Fast-growing Veneta considers blazing new trails.

Byline: Karen McCowan The Register-Guard

VENETA - An ambitious network of trails could pave this growing community's path from a timber- to tourism-based economy.

That's the premise underlying a proposed Fern Ridge trail system on the City Council agenda tonight.

AmeriCorps intern Taunya Jones spent the past eight months drawing up the proposal, which calls for miles of trails - pedestrian and bicycle, commuter and recreational.

The suggested paths include a "school connector" giving pedestrians an off-road alternative to the shoulder of busy Territorial Highway between Fern Ridge Middle and Elmira Elementary and High schools. They include a variety of cycling and nature trails intended to give birders and others better access to wildlife in and around Fern Ridge Lake. And they include some potential alternatives for workers commuting between Veneta and Eugene on Highway 126 - including construction of a bike path along a railroad right-of-way that parallels the highway.

"I'm hoping the council will endorse the plan in concept, and rank the proposed trails as high-priority, medium-priority or long-range," said Jones, a graduate student in public administration at the University of Oregon.

Even if they do so, it's likely to be several years before even the first section of trail is constructed. The plan is so preliminary, it did not even include cost estimates, although Jones did identify a variety of potential funding sources.

She developed the trails proposal under an economic development grant from the state and federally funded Resource Assisting Rural Environments program.

In a written report accompanying a sprawling map of the proposed paths, Jones emphasized the Fern Ridge area's potential for continued growth as an outdoor recreation destination.

"Between 1987 and 2002, day hiking, outdoor photography, and wildlife viewing increased in this region by 21 percent, 61 percent and 254 percent, respectively," she wrote.

"There is potential for outdoor recreation and ecotourism to play an important role in the Fern Ridge area's emerging economy."

The Fern Ridge Chamber of Commerce recently adopted "Fern Ridge: Inspired By Nature" as a slogan. And the community two years ago launched a successful annual event, The Wings and Wine Festival, catering to ecotourists interested in bird-watching and vineyards.

A proposed Country Fair Loop bike and pedestrian trail would also help relieve congestion during the Fern Ridge area's longest-running festival, which draws 40,000 to 50,000 visitors every summer, Jones said.

But the same wetlands that draw migratory birds pose economic and environmental obstacles to trail development, she added.

For example, Jones is removing one proposed trail - a hiking path near a sensitive wildlife habitat on Fern Ridge Lake, because of concerns raised by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Expensive elevated pathways would be needed in many places if trails are to be accessible in winter months.

Tourism aside, Veneta has another reason to plan for and invest in trails, she said.

"The population of Veneta has increased by over 50 percent since 2000," she said. "Veneta is projected to grow by another 24 percent, to 5,200 people, by 2025. The current population of the Fern Ridge Area, which includes Veneta, Elmira, Noti and Crow, is 20,839 and expected to reach 22,724 by 2010."

The proposed trail system would provide current and future residents with "recreational amenities and transportation options that reflect an overall improvement in quality of life," she wrote.

Ultimately, the Fern Ridge area trails would link to other bike and multi-use paths planned by other agencies, such as Eugene's Fern Ridge Bike Path, which now ends at Greenhill Road. Jones involved representatives of other public and private agencies - from Eugene and Lane County to the Oregon Country Fair - in drawing up the proposal.

"Doing this involves forming a lot of partnerships," she said, noting that the city has not even broached the subject with some entities, such as the Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad, which operates a line between Veneta and Eugene.

"But we wanted to get this on the council's radar screen, so that if the rail line is ever abandoned, they could try to acquire that property," she said.

Meanwhile, the city can seek assistance from the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy, a national group that has helped other cities negotiate creation of trails within the rights-of-way of active lines.

TRAILS TO FUTURE?

City leaders hear a bold plan

What: Veneta City Council meeting

When: 7 p.m. today

Where: City Hall, 88184 Eighth St.

Information: 935-2191