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The Rogue River Greenway Project Overview: Southern Oregon has been diligently moving forward for over a quarter century to connect its communities with a Greenway corridor. The completion of the Bear Creek Greenway project, spanning 20 miles from the City of Ashland to the City of Central Point, including 5 cities, marks a major milestone. Southern Oregon is now poised to connect these communities and more to the Rogue River Recreational Corridor and Greenway. The Rogue River Greenway Foundation was formed to take on the task of making that connection.
The Rogue River Greenway is the gateway to our recreational corridor and best described as an emerald necklace of parks, public access areas and water trails along the Rogue River linked by bicycle and pedestrian trails. The Recreational Corridor will span an area roughly 30 miles in length from the City of Grants Pass through the cities of Rogue River and Gold Hill and on to Central Point where it will connect to the existing 20 miles of the Bear Creek Greenway at Upton Road. Upon completion this project will connect 8 Cities, 2 Counties, create over 50 miles of regional connectivity through Southern Oregon, provide economic, environmental, health, educational, air quality, transportation and safety benefits, improve the quality of life for the 300,000 residents of Southern Oregon and provide a recreational resource for the many tourists that visit Southern Oregon every year.
Our Major Greenway: • Connects people and provides a gateway to the recreational resources for 2 Counties and 8 Cities. • Provides a safe and affordable environment for children, adults, seniors and families to recreate without the threat of competing with automobile and truck traffic. • Provides additional parks and public access areas to the Rogue River for fishing, picnicking and family recreation. • Provides trails for hiking, strolling, biking, birding, skating, and other recreational activities for affordable great exercise and good health for children, adults and seniors. • Develops new water trails for rafting, kayaking and numerous water activities. • Provides an important link to affordable open space resources. • Links numerous important scientific and historic sites throughout Southern Oregon. • Provides non-motorized alternative transportation for the entire I-5 corridor in Jackson & Josephine Counties. • Provides learning and educational opportunities for children and adults via signage, cultural and environmental kiosks and nature center planned for the Greenway. • Attracts new business and industry to both Jackson & Josephine County. • Increases real property values and stimulates residential development and home purchases. • Enhances Tourism for all of Southern Oregon. • Stimulates economic development by creating jobs through small businesses rentals, construction and maintenance jobs, improved service industry business with increased tourism, kiosks, pedi-cabs and wine tours for local vineyards. ● Improving air quality in the region for the Rogue Valley by providing alternative non-motorized transportation routes for residents and tourists. • Provide awareness of migration routes for fish, wildlife and fowl. • Provide close-to-home recreational access to greater proportions of the population than traditional parks. • Strengthen economic parity between communities along the Greenway. • Extend and enhances the benefits of the existing Bear Creek Greenway. • Tie together existing public lands on the Rogue River that currently lack public access. • Improve the quality of life in Jackson & Josephine County.
SAFETY The first priority of the Rogue River Greenway Project is to create a safer environment for families and seniors to enjoy healthy outdoor activities such as walking and cycling. Currently there are very few safe places for our children, adults and seniors to walk or bike without competing with vehicular traffic.
RECREATION Walking, jogging, bicycling, and roller blading are but a few of the available recreational activities along the greenway. By establishing numerous river front parks and public access areas we hope to promote fishing, kayaking, and rafting on the Rogue River. The Nugget Wayside area, one of the greenway parks, is frequented by world class kayakers and is known for the annual White Water Rodeo event. The Rogue River is one of our most valuable resources but is one of the least publicly accessible rivers in the State of Oregon. We hope to provide additional access and promote healthy, affordable, outdoor recreation for residents and visitors of Southern Oregon.
ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION There are
currently no alternative non-motorized transportation routes between Grants Pass
and Central Point. When you combine this with the
fact that there are no existing public modes of transportation between these
points, you can see how strategically important this Greenway project is to the
area. A majority of residents that live in these communities work in the Medford
and Grants Pass areas and
many would likely take advantage of and utilize a trail facility to commute to
work. Additionally the Valley of the
Rogue State Park, located between the
Rogue River and Gold Hill
communities, boast over 100,000 visitors and 25,000 campers annually that would
now have a scenic trail to access both communities promoting alternative modes
of transportation, helping to stimulate the towns local economies and
subsequently create jobs. ECONOMIC BENEFITS By safeguarding and enhancing natural resources the Rogue River Greenway offers the rural communities in Jackson County, which have suffered financially from the loss of jobs in the timber industry, an opportunity to be revitalized by the economic benefits from tourism. Dollars from recreation and tourism will help support local economies without devastating effects to the environment. There are likely to be new business ventures sparked by the visitors and residents utilizing the trail, enhancing existing businesses in the towns as well as the rural businesses like the Del Rio Vineyard located midway along the trail between Gold Hill & Rogue River. There is a strong likelihood of the development of whitewater kayaking and support services along the Rogue River within the Gold Hill- Rogue River portion of the Greenway. This low impact activity has the potential to enhance the economic vitality of the Communities of Gold Hill and Rogue River.
As Oregon currently has one of the highest unemployment rate in the nation, creation of jobs is one of the many benefits the Rogue River Recreational Corridor and Greenway has to offer. We anticipate the Rogue River Greenway creating 100 new jobs between the three communities through construction of the Greenway, service oriented – trail maintenance, bike rental shop/s, tourism related jobs, kiosks, event related jobs, additional recreation related jobs - fishing, kayaking, birding. Additional affects: jobs created from increased visitors/tourists traffic for motels, restaurants and other service industries as well as to our State Parks. Some visitors to these communities may discover this is a great retirement location and relocate here then buy or build a home creating even more job opportunities.
The Rogue River Recreational Corridor and Greenway will enhance economic development opportunities for Jackson & Josephine County. Greenways and bike paths have been identified as one of the top three enhancement strategies for attracting and retaining new business and industries to communities. The most easily recognizable economic benefit of greenways are manifest in higher real property values. Greenways have contributed from 5 to 20% to the value of homes and properties located adjacent to greenways. In turn, these increases contribute to tax revenues that help offset greenway acquisition costs and trail development. Greenways are major tourism attractions and keep tourists in the area longer which has huge revenue implications. Completion and connection of a major greenway system in southern Oregon will enable smaller communities to tap into the national tourism base enjoyed by Ashland and the regional health & retail market in Medford, creating economic parity for the entire region that will last for years.
EDUCATION The Rogue River Recreational Corridor and Greenway will play a vital educational role in creating greater public awareness of the importance of maintaining a healthy ecosystem. The Rogue River and Central Point Schools Districts as well as the Southern Oregon ESD recognize this trail system as providing a source of education about the flora and fauna of our area and the ability to observe the delicate balance of nature effecting the birds, wildlife and fish spawning in one of the most valuable treasures in our State, the wild and scenic Rogue River. The value of this is underscored by the listing of Coho Salmon on the endangered species list.
LOGISTICS With 70% of the population living within 1 mile of the Rogue River Greenway, the completion of the Rogue River Recreational Corridor and Greenway will provide far reaching benefits for the region’s citizens. From Central Point to Grants Pass including the Cities of Rogue River and Gold Hill Both Rogue River and Gold Hill, all are poised to utilize the Rogue River Greenway to benefit their local economies. Central point is bustling with new growth and is considered a “family” community that will now have access to the entire trails network at their doorstep. Additionally Central Point and Grants Pass will both be able to capitalize on being the "Gateways" to the Rogue River Recreational Corridor and Greenway.
