

• The Living Highways Project – Friends of Trees will plant and maintain more than 5,000 trees along I-205 using more than 2,000 volunteers donating 10,000 hours as part of the I-205 Greenspace Initiative. The initiative partners with ODOT, Metro and numerous businesses, nonprofits, neighborhood associations and community groups.

Willamette Valley Region

• Southern Willamette Valley Bean and Grain Project – Willamette Farm & Food Coalition is working to increase the sale of beans, grains and edible seeds grown in the southern Willamette Valley. The project will develop promotional display materials for grocery stores, restaurants, hotels, bed and breakfasts and other markets that carry local produce, telling the stories of farmers in the Southern Willamette Valley Bean and Grain Project.

Southern Oregon Region

• Rogue River Corridor and Greenway – The Rogue River Greenway Foundation will connect the town of Rogue River to the Valley of the Rogue with a recreation trail for people of all ages. Project activities will include building the trails and installing interpretive signage to share the area’s compelling history and educate travelers about local flora and fauna.

Central Oregon Region

• Deschutes Restoration Outreach Program – Trout Unlimited is working to implement the Deschutes Restoration Outreach Program (DROP), which builds an environmental ethic in Central Oregon to restore and sustain the health of the upper Deschutes basin by increasing volunteer engagement and service in the region.

Mt. Hood/Columbia River Gorge Region

• Mosier Plateau Trail Project – The Mosier Plateau Trail will be a 1.4-mile non-motorized trail on Friends of the Columbia Gorge Land Trust land. The trail will provide stunning vistas and direct access to the community of Mosier, Ore. This trail is the first in Friends’ Gorge Towns to Trails Campaign, which launched in 2011 on the 25^th anniversary of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act. The project will fulfill the dual purpose of the act — protecting and enhancing natural resources and supporting local economies.

Eastern Oregon Region

• Wallowa County Agritourism Development – The Northeast Oregon Economic Development District will help develop agritourism in Eastern Oregon by providing visitor information, developing new point-of-sale options for local food products and services and enhancing collaboration.