A NATURAL SHOWCASE.

A Reedsport museum created to boost the region's appeal to tourists is getting a significant facelift. The Umpqua Discovery Center was built in 1993 after those on the southern Oregon coast saw the handwriting on the wall; fishing and logging were no longer going to be enough to support the local economy.

The museum was designed to showcase the region's natural resources and provide an attraction for tourists.

The 7,000-square-foot interpretive center was built by the city of Reeds- port along the Umpqua River waterfront. And while the coastal economy is still struggling with the severe declines in its traditional job base, the center's $600,000 expansion is moving forward. The new project will establish a series of exhibits on how daily life in Oregon's tidewater towns revolves around the rhythm of the tides. Part of the exhibit is already on display, with the remainder expected to open by early 2001.

"It's a real substantial project," says center director Portia Harris, who manages an annual budget of just $130,000. Economic development grants met the bulk of the project's expenses, with the local business community donating nearly $100,000.

The expansion of the museum is part of a concerted effort to support the Lower Umpqua economy, which took its most recent body blow when the International Paper Co. mill shut down, taking 300 jobs with it. And although the economic development effects of the center have never been measured, Harris says its direct influence can be found by looking out the window at a pair of new endeavors on the boardwalk -- a delicatessen and a jetboat business.

The new exhibits are expected to double the center's attendance to 16,000 annually over the next three years.