Embargoed until April 22, 2021
For Release
Earth Day
April 22, 2021
Contact: Kelley Beamer, Executive Director, Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts
503.348.9612 | kelley@oregonlandtrusts.org
Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts unveils new map with 81 Oregon places the public can explore
Perfect picnic spots, riverside havens, and family-friendly walks—new map covers more than 100,000 acres with something for everyone
Portland, Ore. — Today for Earth Day, the Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts (COLT) has released a new map to help Oregonians connect with more outdoor spaces. This first-of-its-kind map highlights 81 different locations throughout the state that anyone can visit, all of them made possible in part by Oregon’s system of nonprofit land trusts. The PDF-format map is available at www.TheOregonIAm.org/map when you enter your name and email address.
“The Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts has 30 members—nonprofits covering every corner of Oregon,” said Kelley Beamer, executive director of the Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts. “Many of their properties, or properties they’ve helped conserve, have been open to the public for years. But only now have they been compiled in one place and all of them visible on one map. This is your go-to resource to discover a new family favorite picnic spot, or walk, or riverside hangout. And it’s an invitation for everyone living in Oregon to step outside and to safely connect to each other and the wonder of our lands,” Beamer said.
The website – TheOregonIAm.org – reflects the name of the project, The Oregon I Am. A play on the word “Oregonian,” it is a collaborative project to celebrate Oregon land and communities, and to invite more people to enjoy the great outdoors. The work also includes events later this year (more below).
All of the locations on the map are places you can visit and were, in some way, supported by the work of land trusts. This new list of 81 places you can visit thanks to land trusts roughly compares, in size, to Oregon’s State Park system. Add this land trust map to your list of places you already enjoy—your neighborhood park, state parks, national forests and even your own backyard.
Not all 81 sites are open year-round and some require access by boat or visit via a guided tour. Many have rules to protect wildlife and native plants. Before planning a visit, please visit the highlighted organization for. When you receive access to the map and click on map information, you will be directed to a website that has information specific to the place you want to visit.
Oregonians are also invited to share what about Oregon is special to them. We invite everyone, whether they visit a location on the map or not, to post to social media with #oregoniam and share their answer to this question: What is your Oregon? Is it a place, idea, person, or memory? “The Oregon I am is ….”
In addition to the map release on April 22:
- In May, COLT will launch a game to engage kids in the new map.
- Breweries around the state are also collaborating to creating eight new beers inspired by place, to be released in June.
- In July, COLT will be inviting Oregonians to submit an audio recording of themselves sharing their story of “The Oregon I Am.”
- And in December, COLT will release a film titled The Oregon I Am.
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What is a land trust?
A land trust is a nonprofit that works with individuals and communities to conserve land.
About the Coalition for Oregon Land Trusts
The Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts (COLT) serves and strengthens the land trust community in Oregon. At COLT, we build connections and advance policies that help protect our natural world—our water, wildlife and open space—for all people, forever.
This work helps our coalition members—30 conservation organizations around the state—do what they do best: protect wildlife and wild places, defend working farms and forests, provide recreation and parks, drive climate solutions and science, champion clean water for all and engage communities to protect our natural world.
Project photos available upon request
