Salmonberry River showing railroad and highway washouts; photo by Chris Updegrave

to waterways, nature viewing, off street bicycle trails, and paved paths. Perhaps in recognition of the demand for such recreation- al amenities, there is also significant political support for this project. The North Coast Regional Solutions Team, which includes Oregon Department of Transportation and other state agencies, has identified the Salmonberry Corridor Trail as a regionally-significant project. In March 2014, the Oregon Legislature passed Senate Bill 1516 directing the agencies to work with the Salmonberry Coalition to identify potential sources of funding and management options by October 1, 2015. The Coalition has a visible and vocal supporter in State Senator Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose).

Funded through a generous grant from the nonprofit

Cycle Oregon, the Master Plan was commissioned to build on the Preliminary Feasibility Study (Walker Macy, 2013). It establishes feasible trail types and alignments, explores possi- ble trailheads and trail-related facilities, and presents a vari- ety of trail surfacing options. Given the complexity of the Corridor, no single solution has been proposed. Rather, advo- cates and agencies can use this document as a guide for fur- ther study to refine the plan in specific areas and provide more explicit design.

This plan draws on the character of the landscape, the conditions of the Corridor and the diverse visions of stake- holders, and is intended to be the foundation for future development of this important landmark. The Salmonberry Corridor will likely take many years of development until it can be considered as a complete recreational resource. For ref- erence, the Banks-Vernonia State Trail took over 30 years of planning and construction before it became the complete multi-use corridor that it is today. Patience will be required to fulfill this vision.

Process One of the former Southern Pacific Railroad bridges 8 NEW YEARS 2015 AmericanTrails.org

The 14-month planning process for this Corridor has included a range of opportunities for stakeholder and public review and discussion. OPRD and ODF are the lead stage agency partners in managing the master plan, with OPRD serving as direct project managers and facilitators of public meetings, as well as the recipient of public input through a variety of sources, including a regularly updated blog (salm- onberrycorridor.wordpress.com).

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