HEALTH Regular physical activity is good for overall health. Physical activity decreases the risk for colon cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. It also helps to control weight, contributes to healthy bones, muscles, and joints; reduces falls among the elderly; and helps to relieve the pain of arthritis. Physical activity does not have to be strenuous to be beneficial. Moderate physical activity, such as 30 minutes of brisk walking five or more times a week, also has health benefits. Despite all the benefits of being physically active, most Americans are sedentary. Technology has created many time and labor saving products. Some examples include cars, elevators, computers, dishwashers, and televisions. Cars are used to run short distance errands instead of people walking or riding a bicycle. As a result, these recent lifestyle changes have reduced the overall amount of energy expended in our daily lives. According to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, in 2000 more than 26% of adults reported no leisure time physical activity. Obesity is of great public health concern, because it is directly related to diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis, and other chronic conditions. Moreover, obesity, as well as other conditions for which it serves as a major risk factor, is highly prevalent in all groups of the population. “Oregon is in effect, the second hungriest state in the nation and we also have this growing problem of obesity,” stated Wyden today. “In our state, the two are clearly linked.” The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that at least 31 percent of low-income children between two and five years of age in Oregon are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. According to the Oregon Department of Human Services, 22 percent of the adults in Oregon are obese and 60 percent are overweight. The Centers for Disease Control found the obesity rate among Oregon adults increased by 86 percent from 1990 to 2002. Being significantly overweight or obese increases a child’s risk for diabetes, which kills three times as many people in Oregon today as it did 15 years ago. Obesity and Environment: People may make decisions based on their environment or community. For example, a person may choose not to walk to the store or work because of a lack of sidewalks. Communities, homes, and workplaces each shape health decisions. With fewer options for physical activity and healthy eating, it becomes more difficult for people to make good choices. The Surgeon General’s Call to action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity 2000 identified action steps to prevent and decrease obesity and overweight.A Change of Habit: Promoting healthy lifestyles to prevent obesity in a community or region involves the creation of a healthy environment. The first step is to provide safe, easy, affordable access to recreation areas. The Rogue River Greenway will provide our communities with their first step to creating a healthier lifestyle for our children, adults and seniors.
COMMUNITY PROFILES Rogue River is a rural community located approx. 15 miles to Medford and 8 miles to Grants Pass in Josephine County. Jobs in this community are mainly small retail shops & restaurants with one large grocery store, one hardware, one pharmacy, two banks and 1 credit union. The largest employer is the Rogue River School District. Based on Zip Code 2000 Census Data, the Rogue River area has a population of approx. 8,900 with 39% being senior citizens. The remainder being comprised of mostly families with school age children, with the median age in this community being 46 years. Gold Hill, also a rural community is located approximately 8 miles to Medford and 15 miles to Grants Pass. There is limited infrastructure and therefore jobs are limited. There are a few small retail stores, one large grocery store, a couple of mom and pop stores, two restaurants, one bakery, and one hardware store. The largest employers are the Central Point School District and Sweed Machinery. Based on Zip Code 2000 Census Data, the Gold Hill area has a population of approx. 6,600 with approx. 32% being senior citizens. The remainder being comprised of mostly families with school age children, with the median age in this community being 43 years. Family wage jobs are a rarity in both Rogue River and Gold Hill Communities.
AIR QUALITY Environmental awareness and accessibility creates an appreciation for the beauty and wonder of our area as well as promotes good stewardship of our lands. Air quality is one of the serious issues facing Jackson County which has the most stringent air quality guidelines in the State of Oregon. We have attached an air quality assessment showing the positive effect that the Rogue River Greenway will have on the CO and PM10 particulates within the Rogue Valley Corridor. For pedestrians and bicyclists county wide, the Rogue River Greenway will provide a safe and environmentally sound alternative to automobile transportation.
Brief Summary The economic, environmental, health, educational, air quality, transportation and safety benefits are tremendous and will dramatically improve the quality of life for untold numbers of Southern Oregonians. This project will utilize City, County, State and Federal lands as well as rails with trails. It is a collaboration of public/private partnerships all working for the same goal. It provides much needed access to the Rogue River from numerous points along the trail, develops parks, recreation areas and water trails, and promotes the incredible natural resources we have in Southern Oregon. Developing the Rogue River Recreational Corridor and Greenway will provide tremendous benefits for our children, families, seniors, businesses, and communities for the entire Southern Oregon Region. It is beneficial for residents and tourists and provides a legacy that will enjoyed by one and all. The Rogue River Greenway is an investment that will provide stunning returns on many levels, for generations to come.
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