Oregon’s Outback Outdoor Recreation

Attendees of the Oregon’s Outback Outdoor Recreation Studio identified outdoor recreation as a priority impact area for the destination. Initial project work began with the desire to showcase the region’s signature assets and activities through a variety of trail development initiatives:

1. As part of this effort, this action team also developed signs and reassurance markers along the Noni Trail System using Oregon Tourism Studio grant funds and in-kind time to initiate the project.
2. The Oregon’s Outback community received a $5,000 Tourism Studio Matching Grant from Travel Oregon to develop the Oregon Outback Adventure Mapin 2018.
3. The Lake County Chamber of Commerce received a Travel Oregon Competitive Small Grant award of $8,360 to develop a geological features map in 2018-2019.

Following the Oregon’s Outback Outdoor Recreation Tourism Experience Studio, the Outback Steering Committee and Action Teams created tremendous success by completing numerous projects in 2018-19. Travel Oregon identified the need to reconvene this Studio community to help identify phase two priority projects and define next steps for this Tourism Studio community. This October follow-up meeting helped the community celebrate their successes, align on related development projects and identify the following priority action team projects:

1. Expanding the Oregon Adventure Trails: Establish a connection to the Oregon Timber Trail system through road and trail signage development in Paisley, Oregon
2. Lakeview Downtown Development & Revitalization: Develop and revitalize Lakeview’s downtown in partnership with Oregon’s Main Street program and engaged Studio participants interested in supporting this process
3. Dark Skies Development: Work towards the International Dark Skies designation with support from new Studio Action Team focused on this effort with the innovative support and leadership from Bob Hackett at Travel Southern Oregon