Monthly Archives: July 2017

South Coast Tourism Steering Committee Meeting (7/18)

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Members of the South Coast Tourism Steering Committee met in Powers on July 18.

Kat Hoppe, Michelle Martin, and Kay Clayborn in Powers

The Outdoor Recreation Team shared information on the Coos Flow Trail, a 30 miles mountain biking trail that is currently under construction between Bandon and Coos Bay. The Team will be pursuing a Travel Oregon Rural Tourism Studio grant to support this and other efforts including a ribbon-cutting opening event for the completion of the first 11 mile segment which is expected to take place in the fall. The Marketing Action Team, discussed the Team’s two priority goals: 1) To create up-to-date information on the Travel Oregon website for businesses and restaurants and 2) To develop high quality photography to represent the South Coast. The logistics of both projects are still in the process of being finalized. The agritourism team also provide an update on efforts related to creating Farm Trails to help market local producers and farm experiences. The Team is looking to receive funding for a Farm Dinner, an agritourism development program that seeks to connect producers, buyers, hotels, and other businesses. The Committee will meet again on August 23rd in Coos Bay to finalize the details of the proposal and are planning to have the grant finalized and submitted mid-September.

South Coast Tourism Marketing Action Team Meeting

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Members of the South Coast Tourism Marketing Action Team met at the Wild Rivers Coast Alliance on Monday afternoon, July 10.

Members in attendance were Marie Simonds, Michael C, Tim Scahill, Marcie Nunnelly, with Sea Grant interns Catie Michel and Dustin James. Members to participate in the discussion over the phone were Fiona B, Julie M, Alexa, Andrew, and Kelda of Travel Oregon.

Julie Miller of the Bandon Chamber of Commerce provided a subcommittee report that expressed initiative to apply for a small grant to hire an individual to organize and update OTIS data and files. The goal is to establish an efficient, long term system to maintain management of the ORB/OTIS data.

Marcie Nunnelly of the photography subcommittee provided information about a Survey Monkey that was filled out by the 9 DMOs of the South Coast (including Florence). The results of the survey highlighted the DMOs need to have more professional media assets at their disposal, the desire for collaboration to market the region as a whole, and a training component to educate on how to access these assets. Sea Grant intern Dustin James provided an update on the current Wild Rivers Coast Photo Project which is expected to be completed by end of August. Members of the committee expressed a need for a similar photo project to take place in the northern portion of the South Coast.

Lastly, Marketing Action Team lead Marie Simonds discussed the small grant application for a Local DMO Collaboration and Capacity Development project. This grant would be used to conduct a survey of DMOs in Wildlife Rivers Coast and South Coast Regions to assess current staffing, desired training, desired use of new photo and video assets, marketing goals, as well as the use of OCVA and Travel Oregon resources. Creation of a promotional video showcasing cycling and mountain biking routes in the South Coast is also in the works.

To get more information about the Orb visit: http://industry.traveloregon.com/industry-resources/the-orb/

South Coast Steering Committee Recreation Team meeting 6/30

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On June 30th, the South Coast Steering Committee for Outdoor Recreation met at the Wild Rivers Coast Alliance building to discuss the South Coast’s extensive trail system. The purpose of the meeting was to update the Regional  Trails Plan in order to explore proposals to develop and expand existing trails.

 

 

 

 

OSU Extension/Sea Grant’s Frank Burris facilitated the meeting while other members were from a variety of outdoor recreation-based organizations from the South Coast. After going through the list of 48 trails, individuals ranked each trail based on five criteria: 1) the trails contribution to the outdoor recreation-based economy, 2) its environmental impact, 3) the need for maintenance, 4) the trail’s infrastructure, 5) and the support it provides to the local community. The results are being compiled and will be reported as an addition of the Regional Trails Plan to help guide grant and development work in the future. The network of community stakeholders is currently discussing and planning applications for multiple grants to support trail and outdoor recreation development in the region.