By Jeff Krueger, Landscape Architect, JK Environments
I’m very excited to be presenting on the Rivers to Ridges regional parks and open space vision at the Eugene Parks Foundation on October 29! This presentation will focus on providing an overview of the Rivers to Ridges vision, celebrating 20 years of accomplishments by our regional partners, and looking toward what’s possible over the next 20 years.
The Rivers to Ridges Partnership is a voluntary association of 19 organizations working collaboratively to advance the protection, restoration, and management of open space resources in the southern Willamette Valley. The name Rivers to Ridges emanates from a regional open space vision which was endorsed by numerous stakeholder groups and unanimously by local elected officials from the Eugene-Springfield area in 2003.
Through the combined efforts of the Rivers to Ridges partners, a significant amount of what was envisioned in the 2003 vision has been implemented! This includes the conservation of nearly 9,000 acres of land, construction of 57 miles of trails and paths, and restoration and enhancement of 8,800 acres of habitat.
To build on this success and look toward what might be possible over the next 20 years, the Rivers to Ridges Partnership completed a vision update process in June of 2023. The guiding principles for the vision update included:
- Sustaining a healthy environment,
- Connecting people to nature, and
- Stewarding the urban-rural interface
Highlights of the updated vision include a proposed green streets network to provide connectivity to underserved neighborhoods, an expanded network of regional trails and paths, habitat restoration priorities, and additional priority areas for future park and open space conservation.
More information about the Rivers to Ridges vision and partnership can be found at www.rivers2ridges.org.